Department of the Interior

Departmental Manual

 

Effective Date: 12/11/01

Series:  Organization

Part 101:  Organization Management          

Chapter 2:  Standards

 

Originating Office:  Office of Planning and Performance Management

101 DM 2

 

2.1     Purpose.  This chapter identifies the generic organizational structures, describes hierarchical relationships, and establishes standard nomenclature as used in the Department.

 

2.2     Policy.  To the extent practicable, organizational structure and nomenclature will be consistent throughout the Department.

 

2.3     Elements of Organizational Structure.  Organizational structures in the Department will be established and maintained in accordance with the following standards.

 

A.      Line authority is the oversight and direction of the operation of an activity, including planning, controlling, and accounting for the achievement of goals and objectives.  Line managers have direct operational responsibility for accomplishing assigned missions and ensuring that activities under their authority are being performed in accordance with established laws, regulations, and policies.

 

B.      Staff authority is the provision of advice or services to line officers with regard to laws, regulations, Departmental policy and related information.  Staff management may include functional oversight or technical supervision over counterpart staff in subordinate organizations.

 

C.      Managers may require line organizations under their direction to accept guidance from staff offices for purposes of coordination, uniform application of rules and regulations, economy, effectiveness of operations, or better utilization of specialized skills.

 

2.4     Organizational Nomenclature.

 

A.      The following Departmental organizational nomenclature is provided as general guidance:

 

(1)     Department and Departmental.  The Department of the Interior in general or as a whole.  These designations may be used to refer only to the entire Department.

 

(2)     Secretariat.  The Secretarial Officers of the Department:  the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, Solicitor, and Inspector General.

 

(3)     Office of the Secretary.  The Secretariat, their staffs, and Secretarial Offices.

 

(4)     Immediate Office of the Secretary.  The Secretary and the Secretary=s staff.

 

(5)     Immediate Office of the Deputy Secretary.  The Deputy Secretary and the Deputy Secretary=s staff.

 

(6)     Secretarial Offices.  Offices reporting to the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, the Solicitor, the Inspector General or an Assistant Secretary.

 

(7)     Bureaus and Offices.  Refers collectively to the bureaus of the Department and Secretarial Offices, including the Immediate Offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary.

 

(8)     Bureaus.  Major organizational units carrying out specific operating programs, and, as necessary, maintaining field operating units.  Such organizational units may have one of the following designations:  bureau, office, service, administration, or other designations established by law.

 

(9)     Field Offices.  Used collectively, this term includes first-level and second-level field offices.

 

(10)   First-Level Field Offices.  First-level field offices fall into one of the following two categories:

 

(a)      A regional office or office of equivalent status (e.g., state offices within the Bureau of Land Management) that has responsibility for program and/or administrative activities within a geographically defined area.  Regional offices report to a headquarters organization and may provide services and supervision for other field offices, or

 

(b)     A non-regionalized field office which provides specialized services nationwide (such as administration, engineering, and research services), is not limited to a specific geographic area, and reports to a headquarters organization.

 

(11)   Second-Level Field Offices.  The levels of field operations below the first-level field offices.  These offices may be identified by various titles such as district, sub-district, agency, refuge, hatchery, laboratory, park, monument, school, project, and field office.  Second-level field offices report to first-level field offices or other second-level field offices.

 

(12)   Offices/Staffs.  Refers  to groups of persons with specialized duties reporting directly to a line manager.  The term is also used for organizational units too small to be designated bureaus and for organizational units in the Office of the Secretary.

 

(13)   Subordinate Organizational Levels.  Refers to subordinate organizational components in a headquarters or field office.  Typically, these organizational components are called  Adivision,@ Abranch,@ Asection,@  Aunit,@ Agroup,@ or Ateam@.  Generally, they are used in descending order as listed.

 

(14)   Emergency Organizations.  Organizations established and organized but not activated until there is a civil defense emergency or an attack upon the United States.

 

(15)   Committees.  Any commission, council, board, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group established by the Department for providing advice and guidance.  Committees are comprised of temporary or permanent groups of persons brought together to concentrate on a specific area, problem or need.  (The various types of committees that can be established are described in 308 DM 1.  Departmental policies and requirements regarding the use of committees are published in 308 DM 1 through 8.)

 

B.      An organization=s title should not be duplicated, to the extent practicable, within that organization; for example, a division is not comprised of component divisions, etc.

 

12/11/01 #3381

Replaces 10/3/90 #2900