Report - Government Executive

enable managers and supervisors to communicate the agency’s goals and values to employees
and the way that performance will be measured. As the GAO testimony pointed out:
While there will be debate and disagreement about the merits of individual
reform proposals, all should be able to agree that a performance management
system with adequate safeguards, including reasonable transparency and
appropriate accountability mechanisms in place, must serve as the fundamental
underpinning of any fair, effective, and appropriate pay reform. 67
DCIPS’ performance management system is another strong aspect of its design, and DoD
intelligence component managers and employees identify it as one of DCIPS’ most positive
features. Both groups indicated that requiring continuing dialogue between employees and
rating officials is a welcome change that will lead to better understanding between employees
and their supervisors and better distinctions among performance levels. They also believed that
requiring rating officials to conduct and document at least one performance discussion with
employees at the mid-point of the rating period is another strong feature supporting improved
performance and meaningful distinctions at the end of the rating cycle.
Managers and employees generally view the DCIPS performance management system
positively, but a significant number stated that it creates an administrative burden for
supervisors. Effective performance management should be viewed not as an additional duty, but
as an inherent part of a supervisor’s normal responsibilities. Yet many DoD intelligence
component managers perform technical, analytical, or operational duties, as well.
If DCIPS is to succeed, OUSD(I) and DoD intelligence component senior officials must ensure
that all supervisors receive the requisite training to implement and administer the performance
management system effectively. Additionally, they must stress the importance of
communication throughout the rating cycle so that performance management duties are spread
over its entirety. As the GAO testimony noted, an effective performance management system is
not used for episodic occurrences once or twice annually, but as a tool to help an organization
manage its workforce daily. 68 Supervisors are the linchpin in the system, and it is critical to
provide them with the tools, training, and resources they need to execute their responsibilities.
Differentiating Performance
Effective performance management systems must distinguish at least three levels of
performance: superior performers who exceed expectations, those who fully meet them, and
those who do not. DCIPS’ use of a five-level rating system provides for a high degree of rigor in
making performance distinctions to drive enhanced organizational performance and reward
employees based on their relative performance achievements. Under DCIPS, employees are
rated on both individual performance objectives and six standardized, behaviorally-based
performance elements required under the NICCP framework. The use of both sets of measures is
intended to strike a more balanced approach to assessing performance. Appendix D provides a
copy of the DCIPS performance rating form.
67 Ibid, p. 1.
68 Ibid, p. 1.
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