Steps
Toward a
Stable Future H
EPA
A Progress Report on
Human Resources
Management at the
Environmental
Protection Agency
By a Panel of the
National Academy of
Public Administration
August 1985
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
DEC 121965
OFFICE OF
THE ADMINISTRATOR
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Summary Report of NAPA Follow-up Study
TO: All Employees
Last March, I announced that I had requested the National
Academy of Public Administration {NAPA) to return to EPA to
review our progress in implementing the recommendations of
their 1984 panel report, Steps Toward a Stable Future. NAPA
convened a panel including some of the original panel members,
surveyed a representative sample of EPA employees, conducted
interviews, and reported their findings to me.
As we celebrate our fifteenth anniversary, these results
are very encouraging. They should give all of us a sense of
pride in EPA as a community of employees who continue to be
dedicated to lofty goals and are willing to work hard to reach
them. Comparison of NAPA's 1983 and 1985 survey responses shows
improved morale, greater confidence in leadership at all levels,
and increased trust between employees and supervisors.
You have before you a summary of the 1985 NAPA findings
entitled A Progress Report on Human Resources Management at the
Environmental Protection Agency. I want to thank those of you
who took the time to respond to the survey. I urge all of you
to read this report. You deserve to feel good about what you
and your fellow EPA employees are doing. Working together I
am confident we will continue to take the positive steps needed
to make EPA an even better place to work, and have our actions
translated into improved environmental results.
Lee M. Thomas
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STEPS TOWARD A STABLE FUTURE II
A Progress Report on
Human Resources Management
at the
Environmental Protection Agency
by a Panel of the
National Academy of Public Administration
August 1985
-------
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Project Staff
Paul Light, Project Director
Lisa Weinberg, Research Associate
Linda Hart, Research Associate
Michael Dexter, Research Associate
Christopher Bayard, Research Assistant
Lynn Bylan, Project Secretary
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Table of Contents
Page
Introduction
The Pulse of the Agency
Findings 2
Conclusion 4
Implementation of the 1984 National Academy Recommendations 5
Creation of the Office of Human Resources Management 5
Workforce Planning 5
Executive Development 6
Training 6
Communications 6
Equal Opportunity 7
Conclusion 7
Recommendations of the 1985 National Academy Panel
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Introduction
In January 1985, the new EPA Administrator, Lee Thomas, asked
the National Academy of Public Administration to undertake a
progress report on the implementation of its 1984 study Steps
Toward a Stable Future. That report contained over 60 specific
recommendations for improving human resource management at
EPA. Using cost savings on the original contract, the National
Academy agreed to take the pulse of the agency and to revisit the
original "Steps" report.
When that report was first commissioned in 1983, EPA was only
beginning to emerge from controversy. Faced with growing envi-
ronmental responsibilities and dwindling resources, battered by
public criticism and employee worries, the agency reached out for
help. Under the guidance of a new Administrator, EPA made a
renewed commitment to human resources, and pledged itself to
the task of rebuilding employee confidence and morale.
One part of the effort to restore staff confidence involved a major
study by the National Academy of Public Administration. The
study examined the agency's budget and personnel systems, and
offered guidance on how to secure the management structures
"needed in so complex and critical a field." The agency must be
able to attract and retain the highest level of professionalism and
dedication possible. Because of its rapidly evolving human resource
needs, the National Academy concluded that "EPA has a major
leadership role in devising and installing innovative administrative
arrangements" that permit and encourage state and local partici-
pation in national programs. In short, EPA can and should take
the lead in developing human resources in an era of change at all
levels of government.
Today, one year after the National Academy report. EPA remains
a remarkably complex agency, highly dependent on its workforce.
Many of the National Academy's suggestions were fully imple-
mented, and have now had nearly a year in practice. Others were
partially adopted, reflecting movement in the right direction. Oth-
ers were not adopted. Others involve broad national goals that
must involve major changes in how Congress and the public think
about environmental policy. Yet. of the 62 separate recommen-
dations on human resources, roughly four-fifths were implemented
in part or in full.
