Building and
Maintaining a
Strong Workforce
in Tough Times
2009 APIPA Conference
July 31, 2009
Bob Lavigna
Why it Matters
“It is not at all clear how
government can be well
executed unless it is able to
compete more effectively for its
fair share of talent.”
“Government is always
going to be able to fill
vacancies. The important
question is whether we
can fill them with talented
and committed people
with the skills we need.”
”In the globalization system
… One of the most important
and enduring competitive
advantages that a country
can have today is a lean,
efficient, honest civil service
system.”
Why it Matters
“The challenge is to attract and
retain people who are a cut above
the competition. You need to provide
benefits, good working conditions,
and an environment that caters to
their personal needs and business
needs. That’s a tough balance.”
“By the end of the day
I felt I had made a
terrible mistake … My
agency lost its shine
on my first day.”
“Don’t give me excuses,
just make the hiring
process work!”
“In the government, you
get an order and you
follow it. I realize that as
a leader, I need to be
more creative and
innovative.”
Why it Matters
 Grant Thornton 2008 survey –
HC/HR #1 concern
 GT 2009 survey – right talent #1
factor in clean audit
 2009 survey of corporate CFOs –
most critical factors:
• Strong leadership
• Hiring best people
Public Sector Workforce is Graying
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
Federal
State
25%
Local
20%
Private
15%
10%
5%
0%
Under 30
30-39
40-49
50+
More Complex Workforce:
Multiple Generations
Traditionalists (born before 1946)
Boomers (born 1946-64)
Gen Xers (1965-81)
Millennials (>1982)
More Complex Workforce:
Changing Expectations
 Free
agents
 Less
loyalty -- “transactional”
relationship
 “Knowledge
 Demand
nomads” – mobile skill sets
work/life balance
Guam Division of Accounts Workforce:
Today and Tomorrow
Total employees in
2008 = 46
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Guam Division of Accounts Workforce:
Today and Tomorrow
Total employees in
2008 = 46
Eligible to retire in
5 years = 16
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Guam Division of Accounts Workforce:
Today and Tomorrow
Total employees in
2008 = 46
Eligible to retire in
5 years = 16
Eligible to retire in
5-10 years = 7
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Island Workforces:
Today and Tomorrow
Employees
New
Hires
Annual
Turnover
5-Year
Retirem’t.
10-Year
Retirem’t.
Guam
46
48%
11%
35%
50%
Palau
125
20%
7%
16%
28%
USVI
107
24%
8%
27%
CMNI
125
33%
14%
8%
25%
American Samoa
147
24%
5%
20%
35%
FSM
77
31%
6%
10%
31%
Yap
25
64%
18%
4%
12%
14
So … What’s It All Mean?
Workforce undergoing dramatic shifts
Tougher to attract and retain talent
Public sector feeling these effects first
Government must adapt to the
talent market, not vice-versa
How Does Government Meet These
Workforce Challenges?
Understand – and meet – expectations
Develop multiple pipelines for talent
Recruit aggressively
Make the hiring process work
Maximize engagement
and satisfaction
How Does Government Meet These
Workforce Challenges?
Make performance management work
Build the talent/leadership pipeline
Create more flexible, timely, user-friendly
and responsive civil service systems
Use workforce planning as the foundation
What We’ll Cover
A
framework for attracting,
developing and retaining talent
 Specific
approaches
1. Recruiting/hiring and
onboarding
2. Maximizing employee engagement
3. Building the leadership pipeline
4. Creating a strong partnership with HR
What We Won’t Cover
 Secret
 Easy
formulas, magic bullets
answers
 Simple
solutions
 One-size-fits-all
 Turning
approaches
you into an HR expert
Research: Creating and
Applying New Knowledge
Recruiting on Campus
Hiring Baby Boomers
What Students Want
Hiring Interns
Building Employee
Engagement
Onboarding New
Employees
Finding Jobs
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire/
Onboard
Engage
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce Manage Performance
Planning
Train/Develop
Reward/Recognize
Environment
Plan for Succession
Mission
Accomplished
Workforce Planning
There isn’t any silver bullet to
attract, develop and retain talent
It takes silver buckshot!
Panel:
What are your toughest
people challenges?
Building and
Maintaining a
Strong Workforce
in Tough Times
1. Recruiting/Hiring
and Onboarding
Why it Matters
“It is not at all clear how
government can be well
executed unless it is able to
compete more effectively for
its fair share of talent.”
“The overall feel of the job
vacancy announcement is
negative and heavy handed …
If the application is like this,
what’s it like to work there
and why would you want to?”
“Government is always
going to be able to fill
vacancies. The important
question is whether we
can fill them with talented
and committed people with
the skills we need.”
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire/
Onboard
Engage
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce Manage Performance
Planning
Train/Develop
Reward/Recognize
Environment
Plan for Succession
Mission
Accomplished
Recruiting v. Hiring
1. Recruiting – Attracting an adequate number
of interested and well-qualified candidates
2. Hiring – Deciding whom to hire (i.e., who to
make the job offer to)
Reactive v. Proactive Recruiting
Proactive
Reactive
 Use
the job description
 Post an ad – newspaper, Web
 Create a new brochure
 Sit
back and wait
 Where
can I find the best
people?
 How
do I reach them?
 How
do I convince them to
apply? Accept?
 How
can I best use our limited
resources?
Recruiting is everyone’s job!
The Universum “IDEAL Employer” Survey
Annual survey of undergraduate
students
43,313 total respondents
195 colleges/universities
260 employers
What Are the Top Attractors?
 Culture that respects my individuality
 Work/life balance
 Base salary
 High level of responsibility
 Good reputation
 Rapid promotion
 High ethical standards
 Exciting products and services
 Friendly work environment
 Creative, dynamic work environment
Top 4 Career Goals
1. Work/life balance (66%)
2. Dedicated to a cause, feel that I am serving a
greater good (46%)
3. Secure or stable in my job (46%)
4. Competitively or intellectually challenged
(40%)
Leaving Talent on the Table:
Capitalizing on Intern Programs
The numbers
 Private sector employers hire 50% of interns
 Jumps to 59% for co-ops
 40% of all vacancies filled by interns
 Employers see internships as
one of most effective tools
to hire college grads
 Students see internships as avenue
to full-time employment
Recruiting Strategies:
High Tech plus High Touch
 Understand what candidates want (and remember
that pay is just one piece)
 Develop long-term strategy -- alliances and
relationships
• Plan
• Avoid “drive-by recruiting”
• Obtain and provide a point of contact
 Market and personalize public service
“They’re a place where the best of the best work”
“The recruiter was describing the exact kind of job I wanted.
They personalized towards me.”
Recruiting Strategies:
High Tech plus High Touch
Use “near peers”
Use student employment as talent pipeline
• Provide substantive work
• Convert students to permanent employees
Use technology – but smartly!
Collect/use data – uniqueness,+/Recruiting is everyone’s job!
What is Onboarding?
 Integrating and acculturating new employees
into the organization and providing them with
the tools, resources, and knowledge to
become successful and productive
 From accepted offer to end of first year
BOOZALLEN.COM
OURPUBLICSERVICE.ORG
Strategic Onboarding Model
Panel:
What are you doing to
attract, hire
and onboard talent?
Building and
Maintaining a
Strong Workforce
in Tough Times
2. Maximizing
Employee
Engagement
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire/
Onboard
Engage
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce Manage Performance
Planning
Train/Develop
Reward/Recognize
Environment
Plan for Succession
Mission
Accomplished
Why it Matters
High employee engagement drives:
Better program results
Less sick leave, missed time due to workrelated injury or illness
Better retention
Higher customer satisfaction
Engagement Drives Financial Success
30 Multinational Companies

