United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Administration and
Resources Management
210-K-97-001
June 1997
&EPA
Managing Your Career in a
Time of Streamlining:
Alternatives to the
Management Track
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Foreword
This booklet was developed in response
to informal employee requests for guidance
in managing their careers in a time of
downsizing and streamlining. In both the
private and public sectors, organizations
are eliminating levels and numbers of
managers, while delegating more
responsibility for planning and managing
programs and activities to non-supervisory
staff.
Paradoxically, this situation provides
both fewer and greater opportunities for
career and personal growth. Management
jobs will be available to far fewer people
than in the past. As a result, some of us
will no longer regard a branch chief,
division director, office director, or SES
executive job as a realistic career target.
For others, entry into these position will
happen later in their careers than might
have been the case in previous years. On
the other hand, since managers must now
direct the activities of a greater number of
employees, organizations are finding that
they must rely on people serving in other
roles to help the organization manage its
work and to bear responsibility for meeting
program demands.
This booklet is intended to help EPA
employees consider their options in finding
new, productive roles within the Agency
and call attention to steps employees may
need to take, whether the objective is to
enter the management track or to find
some other satisfying role in the Agency.
It is also designed to remind managers that,
in a time of streamlining, their
organizations may need to make a greater
effort than in the past to address their
staffs' needs for career growth, personal
development, and recognition, and to
establish new roles that will enable
employees to take on greater
responsibilities.
In preparing this booklet, we talked with
EPA employees in a region, major
laboratory, and Headquarters to learn
about the steps employees have taken to
manage their careers and about their
thoughts about serving in a variety of
challenging and fulfilling work roles in
EPA.
Part I. Provides a more detailed
description of the circumstances that have
led to rethinking career goals.
Part II. Describes some types of positions
that may provide opportunities for
employees to participate in a significant
way in managing the Agency's work and to
exercise their capacities to lead others in
achieving important objectives.
Part HI. Reminds employees to take
responsibility for their own career and
suggests several actions they can take to
enhance career and personal growth.
Part IV. Is addressed to the Agency's
senior management. It reminds them that
new and different efforts may be needed in
their organizations to encourage the career
aspirations of their staffs and to provide
growth opportunities that can serve as
alternatives to the management track.
Although there is much that employees can
do to improve their career satisfaction and
to prepare themselves to move up to
greater responsibilities, it is the Agency's
senior management that must establish the
programs and positions that will
demonstrate their interest in the career
growth of Agency employees.
An appendix provides exercises for
assessing work values.
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Table of Contents
Part I. Introduction 1
The Need for Alternative Career Tracks 2
Assess Your True Career Goals 3
Determine What Is Important 4
Part II. Positions that May Serve as Alternative
Career Goals 5
Team Leader 5
Project Manager 8
Project Officer 11
Senior Specialist 14
Intrapreneur 17
Part III. What Employees Can Do to Enhance
Career and Personal Development 20
Assess Yourself: What Do You Value? What Do
You Know? Where Are You Going? 20
Maintain Your Technical Skills 21
Build Your Team and Organizational Skills 23
Take Additional Steps to Grow Personally
and Professionally 23
Prepare an Individual Development Plan (IDP) 25
Part IV. What Senior Management Can Do to Foster
Alternative Careers and Personal Development 26
Organizational Opportunities 26
Recognition for Individuals Performing
Exceptionally in Non-Managerial Roles 29
Training and Learning Opportunities 32
Career Paths for Key Occupations 32
Other Sources of Professional and Personal
Satisfaction 32
Appendix: Your Job Values
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Parti. Introduction
Today, the world of work is very
different from what it was just a few
years ago. Suddenly, everything we
thought was sure and forever, isn't! It's
as if we've entered a new world, with
different expectations and strategies for
our careers. We now have to navigate
in a different, unfamiliar territory.
We are in the midst of great change.
The National Performance Review
initiatives have had their impact and
will continue to be felt through all
levels of the Federal Government,
including EPA. These are exciting and
yet difficult times for Agency. How
can EPA continue to meet its
mandates, its mission and, more
importantly, continue to be the beacon
for environmental stewardship in the
21st century? How can we motivate
and retain our exceptional, diverse
work force? How should we manage
our work lives in a rapidly changing
environment? How do we prepare for
an unpredictable future?
During the past 50 years, the Federal
Government has evolved into a
functional hierarchy, a "stove pipe"
structure with many layers of
management. Sound familiar?
However, agencies are now undergoing
a fundamental transition. New
organizations are beginning to look
flatter than the traditional model.
Management layers and positions have
disappeared. EPA reflects this trend.
The Agency is increasing the number of
people reporting to supervisors,
eliminating layers of review and
oversight, and reducing the number of
supervisory job titles. Within a few
short years, for example, EPA has made
substantial progress toward doubling
its average supervisory ratio from 1:5.5
to 1:11.
With fewer supervisors directing
work, staff are being organized into
teams with nonsupervisory team
leaders or into self-directed teams.
Teams are assuming some of the
functions that were formerly the
province of management, such as
assigning work and determining budget
needs. Even employees who are not
members of established work teams
may find themselves with more
authority to make decisions about their
work.
The traditional career path of choice
for employees seeking to "move up" and
to expand their roles within the
organization has been, for many
employees, the management track.
Supervisory and management positions
have been the targets for many
employees progressing toward ever-
higher grades, pay, influence, and
prestige. With fewer management
positions in EPA organizations, this
career track will be an outlet for the
ambitions of a relatively small
percentage of EPA employees.
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The Need for Alternative Career
Tracks
This situation will produce
frustration unless each of us pays
attention to our true career goals.
Many of us who assumed that we were
ultimately headed for a branch chief or
division chief slot must find
satisfactory alternatives for the
management track.
We can encourage organizations
within EPA to take steps to define and
establish more of the types of positions
that could serve as alternatives to the
management jobs, such as those
described in Part II of this booklet.
Recognizing that most EPA employees
feel the need to grow professionally, we
could ask the leaders of our
organizations to adopt a variety of
measures to increase both personal and
career satisfaction.
During these times of streamlining, it
is important to engage supervisors and
managers in proposals to delegate
additional responsibilities, such as
more authority to decide what needs to
be done and to get it done in new
ways, and to be more accountable for
the success or failure of our efforts.
We can propose ways to make the
most of our current jobs, or even to
redesign them. The alternative to such
constructive steps may be to grow
frustrated at today's more limited
traditional advancement opportunities
in EPA.
Despite the shrinking of management
positions, organizations will continue
to need some managers at a number of
levels, including the SES. Thus, some
of us may continue to aspire to
management positions. However, it
may take longer to arrive at the
management ranks. Many employees
will never become managers.
Many other employees have no
interest in moving into management
jobs. They dislike supervising others
and the administrative burdens of a
management job and prefer to find
personal and career satisfaction in
doing the "hands on" work or in
planning and staff positions. For these
employees, there already are, or can be,
various positions that can provide
challenges similar to those of
management jobs and such experience
as leading group work efforts, one of
the more satisfying features of a
traditional management role, without
those aspects of management positions
they do not find attractive.
The types of positions described in
this booklet can provide career growth
and satisfaction, both for those of us
who have no desire to become
managers, and for those who will
ultimately reach the management
ranks. With the Agency's Multiple
Career Path Program, many of these
positions may offer grades and pay
parallel to those of managerial
positions.
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Assess Your True Career Goals
The Changing Role of the Manager
Those who believe that they want to
be managers need to look at the role of
the manager of the future to determine
whether that is a role which could meet
their expectations and provide career
and personal satisfaction.
Organizations are redefining the
manager's role. For example, the
manager traditionally defined the work
that needed to be done, handed out
specific work assignments to their staff,
gave them a deadline, reviewed and
corrected the work, and evaluated the
performance of each individual
employee at the end of the year.
Now that managers have more
employees reporting to them, detailed
supervision will not be feasible in many
organizations. Branch chiefs are
spending more time on administrative
matters and less on the details of
program work activities. First-level
supervisors are, in some cases, focusing
more on coaching rather than on
providing detailed instructions and
review. Also, highly-educated and
professional people, such as those who
work at EPA, expect to have a great
deal of discretion in defining what
work is needed and how to do it. As
they take on formerly supervisory
responsibilities, work teams will be
deciding how to share the work among
the members and how the work should
be accomplished.
