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Resources and Solutions You Can Leverage to Enhance Your Organizational and Staff Effectiveness

An Overview of NOAA’s Corporate & Strategic Human Capital Initiatives (CSI) Division

Stephen (Steve) Springer

February 19, 2009

How do I retain valuable

employees?

How do I find the right candidates for

open positions?

What kind of employees will I need in the next 5-10 years?

How will the looming retirement of Baby Boomers affect my office?

Did you know?

• NOAA employs over 12,000 people in some 700 fixed and mobile facilities around the country and world

• Of those employees, almost one-half are in occupations deemed mission-critical:– Meteorologists (2,596)– Hydrologists (290)– Fishery Biologists (943)– Oceanographers (266)– Physical Scientists (648)– IT Specialists (1,166)

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Source: National Finance Center

Did you know?

• That 2,250 of NOAA’s employees are currently eligible to retire:– Over 60% of those employees are in NWS and NMFS– 25% of NOAA’s IT Specialists are currently eligible to retire

• Over the past six (6) years, the percentage of those eligible to retire who actually do retire has increased from 19% to 24%

• That only about 55% of NOAA employees feel that their work unit is able to recruit people with the right skills

• Employees’ value to their organization can be increased through targeted initiatives (such as training or recruiting for specific skills)

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Sources: National Finance Center and 2007 Department of Commerce Annual Employee Survey

Did you know?

• NOAA has at its disposal various (and free!) services to develop, value and sustain a world-class workforce

• NOAA Corporate & Strategic and Human Capital Initiatives (CSI) Division can help you enhance your organizational and staff effectiveness by addressing the challenges we’ve laid out thus far

This presentation provides and overview of CSI’s services

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CSI - Mission and Vision

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CSI – Leadership Structure

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Corporate &Strategic HumanCapital Initiatives

VacantDirector

Human CapitalPlanningDivision

Stephen SpringerDirector

LearningResources

DivisionMarc Young

Director & NOAA Chief Learning Officer

• The CSI Division values collaborative partnerships with NOAA Line and Corporate Offices

• We can help you understand:– The ideal “people” state within your LO/CO– What is getting in the way of reaching the target

• Provide you data to help you make informed, objective decisions

• Advise you on what combination of strategies can best help you address obstacles

• In addition to strategy, we can also help with the tactical elements of strategy implementation (for example, development of a competency model)

How can CSI help you?

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What is CSI’s approach?

• Identify Challenges and Opportunities:– Understand impact of evolving customer, mission, and/or

business requirements; technology changes; new laws, regulations on “people needs”

• Evaluate Alternatives:– Assess the risk that challenges pose to meeting requirements,

and suggest ways to enhance performance via “people solutions”

• Implement Programs:– Design, develop and implement people solutions based on

sound human resources practices– Measure overall program effectiveness to ensure desired

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How can we help you plan for future workforce needs?

• Competency Model Development• Skills Assessments• Succession Planning• Workforce Planning, Metrics and Analysis• Survey Design and Implementation

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How can we help you recruit?

• Corporate Recruitment Program• Special Employment Program• Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Recruiting

Program• Onboarding Tools and Advice

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How can we help ensure employees have the skills they need?

• Leadership Competencies Development Program (LCDP)

• NOAA Rotational Assignment Program (NRAP)• NOAA Leadership Seminar (NLS)• PMF Training and Development Program• Instructor-Led Training Program• Career Planning• Leadership Development• E-Learning• Instructional Design

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How can we help you retain employees?

• NOAA Diversity Program• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program

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Examples of our past and present consulting work

• To date, 1,147 NOAA employees have attended an iteration of the NOAA Leadership Seminar (NLS)

• NOAA has supported the PMF program for over 22 years and has hired more than 95 PMFs since 1987. NOAA currently has 8 PMFs on board and employs many former PMFs in permanent positions, including NOAA’s Chief Financial Officer and NOAA’s Director of Education. These individuals come from diverse educational backgrounds including public administration, international affairs, and environmental planning, and make contributions throughout NOAA in policy analysis, program implementation, management, and budget.

• Under the leadership of CSI, NOAA has developed a robust and comprehensive training and development program for its PMFs. This program has been so successful that the programmatic management tools have been adopted Department-wide for use among all bureaus.

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Examples of our past and present consulting work (cont.)

• We are currently assisting the Office of the Chief Information Officer to develop a competency model for IT Security

• We developed a highly successful skills assessment for the Acquisition and Grants Office, prompting this comment from an AGO leader:– "Only Joe's (member of CSI team) efforts ensured that the ... team

met a series of critical milestones throughout this process to ensure that the skills assessment was completed by a GAO-mandated deadline.“

• We developed a Leadership competency model now being used for the selection of Leadership/Management candidates

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Conclusion

• Effective use and development of employees and managers is vitally important to meeting the overall mission of NOAA, and the missions of each individual Line and Corporate Office

• NOAA has built a team of strategic internal consultants to help you address your people challenges and optimize your workforce

• The Corporate & Strategic Human Capital Initiatives Division is ready to partner with you to achieve your people goals

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Thank you for coming!

