Analytic Culture in the U.S. Intelligence Community (PDF) - CIA

CHAPTER EIGHT
Conclusion and Recommendations
As noted, there is something of a disconnect between the largely fictionalized
portrayal of the Intelligence Community in the popular media and the
actual experience of intelligence analysts. This disconnect can be exacerbated
once a recruit is on the job and can lead to negative consequences and behaviors,
such as organizational culture shock, employee dissatisfaction, and
increased employee absenteeism and turnover. This has an obvious effect on
individual analysts, but it has a direct effect on the efficiency and effectiveness
of the Intelligence Community.
Since the September 2001 attacks, some members of the Intelligence Community
have acted to change the socialization process by providing accurate
and realistic career information. One of the most widely used media for this is
the Internet. For example, the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Web site
contains a section on “Life at the CIA.” 18 This section contains information
about the Agency and its culture, several analyst profiles and job descriptions
written in the analyst’s own words, and information concerning employee
benefits and social and intellectual diversity. Although the “Employment”
section of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Web site is less detailed
than the “Life at the CIA” section of the CIA Web site, it does illustrate a typical
first assignment. 19 In contrast, the “Careers” section of the Defense Intelligence
Agency’s (DIA) Web site contains detailed information on current job
openings and the application process, but it provides no information about the
actual work of a DIA analyst. 20 Steps such as these are encouraging, but they
are still insufficient. There are more active things that can be done to facilitate
the socialization of new employees.
To begin, Intelligence Community components should accept that what
most people know about a job is often false and that it is incumbent on the
organization and its recruiters to present accurate pictures and to work diligently
to dispel myths. This will help to counteract the effects of culture
shock. Instead of overselling a particular job or organization, recruiters should
focus on facilitating the anticipatory socialization of potential employees by
providing accurate information about the job and about the culture of the organization
itself. Early in the selection process, applicants should be provided
with realistic job previews, presented in either written or oral form. Previews
should contain accurate information about the specific conditions within an
organization and the specific requirements of the job. Research has shown that
providing accurate descriptions of tasks is important in increasing job commitment
and job satisfaction, as well as decreasing initial turnover of new
18
See Central Intelligence Agency Web site in Web Resources.
19
See Federal Bureau of Investigation Web site in Web Resources
20
See Defense Intelligence Agency and US Intelligence Community Web sites in Web Resources.
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