May 23. 1985, the National Academy convened a small group
of members and outside experts to review the progress report. The
Panel was chaired by Robert Fri, former Deputy Administrator
and acting Administrator of EPA, and included Frank Carlucci,
former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Simon Lazarus, former Asso-
ciate Director of the White House Domestic Policy Staff, and Ersa
Ppston, former Vice Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The Panel met with EPA Administrator Lee Thomas and Assistant
Administrator for Administration and Resources Management
Howard Messner on May 23 to make its final recommendation.
The Panel's overall evaluation of the agency's progress was
good. Citing a number of improvements in workforce morale, the
Panel encouraged EPA to continue to build on its earlier efforts.
Rebuilding human resources is not a one-time effort. Rather, it is
an evolutionary process where past success serves as the basis for
future improvements. It involves an ongoing commitment, and an
ever-present willingness to listen. The Panel concluded both con-
tinue to exist at EPA.
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The Pulse of the Agency
A dedicated motivated workforce is essential to an agency's
success. Confidence in top management, commitment to the agen-
cy's mission, trust in immediate supervisors, and faith in the basic
fairness of promotions and rewards all contribute to an employee's
morale. High morale is central to an agency's ability to reach its
goals. Few agencies understand this better than EPA. From its
inception, EPA has been dependent on a highly committed work-
force.
There is little doubt, however, that EPA morale was severely
tested from 1981 to 1983. Beset by resignations, widespread public
criticism, congressional investigations, allegations of scandal,
growing environmental problems, statutory confusion, and legis-
lative stalemate on key reauthorizations, EPA morale tumbled. On
virtually every measure of morale—from desire to find another job
outside government to concerns that there was too much political
influence inside EPA—employees viewed the future in uncertain
terms. Moreover, when a random sample* of employees was asked
in 1983 if EJPA was "doing a good job in its mission of protecting
the environment," only 42 percent said yes.
Despite these worries, the agency's greatest asset remained its
employees' dedication to environmental protection. When asked
in that same survey what they wanted most from their jobs, .over
90 percent answered "a chance to accomplish something worth-
while." The new EPA Administrator, William Ruckelshaus, and
his recent successor, Lee Thomas, both recognized this strength
in making EPA employees their number one priority. In asking the
National Academy of Public Administration to conduct these sur-
veys of employee attitudes in 1983 and 1985, Ruckelshaus and
Thomas sent a powerful signal of their willingness to listen.
In general, the news from the 1985 survey is encouraging. When
asked whether EPA is now doing a good job in its mission, 56 percent
More Employees Think the Agency Is Doing a Good Job in Its Mission
of Protecting the Environment
56%
(UP 14% FROM 1983)
In both National Academy surveys, the samples of employees were selected entirely
at random. In the second survey, 1,800 employees were selected to represent the
agency. With 924 responses, the survey has an error rate of plus-or-minus four
percent—that is, 19 times out of 20, every question could be off by four points in
either direction. A typical Gallup or Harris poll has an average error of three percent.
said yes, an increase of 14 points since 1983. Further, when asked
whether EPA is "better or worse in doing its job than it was a year
ago," 38 percent said better, while less than half as many said worse.
There are, however, continuing concerns among employees about
fairness, discrimination, communication, and job security.
Though much of this report focuses on changes between 1983
and 1985, it is important to note the stability, too. There is a great
deal at EPA that has not changed. By and large, the employees
remain dedicated, supervisors are trusted, the top management
remains highly rated, and employees take great pride in their work.
Where there has been change, it is usually in a positive direction.
Improvements, however slight, are improvements nonetheless.
Findings
Five major areas of employee attitudes—morale, views of the
top leadership, evaluations of work group supervision, opportu-
nities for advancement, and training—merit special emphasis.
Morale
The EPA workforce has long been distinguished by its strong
commitment to the agency's mission. Indeed, when given a list of
possible rewards from work, the opportunity to accomplish some-
thing worthwhile remains the most powerful motivation for EPA
employees. As in 1983, nine out often respondents said it was a
very important part of their work. Respect received from fellow
employees was the second most important factor, mentioned by
79 percent of the workforce as very important. Salary was sixth
on this list of incentives, mentioned by 56 percent, and was fol-
lowed by the chance for receiving recognition or reward, mentioned
by half. To the extent that EPA management can communicate the
connection between the day-to-
day routine and the broader goal
of environmental protection, the
basic motivation can play a cen-
tral role in the success of the
agency. At least in the short-term,
this dedication may be a central
factor in keeping over-extended
employees hard at work.
