Report - Government Executive

Figure 3-1. Objectives of the NICCP Framework 44
DCIPS conforms to the NICCP framework and, at the same time, tailors it to the needs of the
DoD intelligence components. For example, NICCP defines a common occupational structure
and provides a general framework for setting basic rates of pay, managing performance, and
paying for performance, but DCIPS’ specific design features include a comprehensive
performance management system and performance-based compensation system, both of which
offer greater specificity, including defining roles and responsibilities for managing and
overseeing the system. Each design feature is discussed in the following sections.
DCIPS’ OVERALL DESIGN
A strong performance management system is the foundation for DCIPS’ performance-based
compensation system. Some stakeholders believe that DoD could have strengthened the former
within the context of the existing GS/GG system and avoided the organizational disruption that
occurs when implementing the latter. Others argue that performance management under the
current system cannot motivate improved performance without incentives associated with
performance-based compensation.
It is unclear whether federal performance management systems can achieve the goal of enhanced
performance without linking performance to compensation. Nor are there strong research results
that link performance-based compensation systems to improved individual or organizational
performance. A 1991 National Research Council report concluded that variable pay plans can
produce positive effects, but that there is insufficient evidence to determine conclusively whether
merit pay—also known as pay for performance—can enhance individual performance. 45
44 ODNI, NICCP Framework.
45
National Research Council, Pay for Performance, George T. Milkovich and Alexandra K. Wigdor, Editors, with
Renae F. Broderick and Anne S. Mayor, National Academy Press (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press),
1991.
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