Under these changing circumstances,
what is happening to the job of the
manager? Many organizations have
redefined the role to that of leader:
long-range planner, trainer and
developer, team-builder, coach,
information sharer, goal-setter, and
problem-solver. There is also a role for
the manager in representing the
organization in dealings outside the
organization, advocating the needs of
the organization in negotiations over
budgets, work support, and other
matters. The time of the manager may
be liberated from involvement in daily
work decisions. The manager may now
have more time to think, to develop
better work methods, to analyze
potential problems for the organization
and to plan ahead. The new manager
may have less direct authority and
power over the actions of others, but,
perhaps, more influence over the
development and growth of teams and
individuals and over the direction of
the organization.
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We should not forget, however, that
managers of the future will not be free
of the frustration in dealing with the
delays and conflicts inevitable in
dealing with other managers in a large
organization. They will still have the
responsibility of dealing with a wide
variety of personality types. Without
an extensive, traditional vertical chain
of command to pass information down,
managers must find new and effective
ways to communicate with the other
members of their organizations.
Those of us who become managers
some day will continue to have to take
the bad with the good.
Determine What Is Important
For those of us who assumed that
our careers were headed toward a job
in management, it is useful to
contemplate the current and future
roles of the manager. What is it about
the manager's job that has interests
you? Once you identify those elements
in the manager's role that appeal to
you, it may become clear that other
types of positions may have the same
or similar attraction.
Do you want to become a manager
because that would mean that you
have achieved "success" in your career?
What do you mean by success? Is
it:
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
To be in a position to lead?
To lead other people in achieving a
goal?
To lead work activities?
To have more influence within the
organization?
To make a significant contribution
to achieving the Agency's mission?
To put your own stamp on
important Agency activities or
programs?
To have a job that challenges you
to the utmost?
To earn respect for your abilities?
To get higher pay?
To have visibility and recognition
within your organization?
To be in a position to put your
ideas into practice?
To be in a position to help others
develop their potential?
These aspects of the manager's job
can be found in other roles within the
organization. You can achieve your
definition of success in any number of
ways. Investigate the alternatives
described in Part II of this booklet, as
well as other roles that may become
available in the future.
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Part II. Positions that May
Serve as Alternative Career
Goals
All of the positions included here
entail challenge. They are not easy
jobs. All of them provide opportunities
to influence how work is done in the
organization. Most of them provide
opportunities to plan and organize
work activities and to lead group
efforts and to achieve results that are
highly important to the Agency. An
EPA employee may fulfill two or more
of these roles simultaneously. For
example, a senior specialist may be a
team leader, project manager, or
project officer, or any combination of
these at any one time. Lee Bohme of
Region 6, for example, is both a team
leader in the pretreatment program and
the regional expert in the program,
working with cities in five states to
control industrial discharges.
The following are examples of
positions that are likely career goals in
a time when management positions are
available to fewer EPA employees.
Team Leader
• Definition and Typical
Responsibilities
A work team is a group of two or
more employees assigned responsibility
on a continuing basis for a segment of
the work program. A work team leader
has continuing responsibilities for
leading a work team assigned
responsibility for an important segment
of the work in the organization. The
team leader is not a supervisor,
according to job classification
standards. However, the team leader
role in the Agency is still evolving and
the nature and extent of such
supervisory responsibilities as
discipline and performance appraisal
that may be assigned to team leaders
are still being defined. However,
unless the work team has evolved to
become a self-directed team, in which
the leadership functions are dispersed
among the team members, at a
minimum a team leader has such
responsibilities as:
• assisting the team to progress
satisfactorily in terms of quality and
timeliness of work
• facilitating meetings to ensure the
group stays focused and that needed
decisions are made (both work and
team process decisions)
• assisting more junior employees
with the technical aspects of their work
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• leading team discussions of work
and interpersonal issues
• representing the team in dealings
with management and with external
organizations
• ensuring the team's needs for
resources are met.
• Sources of Satisfaction in this
Role
You will enjoy being a team leader if
you like to work with others and to
coordinate the activities of a group of
people whose activities are
interdependent. You must enjoy
monitoring a number of simultaneous
activities. A major source of
satisfaction for team leaders can be the
extensive personal contact with team
members and the opportunity to assist
others in accomplishing their work.
Team leaders can be influential in
determining the direction of the team's
work; however, team leaders must
exercise influence and persuasion, not
authority. Since a team leader lacks
the official powers over others that a
supervisor has, this role may be more
difficult in some ways than a
traditional supervisory job.
A truly effective team leader finds
satisfaction in helping the team to
develop to the point where it needs less
coordination and facilitation on the
part of the team leader. A team leader
can take pride in the accomplishments
of the team and in his/her role in its
success. For example, what Lee
Bohme, a team leader in Region 6,
most enjoys about this role is working
with other people to accomplish
mutual goals.
Unlike many full-time supervisors, a
team leader is often responsible for
performing some of the work tasks
assigned to the team. This opportunity
to perform professional or substantive
work (as opposed to spending all one's
time on supervisory and administrative
tasks) can be a source of satisfaction to
many team leaders.
• Skills Needed
Effective team leaders need many
skills—administrative, technical, group
process, and "people" skills. These
include, but are not limited to, the
ability to:
• perform and/or understand the
technical work of the team in order to
ensure the work is done competently
• coordinate the activities of others
to ensure that all members know their
part of the effort and how it fits into
the whole assignment
• monitor and follow up to maintain
awareness of the status of work and to
ensure completion
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• identify potential problems and to
lead team efforts to reach decisions and
take appropriate corrective action
• facilitate group processes, such as
solving problems, planning work
activities, assessing progress, etc.
• communicate effectively on behalf
of the team with senior management
and other stakeholders
• listen to others and to understand
and acknowledge their points of view
These and other skills needed to
perform effectively as a team leader
may be gained by:
• attending courses and workshops
in group processes, decision-making
techniques, TQM techniques, etc.
• serving as a project manager for a
discrete work effort involving the
efforts of several people
• serving as a member of a work
team and becoming familiar with the
typical rewards and frustrations of
being on a team
• serving as a back-up team leader
when the team leader is absent
Blake Atkins, a team leader in the
drinking water program in Region 6,
has found that in the team leader role
he has found listening skills to be very
important. He has learned that many
great ideas come from others on the
team, such as different solutions to the
same problem. It is important, says
Blake, to share information to enable
the team to make good, informed
decisions. Blake thinks his team
leader experience has made him aware
of the need to share information and to
trust others to get the job done in their
own way-learning that will be useful
should Blake ever become a supervisor.
Blake says that being a team leader has
provided other valuable experience,
such as "seeing the big picture and
coming up with a plan."
Ruth Alene Soward served as a team
leader for EPA's management integrity
program while working in the Office of
the Comptroller. During a
reorganization in which the integrity
program was transferred to a new
office, Ruth's supervisor asked her to
serve as a team leader because of her
previous experience with the program.
Although initially hesitant, she came to
appreciate the experience that being a
team leader gave her in guiding others,
managing projects, and working on
teams. It reinforced in her mind the
importance of cooperation and
communicating effectively, both on the
job and outside the office.
7
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Project Manager
• Definition and Typical
Responsibilities
A project manager is responsible for
planning, conducting, and controlling
the work activities entailed in a discrete
project. Unlike continuing program
management or administration tasks, a
project is a temporary work effort with
a definable .product or products, which
terminates once the product is
completed. Most projects large enough
to require a project manager involve
the work of several people, the project
team, who are often from different
functions in the organization. Many of
the responsibilities, sources of
satisfaction, and skills of team leaders
are also applicable to project managers.
The project manager is primarily
responsible for ensuring that the
project is completed on time and
within budget and that the project's
deliverables meet the specifications
defined by the customer. He/she leads
the project team in planning the
project, identifying the tasks, persons
responsible for each task, schedule, and
the costs.
Once work activities begin, the
project manager provides direction to
the project team as needed, monitors
and trades progress, solves problems,
coordinates with managers in
organizations represented on the team,
reports project status to senior
management, and carries out a
multitude of other responsibilities.
project managers often use project
management software to lay out the
project plan and track progress.
Once a project is completed, a project
manager may move on to managing
another project, taking along the
experience and lessons learned, or
return to the regular duties of his/her
official position.
• Sources of Satisfaction in this
Role
You will enjoy being a project
manager if you like to develop new
products and services from concept to
plan, to design, through testing and
implementation, and like the sense of
accomplishment and closure arising
from producing a definable deliverable.
Managing complex projects requires
the project manager to accomplish
work by leading and coordinating
others' activities. The work of several
project team members representing a
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variety of functions is usually
interdependent. Complicating this fact
of project management is the matrix
organization of project teams. That is,
project team members often continue
to report to their "home supervisors" or
team leaders and continue to work on
other assignments in their home offices
at the same time they report to the
project manager and work on project
tasks. The project manager must
monitor a number of simultaneous and
interdependent activities to identify
potential problems in meeting the
project schedule.
