U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

President's Management Council Committed to Performance Management

Performance management is in the spotlight. For the first time in years, high-level Federal executives are devoting concerted effort to pursuing effective employee performance management throughout Government. This is a positive step because managing workforce performance effectively is critical to organizational success.

The President's Management Council, comprised of the Chief Operating Officers (e.g., deputy secretaries or agency heads) of cabinet and other key agencies, has accepted and adopted a "Report to the President's Management Council on Managing Performance in the Government." The report, developed by a work group of agency human resources directors, offers a framework to analyze employee performance management issues. It includes recommendations and concrete information on successful agency practices—providing practical assistance for achieving excellence throughout Government.

• Report Themes.
• Agency Innovations and Resources.
• To Obtain the Report.

Report Themes. The report centers on three themes that focus on ways in which agencies can become more accountable, performance-based, and results-oriented. The first theme is Expect Excellence. Communicating expectations and creating a climate for excellence are critical to effective performance management. The report recommends that employee performance plans link to the goals of their respective offices, and formal and informal recognition link to desired performance outcomes.

The second theme is Establish Accountability. Agencies need to expect, develop, assess, and recognize supervisory excellence in performance management. The report recommends that agencies make managing performance effectively a central factor in evaluating managerial and supervisory performance. The third theme is Take Timely Action. Early intervention and upper-management support are critical to address and improve poor performance. The report recommends agencies make the modest investment to provide supervisors with more tools for at-the-desk, just-in-time help, such as the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) interactive CD-ROM on resolving performance problems.

Agency Innovations and Resources. The report offers numerous examples of agency innovations and resources for improving performance management. Agencies such as the Departments of Education and Transportation and the Social Security Administration align managers' and employees' performance plans with organizational goals. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration creates this alignment using an automated assessment tool. Several agencies use multi-rater assessment techniques to bring their managers, supervisors, and team leaders richer information about their performance. In addition to agency practices, the report refers to several OPM products and services that can assist agencies to improve performance management programs and practices.

To Obtain the Report. You may download this report from OPM's web site.

Originally published February 2000.