To Build Social Networks, Hire Social Networkers
Alyssa herself may be away, but that's no reason that her ongoing quasi-obsession with new OPM Director John Berry has to go with her!
As fate would have it, I was fortunate enough to hear Director Berry speak to an intimate group this past Friday at the National Academy of Public Administration (a.k.a., my employer) at an event convened by government IT legend Alan Balutis. (Here's a blurry iPhone picture of them together!) Like Alyssa, I found that Berry's unique mix of expertise and enthusiasm around people issues (he hates the term "human capital," and now I kind of do, too) makes for a really encouraging and energizing encounter.
I've put some general observations below the fold, but one thing Berry said was particularly interesting to me: He announced that, as part of recruiting efforts specifically as well as public engagement efforts more broadly, he would be assembling a group of 20-somethings who would be tasked with engaging young people in the missions of government and, ultimately, with attracting them into the federal workforce. Obviously a lot of this game is won at the paying-off-some-of-your-student-loans level, but a non-trivial part of it really is just about getting the message out.
Berry's focus on a squad of 20-somethings reminded me of someone I once met in federal government. She was in her mid-20's, had just graduated with an Ivy League MBA, and was recruited by the FBI right out of school as a GS-14. (Talk about public-private pay parity!) But the rub was, despite her relative inexperience in FBI's mission, she was incredibly effective because she knew how to connect and share information with other people across FBI who were in this same program. Her skills had little to do with law enforcement, and everything to do with collaborating and connecting.
The moral of this story, I think, is that increasingly, "collaboration" -- defined roughly as "the ability to build and lead purposeful social networks that act as agile problem-solving communities" -- is going to be a critical skillset in the federal workforce. So-called "digital natives," who grew up using these skills as a matter of daily life on sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter (and more recently GovLoop!). What's truly noteworthy is that our new OPM Director -- who is by his own admission not a Tech Guy -- recognizes the importance of this skillset and is leading by example.
A few stray notes/observations:
- He may have been dubbed "No More Mr. Nice Guy," but Berry is, in fact, an incredibly nice guy. He was gracious, genuinely glad to get the audience's questions and concerns, and places a deep importance on the value of respect and decency as motive forces in the workplace.
- That said, he has clearly thought about how to give OPM some teeth. After joking that some in the past have dubbed his organization the "Office of Personnel Recommendations," Berry explained that his strategy was to march in strategic "lock step" with a guy who does wield a fairly powerful lever towards agencies: OMB Director Peter Orszag. By coordinating with Orszag -- on issues that, frankly, shouldn't be divorced from OMB concerns anyway -- Berry will try to ensure that key elements of his vision have some teeth behind them.
- That said, it's clear from Berry's remarks that the President is taking a pretty first-hand role in setting a strategic agenda around personnel issues. For example, pay parity with the private sector is very much on the radar screen, but it is contingent on some kind of performance-based system (no, not NSPS) being put in place first.
- One message that came through loud and clear: Berry has a clear vision and agenda, but knows he doesn't have all the ideas, and is aggressively reaching out to relevant stakeholder organizations both within and outside of government to help.
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
So Dan, what are you saying here, that the rest of us should just lie down and die? That unless you are a 20-something the "new" gov isn't for you? What a vague assumption you draw from all this. Most 30-, 40- and 50-somethings are very much involved in social networks...so don't make the generalization that social network technology is a tool of this so called new generation, because it's not! Do your research on social network and the people utilizing them before making generalized assumptions! It’s this type of thinking that will swing the gov into the false vision that the younger set will make a better more efficient gov.
FedUp Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 7:07 AMI was lucky enough to attend this gathering of minds as well. The room was a good sized mixed crowd with people ranging (approx.) from their mid-80's to their early 20's. What Barry had to say was easy to understand and was relevant to the various generations in the room.
I have to agree with Mr. Munz; after hearing Mr. Berry speak on "Human Capital" I have been converted. His approach on people is something that government sorely needs and I was very happy to hear that the President was receptive to his ideas.
In response to the comment left by "FedUp" (great name by the way) I have to say that I do not think that Dan was attempting to make a generalized statement at all. The moral of the story, as Dan puts it, is collaboration - regardless of age. As for the 20-something task force mentioned by Mr. Berry, the group would concentrate on recruitment and hiring. As some would say, Berry is simply "going to the source" on these issues. Who better to know how to recruit someone from the Millennial generation than a Millennial?
I think that these forward moving steps - going to the source, open conversations with other agencies, effectively communicating a clear agenda, etc. - may not be new ideas, but they are ones that will ultimately benefit the federal government.
TNewman Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 10:03 AMNew/fresh and innovative ideas can come from any age group. Any employer who pays for youth & exuberance or discounts age and experience is not very smart.
US Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 10:56 AMAgree Mr. Berry looks interesting as an appointee. Perhaps he has read Mary Taylor Follete's remarks on why authoritarian business management will fail because of knowledge needs to survive in business and technology! Oh yes that was in the 20's and 30's when she was wisely arguing for a teaming approach to business problems.
William R. Cumming Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 12:07 PMIn my 30 plus years of federal service repeatedly saw those employees who tried to cooperate and collaborate with other collegues or agencies repeatedly punished by second tier management that felt threatened. Guess the FBI just not threatened by a young MBA they assumed would soon depart once she learned she could never be a "Gold Badge" agent. By the way there are about 12,000 of those in an organization with almost 35,000 FTEs. They all get to retire in 20 years while the rest must await age 55 and 30 years of service meeting both criteria.
As a 20-something Federal employee my sense is that success in recruiting new public servants has less to do with things like pay parity (for those of us new and on the bottom, the money is pretty good) and performance management (maybe I am biased, but I think we tend to do a good job of policing ourselves and are ambitious), and more with reforming the hiring process and better managing expectations.
The Federal hiring process is just too long and unpredictable. For someone new coming in from outside after graduation, you can't afford to sit around waiting the three months for a call to see if you made it to the interview panel. Tied in to the FBI example, there also needs to be a move away from emphasizing experiences and towards skills, which currently hugely biases the process in favor of 40 year olds over someone who is 25.
On the expectations front, the most frustrating thing for me has been everyone telling me how I am going to have a million opportunities because 50% of the Federal workforce is supposed to retire next week. The truth is that with the economy and the move towards much more flexible schedules a growing number of folks are going to work until they are well into their 60's and 70's. The truth is there are very few straight forward ladders left in the Federal government. That's fine, but we just need to know that and have the ability to jump from one to another as our career progresses.
dma Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 12:50 PMWhy do we need social networking for Fed Employees?? They can play at home but access to the sites should be denied during working hours
dan m ketter Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 5:12 PMAlong the lines of our conversation...
Tameika
Michael Posted Wednesday, June 3, 2009 7:25 AM