Perceptions of peer attitudes are
crucial for creating an atmosphere
of cooperation, an esprit de corps.
In 1985, for example, 55 percent
of the survey respondents said
people in EPA are "proud of the
very high standards of perfor-
mance that are set," an increase
of 10 percent from 1983. There is
also an increased willingness to do
more than the minimum work
required by the job. Seven out of
ten now see the EPA workforce as "willing and eager," up from 58
percent two years earlier. Perhaps more importantly, when asked in
1983 whether low morale of fellow employees interferes with the
agency's ability to accomplish its mission, 56 percent agreed. By
1985, that figure had dropped to 38 percent.
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Sources of Job Satisfaction Rated as "Very Important" by Employees
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Increases in These Areas Clearly Show Morale Has Improved
55%
NOW
45% IN
1983
UP 10%
PROUD OF HIGH
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SET IN EPA
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PEOPLE IN EPA SEEM
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HIGH PERCENTAGES OF EMPLOYEES AGREED WITH THESE STATEMENTS
tors of confidence are manage-
ment's involvement of employ-
ees in decisions, communication
of decisions, and interest in
employee ideas. For example, of
those employees who have a great
deal of confidence in top man-
agement, 69 percent said that
management is almost always or
frequently interested in their
ideas, while 70 percent said man-
agement is almost always or fre-
quently willing to seek out infor-
mation before making final deci-
sions. The message seems clear:
abstract evaluations of leader-
ship rest on concrete demonstra-
tions of the willingness to listen
and communicate.
The future of the agency involves
more than just EPA management,
however. The 1985 National
Academy survey asked employ-
ees to rank the three most impor-
tant factors in future success.
Presidential support for EPA was
the most frequent answer at 57
percent, followed by budget
increases at 43 percent, the top
management's commitment to
environmental programs at 42 per-
cent, and congressional support at
39 percent. Employees appear to
recognize that EPA's future rests
in a number of hands, particularly
at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Whether those employees will
respond to EPA's own reassur-
ance is unclear.
Views of the Top
A second major area of concern for the National Academy was
agency leadership. In the abstract, it involves the ability to define
a vision of the future and the capacity to instill confidence among
employees. In the concrete, it involves a willingness to seek infor-
mation, communicate decisions, motivate employees, and protect
both the agency and its employees from undue outside influence.
On these two dimensions, the 1985 survey shows significant
improvements, but remaining cause for concern.
Employees have growing confidence in the agency's top man-
agement. When asked to rate the performance of EPA's leadership,
61 percent said either "excellent" or "good." When asked about
"trust and confidence" in the top management of EPA, 56 percent
said they put either "a great deal of trust and confidence," "quite
a bit," or "some" in the agency's leaders. Finally, when asked in
1985 whether poor management interferes with EPA's ability to
accomplish its mission, 48 percent said yes, down 12 points from
1983.
One of the key lessons in the survey centers on the relationship
between employee confidence in top management and top man-
agement's willingness to listen. By far the most significant predic-
Work Group Supervision
Whatever top management does to improve agency-wide morale,
direct line supervisors have a substantial impact on the day-to-day
lives of their employees. The degree to which these individuals
understand human relations, communicate well with their staffs,
and are accepted as technically competent has a clear bearing on
trust and confidence.
There are several ways to gauge trust in immediate supervisors.
One is to ask the question directly. When asked in 1985 whether
they had trust and confidence in their first-line supervisor, 57 per-
cent of the surveyed employees said "a great deal" or "quite a
bit," up only slightly from 1983. That figure, however, is twice as
high as the percent for either higher management in the office (30
percent) or top management (29 percent), demonstrating the central
role that immediate supervisors play.
A second way to measure trust is to ask a hypothetical question.