Project managers must use persuasion
to influence management in functions
represented on the project team, as
they have no authority over them.
These persuasive talents are sometimes
needed when project team members
have conflicting priorities between
work in their home offices and essential
project tasks.
A major source of satisfaction for
project managers is the extensive
personal contact with team members
from a number of different functions
and the opportunity to make it all fit
together. The project manager thrives
on managing a multitude of tasks and a
variety of team members' contributions
to the project. A truly effective project
manager finds satisfaction in
successfully managing a schedule, a
budget, a wide variety of tasks, and
people-all to produce a high-quality
product that meets the customer's
specifications and that comes in on
time and within budget.
Virginia Hughes, an environmental
engineer in Region 6's enforcement
program, volunteered to be a project
manager when a new and different
opportunity presented itself. In
managing the project, she worked with
the Mexico's environmental agency to
establish a joint monthly inspection
program, to coordinate and present a
joint EPA-Mexico conference, and to
present an air emissions training
course. It was left to Virginia, as
project manager, to determine what
needed to be done to plan and
implement the new program.
• Skills Needed
Project managers need a variety of
skills--especially management and
people skills. Depending on the
knowledge of other members of the
project team, the project manager may
also need to have a high level of
technical knowledge to ensure the
technical aspects of the project are
correct. Typically, project managers
must have the ability to:
• conceptualize and plan the total
work effort
• listen and understand the
customer's needs and specifications
• manage the project through use of
recognized project management
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techniques such as the development of
the work breakdown structure,
identification of task dependencies, and
development and tracking of the
project plan and budget
• use project management software
to plan and monitor the project and to
revise the plan as needed
• coordinate the activities of others
to ensure that essential project tasks
are completed on schedule
• negotiate to ensure project
resources are available when needed
• monitor progress consistently to
identify potential problems that may
affect the project schedule or budget
and to devise alternative actions to
correct or avoid problems
• facilitate project team processes,
such as joint planning and decision
making, and to facilitate problem
solving and conflict-resolution
Virginia Hughes, as project manager
for a project involving Mexico's
environmental agency, found that the
most important skill required to
manage the project was
communication. It was critical to the
success of the project that she
communicate effectively with members
of the Mexican government and gain
their trust; she believes that a win/win
attitude was important in achieving
this. She found that the project
manager role was different from what
she expected for that very reason.
Serving as the project manager to
accomplish a goal through the efforts of
many other people was a lot more
"people-oriented" work than her
engineering background had prepared
her for. The project manager role gave
her the opportunity both to share
expertise and to learn from others
working on the project. She found that
her engineering background was helpful
in communicating environmental
technology, while she enjoyed working
with members of Mexico's
environmental agency and learning
their business culture.
These and other skills needed to
perform effectively as a project
manager can be gained by:
• attending EPA and vendor courses
in project management
• using project management
software and techniques to plan and
monitor complex work assignments
• serving as a project manager for a
small project involving only two or
three people
• serving on a project team and
assisting in developing the project plan
and monitoring activities and budget.
10
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Project Officer
• Definition and Typical Functions
Project Officers manage EPA's use of
"extramural resources." These are
states, universities, non-profit groups,
other Federal agencies, and contractors.
These extramural resources are
managed through contracts, grants,
cooperative agreements, and
interagency agreements. Since much of
EPA's work is carried out through
extramural resources, Project Officers
play an important role in
accomplishing the Agency's mission.
Project Officers managing contracts
typically define the Agency's
requirements, write statements of work
(or provide guidance to Work
Assignments Managers who will be
carrying out part of the contract
management), evaluate proposals from
potential contractors, provide guidance
to others involved in managing large
contracts, recommend changes to the
contract, track costs and expenditures,
monitor progress and contractor
performance, and many other tasks.
Project Officers managing grants or
cooperative agreements evaluate and
approve proposals and work plans,
assess applicants' capabilities to carry
out the proposed research or other
activities, recommend approval of
applications, track costs and
expenditures, monitor progress and
compliance with the conditions of the
agreement, provide technical and
administrative assistance to grantees
and work with them to resolve
problems, certify the satisfactory
competition of deliverables, and many
other tasks involved in ensuring the
success of the grant or cooperative
agreement.
Project Officers managing
interagency agreements decide on the
appropriateness of the agreement for
achieving the objective, review other
agencies' work plans and budgets and
assess their capabilities, monitor
activities and review progress, certify
the final deliverables, and perform
many other tasks involved in managing
these agreements.
• Sources of Satisfaction in this
Role
You will find satisfaction in being a
Project Officer if you enjoy continual
challenges and a great deal of variety in
your assignments. These positions also
provide many opportunities to develop
a high level of expertise in an EPA
program and to leam about activities
outside the Federal sector-practices in
particular industries, types of research
conducted in academic institutions,
and the difficulties faced by state and
local governments, for example.
These positions also require much
interaction with others, both inside
and outside the Agency, as Project
Officers must frequently negotiate,
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gather and assess information, provide
assistance, and persuade contractors,
grantees, and others to take corrective
action. Project Officers managing
contracts can exercise the clout
involved in withholding payment and
other measures. Those managing
grants, cooperative agreements, and
interagency agreements must use
persuasion and influence to resolve
conflicts among participants and to
accomplish the Agency's objectives.
Some Project Officers managing grants
and cooperative agreements find
satisfaction in helping Tribes, states,
local governments, and other groups in
establishing and improving their
environmental programs.
Like Project Managers, Project
Officers who enjoy their work like the
feeling of accomplishment from
successfully managing people, tasks,
budgets, and schedules to achieve
specific goals and to produce definable
deliverables.
• Skills Needed
Project Officers need a variety of
skills—including management and
people skills. Depending on the nature
of the contract, grant, or agreement,
the Project Officer may need to have a
high level of scientific or technical
expertise or extensive knowledge of a
particular Agency program or of a
particular industry and its practices.
Typically, Project Officers must have
the ability to:
• apply a high level of knowledge of
policies, rules, regulations, and
documents involved in managing
contracts, grants, cooperative
agreements, or interagency agreements
• track activities, progress, and
expenditures and to take corrective
action when necessary
• assess the technical and
management capabilities of
contractors, other Federal agencies, and
applicants for grants or cooperative
agreements
• coordinate and monitor the
activities of others involved in
managing the contract, grant, etc.
• negotiate, persuade, influence, and
resolve conflicts
• assess the value of proposed
projects and programs in accomplishing
the Agency's goals and objectives
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These and other skills needed to
perform effectively as a Project Officer
may be gained by:
• serving as a Work Assignment
Manager for a portion of a contract
• assisting Project Officers with a
portion of their responsibilities
• becoming an expert on a segment
of a program or in a scientific or
technical field
• taking training courses in
contracts management, grants
management, etc.
13
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Senior Specialist
• Definition and Typical Functions
Senior specialists are found
throughout the Agency, in scientific,
technical, and administrative
occupations. They have gained a high
level of expertise in a particular
program or scientific/technical subject.
Some of them are designated Regional
Expert or National Expert. In these
roles, they provide leadership and
advice to employees in a region or
throughout the Agency. They also
represent the region or the Agency in
meetings and conferences with experts
in industry, academia, or foreign
countries. They are expected to keep
up-to-date in their fields and to provide
an outstanding level of scientific or
technical expertise in a variety of
contexts.
In some cases, senior specialists may
be program managers. Although they
do not have supervisory
responsibilities, they have
responsibility for planning and
managing a program. In this role, they
may develop or lead the development
of policies governing the program
throughout a region or the Agency,
depending on the scope of the program
and of their responsibility. They serve
as technical resources for others
involved in administering the program,
providing day-to-day advice and
assistance.
Other senior specialists serve as
technical advisors to their local
management. They are normally
assigned the most difficult and complex
work in their offices and sometimes
serve as mentors to less experienced or
knowledgeable employees.
Because of their expertise, some
technical experts are involved in
managing contracts, grants, cooperative
agreements, or interagency agreements.
• Sources of Satisfaction in this
Role
Senior specialists enjoy investigating
and learning more about their area of
expertise. They like research,
discovery, and the exchange of ideas
with other specialists. They also find
satisfaction in providing guidance and
advice to others to ensure that the
Agency's programs and scientific
research reflect a high level of
professionalism and command respect.