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BACKUP SLIDES

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Effect of Retirement on NOAA Workforce

22Impending wave of retirees requires that NOAA plan for its future

Equates to 17.5% of current NOAA workforce

Corporate Recruitment

• Corporate Recruitment is the sourcing, screening, and selection of people for a job or vacancy within an organization

• Recruitment and selection strategies should focus on hiring new staff who possess the competencies required to achieve NOAA’s strategic plan, and in which our workforce may be deficient

• 2009 Recruitment Strategies:– One NOAA Recruitment Approach– Targeting low participation rate groups– Onboarding– Increased Veterans hiring– Enhancing NOAA’s careers website

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Special Employment Programs

• Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)• Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)• Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Recruiting

Program

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Leadership Competencies Development Program (LCDP)

• NOAA’s key succession planning initiative• Competitive, intermittent 18-month leadership

development program • Promotes cross-line/corporate experiences • Highly customized for agency employees

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LCDP Components

• 5-weeks of formal leadership training as cohort at Federal Executive Institute (FEI)

• Individual Development Plan (IDP)– Created based on participant’s learning needs– 2 or 3 assignments each lasting from 3 to 4 months– Additional training and/or developmental activities as

needed

• Mentoring relationship with NOAA leader (GS15, SES)

• Peer advisor relationship with an LCDP graduate

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NOAA Rotational Assignment Program (NRAP)

• Overview– Competitive NOAA-wide employee development program– Program open to all NOAA employees– Short-term (3-6 months) developmental assignments

• At any grade level • In any NOAA office• Away from employees regular positions

– Cross-line and cross-functional learning experiences• Funding

– Participant’s home office continues to pay salary and benefits

– Assignment office responsible for all travel and lodging expenses

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NOAA Leadership Seminar

• 4-day residential training program for 150 employees. GS 13/14 level from all LOs/COs, all occupations, and field & HQ.

• Objectives: (1) Gaining knowledge and insight of current NOAA initiatives and business drivers, including the importance of outreach, the purpose of the goal teams, and the PPBES process; (2) Networking with NOAA senior leaders and other participants; and (3) Learning and enhancing effective leadership skills.

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Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Training & Development

• Two-year OPM managed program encourages recent graduates with advanced degrees to pursue careers in the Federal service.

• Objectives: Oversee the Fellows’ training and developmental assignments to ensure completion of program requirements and encourage the development of skills needed for their target positions.

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Instructor-Led Training Program

• The Workforce Management Office/Learning Resources Division provides career-oriented courses ranging from communication and technical skills to leadership and pre retirement planning

• Also available to develop programs and provide resources to meet specific organizational needs.

• For additional information employees can refer to the calendar of events through the Commerce Learning Center (CLC), www.doc.learn.com/noaa

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Human Capital Accountability

• Human Capital Accountability is ensuring that:

– NOAA is making progress toward its Human Capital (HC) goals

– Employees are efficiently and effectively managed in support of NOAA’s mission

– All Merit System Principles and related HC rules and regulations are followed

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Accountability Program Components

• Conducting periodic accountability reviews (often with DOC and OPM participation)

• Taking corrective actions based on findings and results of accountability reviews

• Defining and collecting metrics as outlined in Human Capital Accountability Plan

• Providing annual report and other updates to DOC and OPM (Human Capital Management Report)

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Workforce Planning

• Assist NOAA Offices to conduct competency-based activities to systematically identify human capital needs

• Supports NOAA Workforce Planning Policy (NAO 202-1103, effective 9/28/07)

• Primarily achieved through the development of competency models

• Once competency models are developed and validated, they can be used for a variety of human capital efforts (e.g., recruiting, hiring, assessing, developing)

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NOAA Diversity Program

• NOAA Diversity Strategy

Create and maintain a positive work environment that enables all employees to contribute their full potential toward accomplishing organizational goals

• Strategy focuses on:

Inclusion

Supportive Systems, Policies and Practices

Supportive Workplace Behaviors

• NOAA Diversity Officer

- Provides leadership for NOAA’s managing diversity initiatives

- Co-Chairs the NOAA Diversity Committee

- Advises Line Office Diversity Program Managers

- Consults on Managing Diversity and Understanding Differences issues

- Designs and implements managing diversity interventions

- Provides technical expertise on managing diversity issues34

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

• ADR – overall Program term

• Mediation – process to resolve issues

• Facilitated Problem Solving – process to help groups/teams resolve issues

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