In both National Academy surveys, employees were asked what
they would do if they "observed or experienced an abuse of
'employment practices'." Seven out often in 1985 said they would
"talk to the supervisor," an increase of 13 percent over 1983. In
contrast, only 13 percent said they would either file a grievance,
talk to the personnel office, complain to the Merit Systems Pro-
-------
tection Board, use the Inspector General Hotline, or write to
Congress, down seven percent from two years earlier.
Trust also reflects judgments about a supervisor's technical com-
petence and human relations skills. Trust is earned, not exacted.
On both issues of legitimacy, supervisors showed modest improve-
ments from 1983. In 1983, forexample, three-quarters of employees
rated their immediate supervisor as technically competent. Two
years later, that figure had grown to 79 percent. In 1983, just over
half of employees rated their supervisor as competent in human
relations. Two years later, that figure had grown by five percent.
Though the technical ratings are high, the human relations skills
appear somewhat low given the importance employees assign to
their work group as a reference point.
Indeed, comparison of the two questions suggests that human
relations is the more important issue in employee trust and con-
fidence. Among those employees in 1985 who said they had little
or no confidence in their immediate supervisors, 36 percent still
believed those supervisors were technically qualified. Yet, only
six percent said the supervisors were competent in human rela-
tions. Technical skills are certainly important, but cannot com-
pensate for poor human relations.
Taken together, these indicators suggest an increasing trust among
EPA employees. However, there are mixed results on issues of
fairness. Though there has been some improvement in all questions
since 1983, the following figures suggest cause for concern:
• Forty-seven percent of respondents said they are treated fairly
almost always or frequently in promotions; 27 percent said seldom
or almost never.
• Thirty-five percent said they are treated fairly almost always or
frequently on awards; 39 percent said seldom or almost never.
• On merit pay for covered employees only, 35 percent said they
are treated fairly almost always or frequently on increases; 38
percent said seldom or almost never.
• Only 24 percent strongly agree or agree that people who deserve
recognition or rewards get them; 59 percent strongly disagree or
disagree.
The results were generally better on job assignments, discipline,
and performance appraisal. Nevertheless, the lingering doubts about
the fairness of the system present significant challenges to line
supervisors and top management.
The fairness issue is particularly pronounced in continued wor-
ries among EPA employees about discrimination. When asked in
1985 whether "EPA selects, recruits, develops, and treats its
employees fairly without regard to race, sex, age, religion, national
origin, or handicapping condition," 28 percent said no. More spe-
cifically, 33 percent said they personally "have been passed over
for promotion within the past three years for non-merit reasons,
e.g., pre-selection, race, age, political affiliation, sex." Though
only nine percent of the respondents said that such discrimination
(age, race, sex, national origin, religion, handicapped) had an impact
on their own performance at EPA, the issue remains troubling.
Opportunities for Advancement
One of the central factors in employee morale involves oppor-
tunities for advancement. The belief that hard work pays off is an
important motivation. In an era of scarce resources, of course,
such opportunities may be hard to create, leaving employees with
little confidence in room to advance.
Despite a tight agency budget, EPA employees do see somewhat
greater chances for advancement in 1985 than in 1983. When asked
to rate their opportunity to move into a better job, 27 percent of
1985 respondents said very good or good, up from 20 percent just
two years before. Only 15 percent rated the opportunities as very
poor, down accordingly from 23 percent in 1983. However, when
asked whether there is "a real future for people in EPA if they
apply themselves," 25 percent said such opportunities arise almost
always or frequently, basically unchanged from 1983. Given the
two questions, there is little doubt that employees wonder whether
there is room at the top, let alone the middle.
Training
Even where there is room, employees express concerns about
the availability of proper training. Asked if they are "satisfied with
the training opportunities provided to you by EPA within the past
three years," 47 percent of the 1985 respondents said no. More
importantly, asked if they "are currently trained well enough to
perform your job in a satisfactory manner," 19 percent said no, an
increase of six points in two years. Finally, when asked in 1985
whether the lack of training interfered with their ability to perform,
24 percent of the respondents said yes, up almost eight points from
1983.