A chief source of satisfaction is their
ability to influence, in a substantive
way, the direction and quality of
Agency programs. Many of them enjoy
the visibility and reputations they have
established in their offices, regions, or
through the Agency. They enjoy the
many professional contacts and
substantive discussions their positions
provide them, both inside and outside
the Agency.
Barbara Keeler, an environmental
scientist in Region 6, serves as the
14
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program manager for the Barataria-
Terrebonne National Estuary Program.
This entails organizing a broad
coalition of stakeholders to develop a
master plan for preserving and
enhancing the coastal resources. In
this role, she serves as the project
officer for a $7 million grant program.
When the program manager role was
established, she knew she wanted to do
it, as large-scale project or program
management has been a career goal. In
her program manager role, Barbara
most enjoys calling on a diversity of
her skills-people management, project
management, incorporating science
into public policy, and finding
common-ground solutions. She has
also enjoyed being able to influence
public policy in her role as a program
manager.
Lee Bohme, the Region 6's expert in
the pretreatment program, most enjoys
being a resource person for others in
the region, making sure there is as
much consistency and continuity as
possible in the program, both on the
regional and national level. Lee also
enjoys the great degree of autonomy he
has as a regional expert. His role is one
that allows him to use his abilities and
creativity. He has latitude to decide
what his role is and to do his own
analysis of what needs to be done. His
role also brings opportunities for
greater recognition; for example, he has
been asked by the Water
Environmental Federation and the
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage
Agencies to be a member of a
pretreatment steering committee and
work group.
• Skills Needed
Senior specialists owe their rise to
these positions to their learning and
experience in their fields. Their skills
include the ability to:
• apply an expert level of knowledge
in their fields or in a particular subject
matter
• apply knowledge of research
sources and techniques
• translate their special knowledge
into briefings and presentations
understandable to lay persons and non-
technical management
• communicate effectively with their
peers and with a wide range of other
employees having various levels of
knowledge of the field
• interpret new legislation and
technical developments in their fields
and to identify the potential effects on
the Agency
• formulate policies and
recommendations for use by
management and other employees
working in the subject area
• assess the quality of programs and
products in the subject area
15
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• manage or coordinate activities of
others involved in a program or subject
matter
These and other skills needed to
perform effectively as a senior specialist
may be gained by:
• extensive education and training
in the subject area
• extensive work experience and/or
research in the subject area
• membership in professional
societies
• participation on work groups
focusing on a specialized topic
• attendance at seminars,
conferences, etc. to maintain up-to-
date knowledge of the field and of
practitioners in the field
Barbara Keeler, program manager in
Region 6, has found that this role has
added to her "tool box of negotiation
and mediation skills." The program
manager role is good preparation for
anyone interested in ultimately taking
on a supervisory role, she believes. It
gives you experience in making hard
decisions and in motivating others to
act. The program manager role also
calls on both her scientific knowledge
and her management skills.
16
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Intrapreneur
• Definition and Typical Functions
The term "intrapreneur" was coined
to label a role within organizations that
is similar to that of the entrepreneur.
An entrepreneur is an enterprising
person who undertakes, organizes, and
manages an effort, usually on his or her
own initiative (though sometimes with
funds and resources borrowed from
others). Unlike the other positions
described here, the intrapreneur has no
specific job title and no official duties
as an intrapreneur. An employee in
almost any type of position may
become an intrapreneur if the
organization supports it.
The entrepreneur undertakes an
enterprise of some risk, as the effort is
usually new or untried. Some
organizations enable employees to
undertake an effort similar to that of
the entrepreneur. Since the effort is
conducted within an existing
organization and uses resources owned
or employed by the organization, the
individual initiating the effort is called
an intrapreneur ("intra" = "within"). In
the case of intrapreneur ship, the risk
involved is assumed by the
organization. Some of the most
dynamic organizations, such as the 3M
Corporation, encourage
intrapreneurship and allow their
intrapreneurs to fail without suffering
professionally.
Within the Agency, an intrapreneur
is an employee who comes up with an
idea, on his or her own, for a new
program, new approach, new product,
or new service. Convinced of the
soundness of the idea and confident of
the benefits that would accrue to the
Agency, the environment, or the
public, the intrapreneur undertakes to
persuade management to develop the
concept. If the intrapreneur is
successful in convincing management
to invest resources in studying,
developing, and piloting the concept,
the intrapreneur is then charged with
leading the effort. He/she identifies
the staff, budget, space, and other
resources needed, convenes the project
team, and manages the project to a
(hopefully) successful conclusion.
Jody Zeugner at RTF found himself
working in a new office, Information
Resources Management Division, and
began looking at ways to assist EPA
employees. He began developing
system applications to facilitate
administrative functions at RTF and
came up with the concept of the RTF
web site on the Internet, the "RAP
Wide Web." Some regions and
Headquarters offices have asked him to
demonstrate the RTF web site and its
applications. Jody took the initiative
and came up with the idea, and
management supported him from the
start by allowing him to devote a
significant amount of time and energy
to this effort.
17
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• Sources of Satisfaction in this
Role
By far, the major source of
satisfaction for the intrapreneur comes
from seeing his or her original idea
become reality. If the resulting new
program, product, or service proves
beneficial to the Agency, the
environment, or the public, the
intrapreneur's pride knows no bounds.
The intrapreneur thrives on the
challenges entailed in fleshing out the
original idea, selling it within the
Agency, getting the necessary resources
and support, and seeing the process
through to the completed product.
Intrapreneurs like the opportunity to
exercise their creativity within the
organization and the chance to have a
dramatic, positive impact on the
Agency. They like to take risks and are
willing to experience failure.
What Jody Zeugner of RTF most
enjoyed about his experience as an
intrapreneur was the opportunity to
create something truly unique within
EPA that will help the Agency. He also
learned more about how EPA and RAP
organizations work, gaining a "big
picture" perspective. On a practical
level, he learned a great deal about
Internet application development. He
has gained visibility for himself and his
product by showcasing the RTF Web
site throughout EPA.
• Skills Needed
Successful intrapreneurs need a
variety of skills-especially creativity,
management and persuasive skills.
Depending on the nature and subject
of the concept they wish to develop,
they may need exceptional technical
knowledge. Typically, intrapreneurs
must have the ability to:
• come up with an innovative
concept and visualize how it could
work in the "real world" of the Agency
• maintain confidence in themselves
and in the idea
• persuade others of the usefulness
and soundness of the concept to gain
support and resources
• manage the development of the
concept to a product or service
• lead and involve others in the
development process
These and other skills needed to
perform effectively as an intrapreneur
may be gained by:
• keeping informed about new
developments both in and outside the
field of specialization
• serving as a project manager
• taking courses that stimulate
creative thinking
18
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Summary of Key Skills
This list is by no means exhaustive. It is intended to portray the types of management skills
common to a number of different roles.
Skills III Team 1(1 Project III Project
1 Leader Manager Officer
II III III
Subject matter expertise
Ability to analyze and
interpret new
legislation/regulations/
programs
Ability to formulate
recommendations/policies
Ability to reach decisions
and take corrective action
Ability to conceptualize and
plan
Ability to coordinate
activities of others
Ability to facilitate group
processes
Ability to communicate
effectively
Ability to write effective
briefings/papers
Ability to listen to
customers/stakeholders
Ability to negotiate
effectively
Ability to think creatively
Ability to exercise
leadership
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Senior
Specialis
t
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Intra-
preneur
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
19
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Part III. What Employees
Can Do to Enhance
Career and Personal
Development
This chapter offers alternatives and
suggestions for those of you who are
looking to keep pace with the rapid
changes in work and to move into a
position that could satisfy your career
goals, whether a management position,
one of the alternative jobs described in
this booklet, or some other role or type
of work to which you aspire .
There is no single solution or method
to enhancing your career and personal
development, but there are several
strategies that will enable you to
survive and thrive in the future. You
may want to use any number of
approaches. Your success in achieving
your career goal will depend on how
proactively you manage your work life
and how committed you remain to
continuous learning. As one EPA
employee has put it, "No one will hand
you the opportunities described in this
booklet on a silver platter. You have to
both work hard and encourage
management to make these things a
reality."
Assess Yourself: What Do You
Value? What Do You Know?
Where Are You Going?
Career management is an ongoing
process to facilitate success in a rapidly
changing work environment. To
advance to any career target requires:
• Identifying your skills, values,
interests and how you do your best
work.
• Articulating your strengths and
attributes in relation to work
opportunities.
• Setting work life priorities and
goals which are focused and flexible.
• Developing an evolving plan of
action to achieve your goals.