These responses lend some urgency to rebuilding the training
function which is one of the few areas where employee confidence
is down from 1983. Part of the problem may rest in the arrival of
a substantial number of new employees. They will learn their jobs
over the coming years. Part of the problem may rest in the growing
complexity of the EPA mission. With new responsibilities and new
regulated communities, EPA employees face an increasingly com-
plex job. Their concern with training may reflect the sheer mag-
nitude of their new tasks.
Conclusion
Despite potential problems, the 1985 National Academy survey
shows an EPA on the mend. Confidence is growing at all levels of
the agency, and most indicators are positive. Where there are
serious criticisms, the agency understands the problems. Better
training and career development opportunities are part of the mis-
sion of the new Office of Human Resources Management, and are
a top priority of the new Administrator.
The pulse of the agency remains strong, driven by its employees'
dedication to the mission of protecting the environment, and
enhanced by the management's willingness to listen. Questions
about fairness and discrimination remain, and can be part of a
renewed commitment to stronger opportunities for training and
advancement. Communication appears to be a central key to reas-
suring employees about the future, and rebuilding confidence in
the basic fairness of the system.
The challenge is to raise EPA morale in an era of scarce resources.
Opportunities for new jobs do not appear by magic; money for
merit raises must be appropriated. Though EPA management has
made significant advances in a number of areas, the key to future
morale to a significant extent may rest outside the sphere of agency
influence.
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Implementation of the 1984 National Academy Recommendations
In commissioning a second study by the National Academy in
1985, Administrator Thomas asked for a thorough review of the
progress made by EPA in implementing the recommendations of
the 1984 National Academy Panel. It was to be a mid-term eval-
uation with the emphasis on progress, not completion. Some rec-
ommendations involve tasks which are fairly straightforward or
build upon earlier agency efforts. The implementation of these
recommendations has been fully achieved. Other recommenda-
tions require a much more comprehensive effort. The agency must
first gather information, next determine how best to achieve the
task, finally plan for the development and commitment of resources,
and only then move on to implementation. The conduct of a study,
for example, may represent one step in the process of implemen-
tation.
Other recommendations have not been implemented. For some,
the agency's management may have accepted the end but not the
means. For others, the resources simply may not have been avail-
able. Therefore, choices had to be made regarding the priority of
recommendations competing for limited resources, raising the
broader issue of how to enhance the management of human resources
in an era of austerity. For still others, the political and legislative
realities may have been too difficult to surmount.
One of the major and most troubling findings of the 1983 study
was that an "effective personnel management program"—that is,
a conscious, planned series of policies and actions "designed to
strengthen the management of human resources"—did not exist
at EPA. According to interviews conducted at that time, "Man-
agement simply wanted the personnel function to do what it was
told." Not unlike many highly technical organizations, EPA man-
agers may have viewed personnel as just another administrative
function to be tolerated, not encouraged. Such sentiments can be
reversed only by strong, continuing signals from top management
that neglect will not be tolerated. By making the message a frequent
theme in agency communication, both Ruckelshaus and Thomas
gave the needed emphasis.
Among its more detailed recommendations, the National Acad-
emy Panel adopted two basic goals: (1) the personnel function
should be relocated and elevated to demonstrate its importance;
and (2) the orientation of the personnel function should be refo-
cused to emphasize the management of people rather than the
processing of paper. As this report will show, EPA implemented
these basic recommendations. As the agency progresses, however,
a substantially more difficult task lies ahead. In order to be effec-
tive, human resource goals must be clearly communicated to, and
accepted by, the agency's managerial ranks. In part, this is a matter
of changing their perceptions of the personnel function. It also
requires that the program demonstrate its value for line manage-
ment—in short, that it produce real and positive results for program
operation.
Creation of the Office
of Human Resources Management
In 1983, during interviews with the National Academy study
team, a number of supervisors and managers suggested that the
organizational placement of the personnel function was a reflection
of the relative unimportance assigned to it by management. Did
the leadership assign similar value to the people who worked for
the agency? The Panel recommended that the personnel function
be elevated to the office level, as a symbol of its importance and
as an expression of top management support.
The Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) was
created in 1984 under the Assistant Administrator for Administra-
tion and Resource Management. Instead of elevating the entire
personnel function, OHRM was created as a separate office respon-
sible for workforce planning, career development, executive devel-
opment, and management of the agency's Senior Executive Service
(SES) program. All other personnel functions were retained by the
existing Personnel Management Division (PMD) which remains
under the Director of Administration.
The Office of Human Resources Management is designed to
perform two basic functions: (1) develop the methods and systems
necessary to attract, develop and retain the most qualified work-
force; and (2) assist line managers to achieve these objectives. The
purpose of OHRM is catalytic. Its efforts are directed at stimulating
change throughout the agency. The intention is not to centralize,
but rather to develop the tools and supports to enable the program
managers to best satisfy their own human resource needs.
Workforce Planning
In 1983, the study team concluded that the EPA lacked a com-
prehensive and structured approach to manpower planning. Instead,
it appeared that the agency primarily relied on its budget process
to serve its workforce allocation needs. Unfortunately, the process
was inflexible. Resources were not readily available or responsive
to workload increases or reductions.
According to the Panel, a workforce planning process requires
the following steps:
• Analyze the numbers of personnel in existing job categories and
determine if these categories are currently appropriate.
• Analyze current technical expertise and develop and maintain a
list of technical experts.
• Analyze workload proportions and staffing allocations and deter-
mine if they are appropriate in light of delegation.
- Install a comprehensive personnel management information sys-
tem which will permit access to information on each member of
its workforce which is both current and accurate.
- Use the personnel management information system to plan for
the acquisition of skills for now and the future, and the necessary
training and development required in light of agency needs.
Implementation simply cannot occur overnight. The agency has
made progress, however, by conducting the necessary research.
When the system is in place, managers will have access to current
information on the members of the EPA workforce. The system
will allow program managers to plan in order to meet future demands
as well as satisfy current staffing needs. It will also provide the
basis for the development of individual' 'career enhancement plans,''
using the system to address individual career as well as program
-------
needs. The best estimate for full implementation is 1988.
Effective use of the system will require that managers first look
to the agency's existing workforce before going outside EPA to fill
available positions. While it is sometimes necessary and appro-
priate to search outside the agency for expertise, there is evidence
that EPA managers too often see this as the only option, instead
of promoting from within and encouraging development of existing
staff. There will be, however, a very real incentive for managers
to employ the workforce planning system. The conventional civil
service route for filling a position takes approximately 17 weeks.
With the automated workforce planning process the same task can
be completed in five days. While OHRM is confident that managers
will use the system because of the quick turnaround time, program
managers must first be convinced that a career development strat-
egy can satisfy program needs on a timely basis.
Executive Development
The centerpiece of the agency's management development effort
is an approach entitled FAME, or "Framework for Achieving
Management Excellence." Progress on FAME is still at the con-
ceptual stage, but is moving ahead. Early in his tenure. Lee Thomas
adopted the basic concept, making his interest in management
development clear: "One of the areas I am anxious to improve at
EPA is our approach to developing managers and supervisors."
The FAME program, adapted from a model developed at the
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), provides criteria for
"selecting, developing, promoting and evaluating supervisors,
managers, and executives at all levels." In order to effectively
manage an agency as complex and decentralized as EPA, FAME
is designed to facilitate the development of managers with an
agency-wide environmental perspective. The 1983 study team
observed that because the agency was highly decentralized, it
tended to deal with environmental problems as "program specific
rather than as cross-media issues." In order to reverse this trend,
EPA now seeks to promote managers on the basis of a diversity
of experience, including experience in more than one environ-
mental program. The objective is a well-rounded corp of environ-
mental managers, not program specialists.
Training
People involved in the human resource activities of the EPA are
quick to note that training is only part of staff development. Ulti-
mately, development requires on the job experience, in the form
of developmental assignments, for example. An effective staff
development strategy thus demands that training be considered as
part of a broader plan.
The response to questions regarding training and career devel-
opment in the 1985 survey also suggests that the revitalization of
the agency's training function must be given priority. When asked
whether the lack of training interfered with their ability to perform,
24 percent said yes, up almost eight points from 1983.