• Remaining current in your field.
• Preparing yourself before trying
something new.
20
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There are all kinds of assessment
instruments (Myers-Briggs, Strong
Campbell) that can guide you through
this self-exploration phase and help
you discover whether a management
role or one of many alternatives is right
for you. Several EPA offices have
acquired career planning software.
CareerPoint®software, for example, can
guide you through a self-assessment of
your skills, interests, and values;
examine the pros and cons of
management and help you decide if
you are really interested in a
management role; help you identify
career options that might be best for
you; and assist you with other steps in
career planning. It will also help you
assess your organization's present and
future challenges and where you fit in.
For more information on using the
software, which is free to all EPA
employees, check with your local
Human Resources office.
An appendix to this booklet provides
two exercises to help you get started
with your self-assessment. The
exercises will help you identify what
you most value in work. Identifying
what is most important to you is a
valuable first step in finding the type of
work role that you will find most
satisfying.
Consult your administrative staff or
Human Resources office to find out
what other assessment instruments and
career planning services are available in
your location. Libraries, academic
institutions, and career development
centers are other sources of career
planning information and self-
assessment tools. Your local
government, for example, may have a
career development center providing
self-assessment tools and counseling at
little or no cost to you.
Maintain Your Technical Skills
Technical/functional work skills are
those skills and knowledge that are
necessary to perform the work that you
do. Today's workplace requires that
you upgrade these skills on a regular
basis to keep pace with change, ensure
your ongoing employability, and to
make it possible to take on and succeed
in a role as a project manager, team
leader, senior specialist, manager, or
any other one that attracts you.
The work environment requires
continuous learning on your part. You
must keep your skills razor-sharp and
be able to move quickly into new types
of work as the Agency's priorities shift.
Job security and career growth are the
result of how well you maintain your
employability and enhance your value
to the Agency. This translates to how
technically competent your skills are
and how willing you are to broaden
your skills and work experience.
Dale Evarts, a program analyst in
RTF's Office of Air Quality, Planning,
and Standards, is responsible for senior
21
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staff type work on organizational and
human resources matters. He also
coordinates international activities and
is liaison with an organization of state
and local air pollution officials. He
believes his writing and communication
skills have been "incredibly important"
to attaining his position and in the
growth of his role, as more
responsibilities have accrued to him.
His work has 'honed his skills for
writing short, cogent papers." He
believes that, if you do your job well,
management will look to you when
new opportunities and assignments
come up. As Dale sees it, there is so
much that the Agency has to do, that
there's no lack of opportunity to do
some very significant things. In the
past, the Agency could spend several
years developing a new employee to
take on responsibility. Now, within a
couple of years, an EPA employee who
has built his or her skills and who is
alert to what needs to be done can find
himself or herself managing a major
national program and being depended
upon by management.
There are any number of ways or
strategies to keep technically current
and broaden your knowledge:
• Enroll in
college or
graduate
school.
• Read literature, books, or articles
that pertain to your field or that
discuss future work changes.
• Use the Internet to seek out
relevant information and new
developments in subjects that interest
you.
• Attend symposiums and
conferences to learn more about your
field, including new and related
developments.
• Inquire about internal training
and educational opportunities at EPA.
• Take on temporary assignments
that will challenge you to apply your
technical knowledge in more
demanding ways than does your
current work.
Janis King, now an economist at
RTP, was formerly a secretary. She
j j
realized that a college degree could
help her move into a professional
position, so she attended night school,
completing a B.S. degree in eight years.
Although those were difficult years, as
she was also working full time, she
stayed with it, as she knew that a
degree could open up many new career
opportunities. She was also fortified
by her belief that a person is
responsible for his or her own success
and that her persistence and hard work
would eventually pay off.
22
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Mia Quigley, of the Office of Air and
Radiation in Headquarters, recently
earned a Masters in Public
Administration because she wanted to
enhance her career prospects with EPA.
She attended graduate classes while
working full time. Her Office was
extremely supportive-both financially
and personally-enabling her to earn
the degree in just three years. Mia
believes it is up to the individual to
take initiative to grow personally and
professionally. She feels a tremendous
sense of personal accomplishment in
completing the graduate degree and,
although she realizes that having a
graduate degree does not guarantee
that new doors will open, it does
"make you more competitive." Her
MPA credentials did help her obtain
her current job as Special Assistant to
the Assistant Administrator for OAR.
Build Your Team and
Organizational Skills
In addition to honing your technical
skills, you need to think about how
you get things done at work. What
competencies or communication
strategies do you use effectively? Now
that many organizations are
establishing flatter structures and work
teams, it is more important than ever
that you become effective in working
within teams and at networking with
other groups. Here are several skills to
work on:
• Building relationships:
networking, negotiating, teamwork.
• Building effectiveness within
organizations: organizational culture,
influence, leadership.
• Communicating: listening,
speaking, writing.
• Creative and critical thinking:
problem solving, decision making.
Take Additional Steps to Grow
Personally and Professionally
You may also want to:
• Become the Agency's expert in a
subject area. Build your reputation in
your area of expertise by maintaining-
state-of-the-art knowledge and by
always turning in an excellent
performance. Write articles for
professional journals. Speak at
meetings of professional societies.
• Come up with an idea and become
an intrapreneur.
• Teach part-time at a local adult
education center, college, or university.
• Explore other parts of the Agency
and inquire about rotational
assignments.
• If you have facilitation skills,
volunteer to facilitate meetings in other
organizations.
23
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• Stay informed about new Agency
programs and initiatives that may
interest you.
• Recommend to your management
that your organization adopt some of
the strategies suggested in Part IV of
this booklet.
• Take advantage of the EPA
Institute's leadership programs. These
include:
GLO (Greater Leadership
Opportunities). This provides a year-
long training program primarily for
mid-level women and minorities with
leadership and supervisory potential.
GRO (Goal-Setters Reaching for
Opportunities) This program is
designed for the more junior-level
employees who may be interested in
pursuing leadership roles in the
Agency.
WEL (Women's Executive
Leadership) This is a developmental
program providing managerial training
for high-potential employees.
Contact your servicing Human
Resources office for information about
these programs.
• Be flexible about which types of
positions are desirable and appreciate
and learn from all kinds of work roles.
Almost every job can provide valuable
knowledge and skills, and a somewhat
winding path of varied experiences can
sometimes better prepare you to reach
an ultimate goal than can a linear
career path.
For Patrice Miller, a Senior Cost
Recovery Enforcement Officer in
Superfund at Region 6, this approach
has served well. She is in a job she
enjoys, defined by the work attributes
she values most highly: constant
challenge and opportunities to learn.
She has synthesized all sorts of work
experiences, even weekend high school
jobs, into beneficial skills that she uses
every day. She recalls that selling
candy in a movie theater taught her
how to focus on a single event in the
midst of bedlam. By hanging wall
paper during her college days, she built
the stamina needed to continue efforts
that are not always comfortable or
pleasant. Patrice credits the time spent
assisting her mother, an interior
designer, with improving her pattern
recognition skills, which are crucial in
her current work to the efficient
analysis of often huge volumes of
documentation in order to glean
evidence. Experience as a consulting
engineer gave her an appreciation of
"being on the outside" that has made
her a better project manager. As she
puts, it, "There are no disastrous job
moves, as every work experience can
teach you something you didn't know
before."
These are but a few of the efforts you
can make on your own behalf in
24
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finding for yourself your new career
track, in finding a role in the
organization that will provide a
satisfying alternative to the
management track.
Prepare an Individual
Development Plan (IDP)
Many organizations require
employees to prepare and update an
IDP. If your organization does not,
you could take the initiative to prepare
one and make an appointment with
your supervisor to discuss it. Your IDP
should identify the skills you need for
your current job and, if they need
improvement, specific courses or other
methods for obtaining or updating
these skills. It should also list skills
you would like to acquire for
advancement or to move to another
type of work. If you have some ideas
for how you would like to obtain these
J
skills, such as a detail to another
organization or a particular course,
your IDP should include those
measures as well.
Jane Carpenter, a management
analyst at RAP, was required to
develop an IDP when she entered the
Upward Mobility Program. The IDP
identified specific formal training
needed, specific assignments that
would provide on-the-job training, and
self-development activities. Now that
she is in her target position, she
believes that another IDP can help her
focus on the training and assignments
she will need for further career growth.
Jane emphasizes that an IDP has to be
done jointly with the supervisor, who
may have ideas about the skills to be
developed.
25
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Part IV. What Senior
Management Can Do to
Foster Alternative Careers
and Personal Development
This chapter is addressed to the
Agency's senior management—those in
a position to establish programs and
opportunities for enhancing career
growth. Management has an
important role in thinking of
innovative ways to empower and
motivate the work force in their
organizations. Granted, each
individual has a responsibility to
manage his or her own career.
However, the programs and practices
intended to foster career growth
described in this booklet won't happen
unless senior management agrees to
establish them.
Management and organizations will
find themselves to be gainers if these
programs are instituted--the benefits
will accrue not only to employees.
When employees are given
opportunities to learn new things and
take on more responsibility, the overall
capacity of the organization to serve its
customers and do good work grows.
Employees who have evidence that
management is interested in their
professional and career growth are
likely to excel, to demonstrate that
they are capable of taking on even
more. Managers who take action to
assist employees' career satisfaction
will earn the kudos that result from the
increase in the organization's
productivity and the quality of work.
So, managers who demonstrate interest
in their staffs development will find
themselves in a win/win situation.
The following are suggestions that
organizations can adopt to provide
career development opportunities and
recognition for employees, now that
fewer management positions will be
available as career targets.
Organizational Opportunities
• Position/Job Redesign
The fact that management layers
have been eliminated does not have to
mean that career advancement will be
drastically curtailed. In the
organization, whether it be a division,
a branch, or a team, the traditional
responsibilities of a position can be
redesigned or broadened to meet
changing organizational needs.
An organization can evaluate its
changing mission and priorities to
identify both current roles and the
tasks that lie ahead. The trend toward
a flatter organization will ultimately
mean that people who are capable and
interested will have the opportunity to
take on additional job duties with or
without a promotion, for example,
responsibility for managing a segment
of a program or regulation. Delegating
increased responsibilities to employees
26
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can create at least three positive
attributes for the organization:
• It allows the manager to focus
more on preparing for the future and
on the customer.
• It is empowering for the individual;
an expanded role will motivate and
energize individuals to get more
involved in their work.
• It enables an organization to retain
excellent performers during a time
when upward advancement is not a
viable alternative.
This concept works exceptionally well
when the additional responsibilities are
aligned carefully with the competencies
and skills of the individual. You do not
want to overwhelm someone with
something that he/she may not be able
to handle.
When Tern Burrell of RTF was a
branch chief in the Human Resources
office, she had 15 people reporting to
her and needed some relief. The top
grade for employees in the branch was
GS-12. Terri got approval from senior
management, who were supportive, to
reorganize the branch into two teams
and establish two GS-13 team leader
positions. This concept met the
branch's work need (it relieved the
branch chief from the necessity to get
heavily involved in the dav-to-dav
* J j
work) and, at the same time, it created
a higher career ladder to which the
branch's employees could aspire. The
work was expedited, as not all work was
no longer reviewed by the branch chief,
and the employees selected for the
team leader positions proved their
ability to take on more responsibility.
Such organizational changes, says
Terri, don't happen over night.
Conceiving an idea, implementing it,
and have it work smoothly-all this
takes a great deal of time and effort
and the support of both management
and the employees affected by the
change.
• Details within EPA
A detail, which is a temporary
assignment to another position, can be
an invaluable, cost-efficient training
mechanism that is a "win-win" situation
for the organizations involved.
Sometimes the organization gives up
an employee for a set period of time,
such as 90 days, and in return, the
organization may acquire a temporary
replacement. The temporary employee
brings with him/her a set of specialized
skills and knowledge, as well as a fresh
perspective. Both organizations
benefit. The
individual is
given the
opportunity to
27
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learn about an area or discipline that
could be related to his/her own
expertise. Or, the new experience may
simply keep an employee motivated
who is becoming tired of his/her regular
assignments.
Temporary assignments are an
inexpensive method to help retain
highly qualified employees. They can
be tied directly to Individual
Development Plans and have short-
term measures of success. As long as
the organizational expectations are
made clear from all ends, temporary
assignments are an excellent career
development tool.
Frederick Thompson, who works for
the Office of Air Quality, Planning ,
and Standards at RTP has had two
profitable details. His first detail was
to the Education and Outreach Group,
where he helped to design and later
manage the Air Pollution Distance
Learning Network (APDLN), which is
a digital, "state-of-the-art" educational
satellite broadcasting network
primarily used to train state, local, and
private sector personnel in air pollution
control. This detail lasted for about a
year and led to a permanent position
there. He is now, as a result of
another one-year detail, a permanent
member of the Source Characterization
Group, where he is working in the area
of rule development. Frederick sought
these details, both of which have
offered him an opportunity to learn
new skills, as a conscious career
decision. He indicated in his IDP that
he wanted three details in areas of
general interest to him. Based on his
experience, Frederick thinks that
details can be a win-win deal for both
the organization and the employee and
can be very beneficial to an employee's
career if they are well-planned. He
advises that employees often have to
make some effort to get the detail that
is best suited to their career
development. As he says, "It is
essential that you do some planning
and research on vour own. After all,
-•
it's your career."
• IPA Assignments
An "IPA assignment" is a shorthand
term for a personnel assignment
authorized under the Intergovernment
Personnel Act (1970). This Act
permits and encourages the interchange
of employees from two broad sectors:
• Public Sector
• Non-Federal sector (i.e. state,
county, municipal government)
Under an IPA assignment, a Federal
or non-Federal employee temporarily
leaves a "home" organization to work
for a "hosting" organization in the
other government sector. The Act
stipulates that assignments must be
designed for the mutual interest and
benefit of the "home" and "hosting"
organization. Many EPA employees
serve under IPA assignments to
states and other institutions.
28
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Bob Denny was also instrumental in
establishing the satellite distance
learning network at RTF, and this
experience let to an IPA at North
Carolina State University, in
partnership with AT&T. While on the
IPA, Bob served as the project manager
for developing and deploying a distance
learning network that is used by both
state and local environmental agencies.
Bob learned the importance of sharing
one's expertise and the benefits this
brings to both sides, both EPA's and
the client's points of view. The IPA
provided him with "invaluable"
experience, and Bob thinks the
"rewards are great, not only for the
individual but for the organization as
well."
• Interagency Agreements (lAGs)
Establishing an 1AG, which is an
agreement with
another agency
to provide staff
or financial
resources for the
accompli shment
of a joint
program or
project, can
create
opportunities for
temporary assignments outside the
Agency. On these assignments,
employees can be exposed to different
ways of approaching the work and
broaden their work experience.
• Internal, Rotational, Ad Hoc
Assignments/Positions
Why not establish high-level staff
positions (GS-13/14/15), who report to
the Director? These positions could
handle some of the traditional
management tasks, (i.e., budgeting and
management studies). This does two
things:
• It affords an excellent learning
opportunity for a highly motivated and
qualified staff member.
• It enables the Director to focus
his/her attention on other pressing
issues.
These assignments could be filled on
a rotating basis, (6 to 12 months), and
could be available only to individuals
already working within the particular
AA-ship, region, or laboratory, or could
be open to employees from outside the
organization. Success measures would
be stated clearly at the beginning of the
assignment and individuals could be
assessed on how well they met the
success measures.
Recognition for Individuals
Performing Exceptionally in
Non-Managerial Roles
• Innovative Award Programs
Publicly recognize an individual for
his/her good work as a Team Leader,
29
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Project Manager, Project Officer,
Senior Specialist, or Intrapreneur.
Again, success measures for each
position should be established at the
beginning of the assignment.
Recognition can be give in non-
traditional ways, such as by celebrating:
"Team Leader of the year" or
"Project Manager of the year"
Be sure to highlight their significant
contribution to the organization. Each
recipient could receive a plaque, medal,
or a simple token, such as coffee mug.
Recognition could also follow the more
traditional ways, time-off, special act,
on-the-spot.
You may also think about rewarding
individuals for exceptional efforts in
the area of team building. In sum, it is
more important then ever to recognize
the important work of those in non-
managerial positions, but in leadership
roles.
If management has the resources to
reward employees monetarily, inventive
recognition programs that supplement
the usual performance awards can be
established. The RAP Financial
Management Center instituted a
recognition program in 1990, which
established four types of awards. There
was an "Employee of the Month"
award of $75 and a certificate, and all
employees could make nominations for
the award. There was also a "Work
Process Improvement" award, which
was given to a project team each
quarter. Each group member received
$50 to $100 and a certificate. Another
award was the "TQM Results" award,
which was also given quarterly for
exceeding established standards for
delivering services, in the amount of
$50 to $100, accompanied by a
plaque. A fourth award, the "Quarterly
Management" award, was a way to
recognize managers nominated for the
award by employees. These four
awards were continued during periods
when award funds were not available,
and the selectees received public
recognition.