The Panel's single recommendation addressing staff develop-
ment was simple: EPA should design and implement a compre-
hensive program of career development and training for both its
present and future workforce. In response, OHRM has undertaken
a "conscious reorientation" of the agency's training function.
While 40% of EPA's 1984 training budget was set aside for imme-
diate training needs, the remaining 60% was targeted for a range
of developmental activities. In addition, instead of providing full
payment for current training activities, OHRM provided only par-
tial payment from the training budget, requiring that the balance
be paid with program funds. This approach was designed to encour-
age program managers to consider more seriously the relevance
of training to program needs, as well as increase participation in
selected training programs. Already in 1985, the selection of a more
technically oriented curriculum may well be the result of the partial
payment approach.
The major EPA training initiative, the creation of an EPA Train-
ing Institute, is designed to address two basic problems highlighted
by the Panel: (I) an over reliance on outside contractors to perform
the training function; and (2) a system that is more employee than
management driven. Instructors at the Training Institute will be
EPA staff, selected for particular skills or specialized knowledge,
bringing the training capacity in-house. A subcommittee of the
Human Resources Council, discussed below, will be responsible
for curriculum development. The membership of this committee
will offer both programmatic and geographic representation to the
curriculum development process. In this way, the EPA training
curriculum should be more responsive to agency-wide needs, rather
than simply reflect individual employee demand. This training
initiative will take three distinct directions: one having a scientific/
technical orientation, another focusing on managerial effective-
ness, and the third concentrating on the enhancement of support
staff capabilities.
In 1983, the National Academy study team found that supervi-
sors and managers were often selected on the basis of their tech-
nical competence with little attention to their managerial skills.
While first line supervisors may be required to regularly make
technical judgments, as managerial responsibility expands, deci-
sion making becomes more strategic than technical. At either level,
communications and interpersonal skills are crucial to effective-
ness. And yet, available training efforts have failed to focus on
this very "people management" aspect of the job.
Findings of the 1985 survey indicate a growing confidence in
both the technical and human relations competence of line super-
visors. However, whereas three-quarters of the employees highly
rated the technical competence of their supervisor, just over half
similarly rated the supervisor's human relations skills. The agency
has recognized this as a training issue, and under new guidelines,
management as well as technical competence will now become a
criterion for selection as well as the focus of staff development
activities. In addition to other training opportunities, first line
supervisors now will be required to participate in a program of
basic supervisory skills development within their first 60 days on
the job.
Communications
According to the 1983 National Academy study, communication
was a serious weakness inside EPA, a fact confirmed by the 1985
survey. The sources of EPA's communications problems are two-
fold: (1) it is a highly decentralized organization which further
delegates program responsibility to the states; and (2) the agency
is organized along program lines which tend to weaken cross media
approaches. While efforts to improve communications have been
made, they have been limited primarily to mechanisms already in
place. For example, OHRM has increasingly used the EPA Times
and Management Memo as vehicles for communicating human
resource concerns.
The results of the 1985 survey suggest that these efforts have
been insufficient. As in 1983, a vast majority of respondents rated
the grapevine as a better source of information than official chan-
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nels. Moreover, 60 percent said that improvements in communi-
cations would make EPA a better place to work.
It has also been important to stimulate communications up from
the line staff to management. To serve this purpose, OHRM has
established the H uman Resources Council and three advisory com-
mittees under its auspices, one for Scientific and Technical Careers,
one for Managerial Careers, and one for Support Careers. In addi-
tion to the input each provides, the process of participation itself
has been important, coalescing employees behind the human resource
movement within the agency.
Equal Opportunity
When the National Academy study team arrived at EPA's Office
of Civil Rights (OCR) in 1983, it discovered a "troubled history."
The office had already been the subject of another management
study which had yielded 18 recommendations for restructuring the
office.
The staff and work of OCR have been reorganized to conform
to the regional structure instead of specific office functions. Staff
are now assigned to work with several regions each, rather than
address a single civil rights program or issue across all regions.