This program was later replaced by
Financial Management Division's
"Bonus Bucks Award Program (which
was suspended in FY 1996 owing to
the Agency's budget situation and
inability to offer cash awards that
J
year). The "Bonus Bucks" program was
established as a peer awards program,
enabling non-supervisors across the
Division to recognize other non-
supervisory employee. Supervisors
were also given the opportunity to
recognize other supervisors.
Recognition was accomplished by
giving a bonus buck to an employee for
any service that assisted the employee
30
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or supervisor wishing to give
recognition. Each bonus buck had a
value of $6.25. Employees
accumulated bonus bucks and
redeemed them either a cash award of
$25 to $ 100 or a time-off award. The
program gave employees the
opportunity to recognize each other for
exceptional service, and was a
resounding success.
• Opportunities to Represent the
Agency
An organization can recommend
individuals to represent the Agency at a
national or international Conference.
The individual could be selected on the
basis of his/her particular expertise or
knowledge area. The assignment could
include a speaking engagement or a
panel appearance at an environmental
consortium. The assignment would
afford the individual the chance to
share his/her expertise with an audience
outside of the Agency as well as a
learning opportunity.
Too often in the past, managers have
reserved such opportunities for
themselves. Today's manager, however,
has less involvement in the technical
details of the work and may find it
difficult to maintain up-to-date
expertise in the advanced or technical
aspects of the work. Since the manager
is occupied with administrative matters
and managing the organization, he/she
may find it impossible to attain the
degree of technical expertise needed to
represent the Agency and scientific and
other professional events. It is
appropriate to reward the significant
contributions of non-managers who
have a high level of technical expertise
by steering their way invitations the
Agency receives to participate in
scientific and professional panels and
other proceedings.
Dr. Audrey Cummings, of the
National Health and Environmental
Effects Research Laboratory at RTF,
has been giving presentations at
various professional societies, such as
the Society of Toxicology, and enjoys
the opportunities for interaction and
networking with colleagues that these
speaking engagements offer. Dr.
Cummings had been presenting her
research findings through publications
and, as she considers herself an
introvert, she had assumed she would
not enjoy representing the Agency
through personal appearances.
However, she has found that the
opportunity to travel and speak have
"enabled her to step outside her
comfort zone" and go where she could
not have imagined. The positive
feedback and the social-professional
interaction have enhanced her
enjoyment of her role at EPA.
31
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Training and Learning
Opportunities
One way for your organization's
employees to remain on top of their
field or disciplines is to be fully
engaged in the myriad of training and
learning opportunities. These can vary
and include:
• EPA Learning Institute
• OHROS: Executive Resources and
Special Programs Division course
offerings
• Academia: various colleges,
graduate and post-graduate school
courses
• Private vendors: University
Associates, Zenger-Miller Associates,
etc.
These are examples of some of the
training/learning opportunities that
may appeal to your organization's
technical experts/specialists. An
organization may want to increase
expenditures in the area of training to
keep their key employees motivated
and current in their fields. Improving
their technical expertise is even more
important when these technical experts
are afforded the opportunity to enter
the management track.
Career Paths for Key
Occupations
In organizations where advancement
opportunities are limited for most
senior level specialists, analysts and
technical experts, management can
establish recognized non-supervisory
career paths for key occupations (i.e.,
Environmental Scientists, Engineers,
Attorneys, Program/Management
Analysts), with a specific criteria or
guidelines to be met in order to
advance to a higher graded position.
The Office for Research and
Development uses such a system.
Under such systems, the senior levels
have enhanced prestige, as the hurdles
to advancement to the top levels are
recognized.
Other Sources of Professional
and Personal Satisfaction
Organizations may support their
staffs professional development by
establishing sabbaticals and private
educational or technical consortiums
with private industry, academia, or the
public sector. Travel can also provide
professional satisfaction for some
individuals, including travel abroad to
attend seminars or trade shows, or to
give presentations at government
meetings.
32
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Greater job satisfaction can result
when organizations increase
opportunities for employees to better
balance their work and non-work lives
through:
• telecommuting— opportunities to
work at home
• flexible work schedules
• job sharing
Although most of EPA ios already on
compressed work schedules,
organizations that now make limited
use of flexiplace programs could expand
their use.
33
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Your Job Values
Extrinsic Job Values Inventory
Far each of the fairs, circle the latter corresponding to your choice of values. Pick only one.
Which of the alternatives do you prefer?
I want work in which:
\. The salary Is well above the average.
I can arrange my job so that I have greater than average
leisure time.
2. I can trust that my position Is permanent with little risk
of being let go.
My supervisor Is considerate and clear about what Is
expected of me.
3. I can enjoy pleasant physical surroundings and attractive
employee facilities.
There's lots of variety in the day-to-day things I do.
4. I can keep from getting tense, fatigued, and "burned
out."
I can make a lot of money if I work hard.
5. I can trust that my position Is permanent with little
risk of being let go.
There will always be room for advancement and
promotion.
6. I can make a lot of money if I work hard.
There is lots of security with respect to the future.
7. My supervisor is supportive and Judges everyone's
work fairly.
Working conditions are physically and mentally
comfortable.
me.
P
M
S
G
W
V
L
P
S
A
P
S
G
W
8. There Is maximum leisure time through short working
hours and long annual vacations.
1 produce a tangible product that 1 can point to and
say "I did that."
9. The tasks 1 perform are varied and continually
changing.
There Is always the prospect of moving up and
working at higher levels.
10. There will always be room for advancement and
and promotion.
There is maximum leisure time through short working
hours and long annual vacations.
It. 1 produce a tangible product that 1 can point to and
say "1 did that."
Working conditions are physically and mentally
comfortable.
12. There's lots of variety In the day-to-day things 1 do.
1 can trust that my position is permanent with little
risk of being let go.
1 3. There fs always the prospect of moving up and working
at higher levels.
The salary Is well above average.
1 4. 1 can en|oy pleasant physical surroundings and attractive
employee facilities.
There is maximum leisure time through short working
hours and long annual vacations.
M
T
V
A
A
M
T
W
V
S
A
P
W
M
We are grateful for permission from Patricia Lunneborg to use "Your
Job Values: Two Exercises" from her book To Work: A Guide for
Women College Graduates. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
-------
15. 1 can enjoy seeing the physical results of my work. T
I can keep from getting tense, fatigued, and "burned
"out." L
16. Things are kept low-pressure and stress-free most of
the time. L
I can enjoy pleasant physical surroundings and
attractive employee facilities. W
17. I can make a lot of money If I work hard. P
Working conditions are physically and mentally
comfortable. W
18. The tasks I perform are varied and continually
changing. V
My supervisor is supportive and judges everyone's
work fairly. G
19. The salary Is well above the average. P
My supervisor is considerate and clear about what Is
expected of me. G
20. \ can keep from getting tense, fatigued, and "burned
out." L
My supervisor Is supportive and judges everyone's
work fairly. G
21. My supervisor is considerate and clear about what Is
expected of me. G
I produce a tangible product that I can point to and
say "I did that." T
22. There will always be room for advancement and
promotion. A
Working conditions are physically and mentally
comfortable. W
23. There is lots of security with respect to the future. S
I can enjoy pleasant physical surroundings and
attractive employee facilities. W
24. My supervisor is supportive and judges everyone's
work fairly. G
There is always the prospect of moving up and working
at higher levels. A
25. There is maximum leisure time through short working
hours and long annual vacations. M
There's lots of variety In the day-to-day things I do. V
26. I produce a tangible product that I can point to and
say "I did that." T
There will always be room for advancement and
promotion. A
27. I can arrange my fob so that I have greater than
average leisure time. M
I can trust that my position is permanent with little
risk of being let go. S
28. There is always the prospect of moving up and
working at higher levels. A
Things are kept low-pressure and stress-free most
of the time. L
29. There's lots of variety In the day-to-day things I do. V
I can enjoy seeing the physical results of my work. T
30. The tasks I perform are varied and continually
changing. V
Things are kept low-pressure and stress-free most
of the time. L
-------
31. I can keep from getting tense, fatigued, and "burned
out."
I can arrange my job so that I have greater than
average leisure time.
32. Things are kept low-pressure and stress-free most
of the time.
There is lots of security with respect to the future.
33. I can enjoy seeing the physical results of my work.
I can make a lot of money if I work hard.
L
M
L
S
T
P
34. I can arrange my job so that I have greater
than average leisure time. M
My supervisor is considerate and clear about what is
expected of me. G
35. The tasks I perform are varied and continually
changing. V
The salary is well above the average. P
36. There is lots of security with respect to the future. S
I can enjoy seeing the physical results of my work. T
Intrinsic Job Values Inventory
For each of the pairs, circle the letter corresponding to your choice of values. Pick only
one. Which of the alternatives do you prefer?
I want work in which:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have the opportunity to gain prestige in my field. R
My creativity and originality are needed solve problems. O
I can make decisions and am relatively free of
supervision. I
I feel self-fulfilled because I have the chance to do
what I do best. E
I plan and organize work for others and use my
leadership abilities.
I am continually challenged by the critical and
unexpected.
I can use my abilities to add to the well-being of
others.
I can get recognition for my work.
L
C
W
R
5. I can make decisions on my own and am relatively free
of supervision. I
There are lots of opportunities for meeting people who
share my interests. S
6. I can get recognition from others for my work. R
I can decide how the job should be done and set my
own pace. I
7. I can give full expression to my special knowledge and
abilities. E
I am in a position of authority and can influence others'
opinions. L
8. My ability to contribute Innovative ideas is put to use. O
I gain a sense of mastery and achievement for doing
a fine job. A
9. I must always be mentally alert for tasks that require
real effort. C
Friendships with colleagues are a likely outcome. S
-------
10. There are lots of opportunities for meeting
people who share my interests. S
My ability to contribute Innovative Ideas is put
to use. O
11. I gain a sense of mastery and achievement for
doing a fine job. A
I am In a position of authority and can Influence
others' opinions. L
12, I am continually challenged by the critical and
unexpected. C
I can make decisions on my own and am relatively
free of supervision. (
13. Friendships with colleagues are a IHceJy outcome. S
I have the opportunity to gain prestige in my field. R
14. T plan and organize work for others and use my
leadership abilities. L
My ability to contribute innovative Ideas Is put to use. O
15. I can feei that I have produced worthwhile accom-
plishments. A
I can use my abilities to add to the well-being of others. W
16. I feel I am contributing something worthwhile to
society. W
I plan and organize work for others and use my
leadership abilities. L
17. I can get recognition from others for my work. R
I am In a position of authority and can Influence
others' opinions. L
18. I must always be mentally alert for tasks that require
real effort. C
1 can give full expression to my special knowledge
and abilities. E
19. I have the opportunity to gain prestige In my field. R
I feel self-fulfilled because I have the chance to do
what I do best. B
20. I can use my abilities to add to the well-being of others. W
i can give full expression to my special knowledge and
abilities. E
21. I feel self-fulfilled because I have the chance to do what
J do best E
I gain a sense of mastery and achievement for doing a
fine [ob. E
22. There are lots of opportunities for meeting people who
share my Interests. S
I am In a position of authority and can influence others'
opinions. L
23. I can decide how the job should be done and set my
own pace. 1
I plan and organize work for others and use my leader-
ship abilities. L
24. 1 can give full expression to my special knowledge
and abilities. E
Friendships with colleagues are a likely outcome. S
25. My ability to contribute Innovative Ideas is put
to use. O
f am continually challenged by the critical and
unexpected. C
26. I gain a sense of mastery and achievement for doing
a fine (ob. A
There are lots of opportunities for meeting people
who share my Interests. S
-------
27. My creativity and originality are needed to solve
problems. O
I can make decisions on my own and am relatively
free of supervision. I
28. Friendships with colleagues are a likely outcome. S
I feel I am contributing something worthwhile to
society. W
29. I am continually challenged by the critical and
unexpected. C
I can feel that I have produced worthwhile accom-
plishments. A
30. I must always be mentally alert for tasks that
require real effort. C
I feel I am contributing something worthwhile
to society. W
31. I can use my abilities to add to the well-being
of others. W
My creativity and originality are needed to solve
problems. O
32. I feel I am contributing something worthwhile
to society. W
I can decide how the job should be done and set
my own pace. I
33. I can feel that I have produced worthwhile accom-
plishments. A
I can get recognition from others for my work. R.
34. My creativity and originality are needed to solve
problems. O
I feel self-fulfilled because I have the chance to do
what I do best. E
35. I must always be mentally alert for tasks that require
real effort. C
I have the opportunity to gain prestige In my field. R.
36. I can decide how the Job should be done and set my
own pace. I
I can feel that I have produced worthwhile accom-
plishments. A
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My Extrinsic ]ob Values Inventory Tally
To tatty your responses to the first Inventory/ the Extrinsic Job
Values Inventory, count the number of times you circled
each of the following letters and enter your counts In the space
provided. They should add up to 36. Individual counts range
from 0 to 8.
A S W P G
M
Now below write
In the letters
from your
Extrinsic Tally
from fargeit
talfy to
smallest.
Letter
In the table on
the next page
find value
names and
enter names
here.
Value Name
= 36
Also from the table
copy beside your
top five extrinsic values
the brfef description
of each.
Value Description for
TOP Five
1.
2.
3.
My Intrinsic Job Values Inventory Tally
Now tally your responses to the Intrinsic Job Values Inventory by
counting the number of times you circled each of the following letters
and enter your counts In the space provided. They should add up to 36.
Individual counts range from 0 to 8.
O
Now below write
in the letters
from your
Intrinsic Tally
from largest
tally to
smallest.
Letter
W
In the table on
the next page
find value
names and
enter names
here.
Value Name
= 36
Also from the table
copy beside your
top five Intrinsic values
the brief description
of each.
Value Description for
TOP Five
1.
2.
-------
Now you've Identified you top five extrinsic and Intrinsic job values.
While there Is no sharp dividing line between them, extrinsic values
refer more to returns from work that are external to actual job
functions, such as take-home pay, benefits, working conditions,
holidays, and vacations. Intrinsic values, In contrast, refer more to
returns from work that a person gets directly from the work itself-
they are Internal satisfactions, personal feelings derived from the
kinds of work we do. Intrinsic values satisfy "higher order" human
needs, such as the need to achieve, to be of service to society, and
to be creative. Everyone's ideal ts to achieve both values from work,
but If you're asked to choose, you'll want to know not only which
are Important to you, but how important compared with one
another. Use the Values Comparison for Job Value Inventories on
the following page to compare your top five extrinsic and top five
Intrinsic values. Which had the highest sum? Which the lowest?
List your final ranking as shown In the next column on this page.
Value Letters, Names, and Descriptions for job Values Inventories
Letter Extrinsic Value Names Value Descriptions
A Advancement
S Security
W Working conditions
P Pay
G Good supervision
M Maximum leisure
T Tangible product
V Variety
L Low pressure
Opportunity to be promoted and
advance to higher levels
Very little risk of losing one's fob;
guaranteed employment
Pleasant physical working condi-
tions; enough space, light, etc.
Salary is above the average; a well-
paying job
Supervisors are clear, considerate,
and fair to all
Job allows maximum time off and
much leisure time
Job allows one to see the physical
end product
Job activities are quite varied and
changing
Job Is relaxed and stress-free; not
A high-pressure setting
Letter Intrinsic Value Names Value Descriptions
S
I
L
R
E
O
A
C
W
Social contact
Independence
Leadership
Recognition
Self-expression
Originality
Achievement
Challenge
Social Welfare
Opportunity to meet people with
similar interests
Free of supervision; can do one's work
one's own way
Allows for responsibility for organizing
others' job activities
Work allows one to gain status and
prestige In one's field
Work allows one to express oneself
and one's special abilities
Allows for creativity and original
solutions to problems
Allows one to feel a sense of
worthwhile accomplishment
The work Is difficult and requires real
effort
Promotes the feeling that one Is
contributing to society
Final Ranking of Top Five Extrinsic and Top Five Intrinsic Values
Highest Ranked
5._
6.
Lowest Ranked
9._
10.
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INSTRUCTIONS (follow in «, 2, 3 order)
2. Copy the same five extrinsic values followed by your top five
Intrinsic values In the same order from left to right as column
headings. We are going to compare every row and column.
1. Write below
the names of your
top five
EXTRINSIC
values, followed
by your top five
INTRINSIC
values.
(I)
Sums of pluses In
the rows
Sum of blanks In
the columns
3. Now go through each row and
compare It with the values In the
columns. Which would you rather
have? Put a + in each box where
you prefer the row value over the
column value. Then, add up the
pluses In each row. Next, add the
blanks In each column above the
black boxes. Enter the sums of the
blanks at the bottom of each column.
Last, add the row and columrt sums
for each of your values together.
Add together
row and
column values.
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