During the past year, the number of employment discrimination
complaints has been substantially reduced, down from a total of
140 to 93. Less than 25 new complaints have been filed since the
beginning of the 1985 fiscal year eight months ago. The agency has
also met its affirmative action goal of having one of everv two new
hires be a woman or minority.
Conclusion
Change does not occur overnight. Implementation involves a
detailed process of planning and development. Marshalling the
resources, designing the strategies, and moving forward with
implementation all take time. Moreover, implementation of the
National Academy recommendations cannot be an end in itself. It
must be part of an overall shift in attitudes toward the importance
of human resources management in achieving the agency's mis-
sion.
In general, EPA has made great progress on its agenda of change.
Ultimately, all of the changes are limited by the realities of budgets
and congressional support. To what extent can EPA make progress
in an era of austerity? To what extent can internal changes have a
continuing impact if external pressures are unyielding? Just as the
employees keep their eyes on the outside world in making choices
ab6ut their future, so, too, must top management.
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Recommendations of the 1985 National Academy Panel
On May 23, 1985, the National Academy convened a small group
of members and outside experts to review the progress report, and
to make new recommendations. After detailed discussion of cur-
rent needs, the Panel noted EPA's progress in implementing the
major recommendations of the National Academy's 1984 report.
The Panel recognized that progress in human resources is devel-
opmental, that organizational change is a long term process, and
that implementation of the 1984 recommendations involves several
steps. Moreover, change must be institutionalized, influencing
organizational behavior as well as the agency's structure and pro-
grams. This, too, takes time.
The Panel offered several recommendations to further the agen-
cy's management improvement agenda. In some cases, the Panel
identified new areas in which implementation should be pursued.
In others, it suggested a reemphasis of earlier recommendations.
Throughout this discussion, the Panel recognized that EPA's future
rests both inside and outside the agency. According to the Panel:
• EPA employee morale shows clear improvement over the past
two years, reflecting the concerted efforts by the agency's lead-
ership to restore confidence. The Panel was particularly impressed
with the continued high levels of dedication among EPA employees
to the basic mission of the agency, and noted the renewed trust in
all levels of management. The Panel expressed its concern that
employee morale inside EPA also depends upon presidential and
congressional support outside EPA, and noted that employees are
watching external events closely for signs of continued commit-
ment to EPA's mission.
• Despite the positive signs of employee confidence, the Panel
stressed the need for enhanced training and career development
opportunities. Acknowledging the progress achieved over the past
two years, the Panel reemphasized the importance of adequate
career opportunities as part of employee morale. The Panel noted
the arrival of a large group of new workers and the increasing
complexity of environmental protection as two possible explana-
tions for employee concerns about adequate training, but also
stressed the need for enhanced career development as an ongoing
priority in human resources management.
• The Panel emphasized the need for streamlining of EPA's basic
administrative process across the various environmental programs,
and the pursuit of an "organic" administrative statute to eliminate
unnecessary confusion and complication. Though such a statute
might be difficult legislatively, the potential rewards merit further
review. Among the recommendations that were not implemented
from the National Academy's 1984 report, the Panel urged that
this issue receive top priority. According to the Panel, an organic
statute should also provide the authority for a greater cross media
emphasis in programs, as well as in basic research and develop-
ment.
• The Panel also recognized that EPA needs the consistency and
stability in management which comes only with a long-term profes-
sional commitment to an organization. The relatively brief tenure
of most political appointees precludes such a commitment. The
Panel therefore reemphasized the need to pursue a reduction in
the number of political appointees as had been suggested in the
1984 report.
• In 1984, the National Academy Panel asserted that the organi-
zation of EPA's research and development capability "does not
make sense." Therefore, although it recognized that improved
R&D management depended on a number of changes, the Panel
specifically recommended the consolidation of EPA's laboratory
facilities. In 1985, the Panel again urged EPA and OMB to work
toward consolidation.
In general, the Panel was pleased with progress on steps toward a
stable future, and encouraged EPA to continue the effort. The
Panel acknowledged the hard work that the agency has done to
rebuild staff morale, and congratulated the leadership on its will-
ingness to take the pulse of the employee morale. That willingness
to listen remains a critical component of workforce confidence.
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