Financial performance consistently stronger in
companies that emphasize:
• Commitment
• Job satisfaction

But ... high levels of employee engagement require
active leadership support
Higher Engagement  Higher Retention
Total Percent Satisfied
Employees
planning to stay
for > 2 yrs
Employees
planning to leave
in < 2 yrs
Gap
Use of skills and abilities
83%
49%
34%
Ability of top management
74%
41%
33%
Company sense of direction
57%
27%
30%
Advancement opportunities
50%
22%
28%
Opportunity to learn new
skills
66%
38%
28%
Coaching and counseling
from supervisor
54%
26%
28%
Satisfaction with:
High Engagement 
Better Customer Outcomes
Work units with higher overall customer satisfaction scores also have
employees with more favorable opinions
100
80
68
70
64
70
65
65
64
58
58
60
53
53
50
40
20
Leadership Immediate
Supervision
Job
Satisfaction
Ability to Get
the Job Done
High Customer Satisfaction
Performance
Management
Pay, Benefits,
and Career
Action Planning
Low Customer Satisfaction
#BESTPLACESTOWORK.ORG
What is Best Places to Work?
 Rating and ranking of 278 federal
departments, agencies and subcomponents
 Based on data from government wide
employee survey
 Overall satisfaction score
 Ten workplace dimensions
 Web site: bestplacestowork.org
Workplace Dimensions
 Effective leadership
 Employee skills/mission match
 Strategic management
 Teamwork
 Performance-based awards
 Training and development
 Support for diversity
 Pay and benefits
 Family-friendly culture
 Work/life balance
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Effective Leadership
 My
immediate supervisor/team leader does
a good job
 Supervisors support employee development
 Performance discussions are worthwhile
 I have a high level of respect for senior
leaders
 Leaders generate high motivation and
commitment
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Effective Leadership (cont.)
Leaders
maintain high standards of honesty and
integrity
I have a feeling of personal empowerment and
ownership of work processes
Complaints, disputes or grievances are resolved
fairly
Satisfaction with involvement in decisions that
affect work
Satisfaction with the information received from
management
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Employee Skills/Mission Match
 My
work gives me feeling of personal
accomplishment
I
like the kind of work I do
 My
talents are used well
I
know how my work relates to mission and
goals
I
do important work
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Work/Life Balance

My supervisor supports my need to balance
work and family issues

I have sufficient resources (e.g., people,
materials, budget, etc.) to get work done

My workload is reasonable
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Training and Development

I am given a real opportunity to improve my
skills in my organization

I have enough information to do my job well

My training needs are assessed

I am satisfied with the training received for
present job
Panel:
What are you doing to build
employee engagement?
Building and
Maintaining a
Strong Workforce
in Tough Times
3. Building the
Leadership Pipeline
Why it Matters
“In the government,
you get an order and
you follow it. I realize
that as a leader, I need
to be more creative
and innovative.”
“We need an
opportunity to be
inspired about our work
and to believe that we
can really make a
difference.”
Workplace Dimensions
Employee Skills/Mission Match
78.8
Teamwork
71.2
Pay and Benefits
63.8
Work/Life Balance
62.1
Training/Development
61.5
Support for Diversity
60.5
Strategic Management
57.2
Effective Leadership
Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement
Family-Friendly Culture and Benefits
51.7
45.6
43.4
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire/
Onboard
Engage
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce Manage Performance
Planning
Train/Develop
Reward/Recognize
Environment
Plan for Succession
Mission
Accomplished
Integrated Approach to
Building the Leadership Pipeline
Program Evaluation
Why the Integrated Approach
 Many ways to build leadership pipeline
 Because all aligned with strategic plan,
workforce plan, competency model, and/or
other frameworks, aligned with each other
 Pipeline large -- demand for more talent
Who’s in the Pipeline?
High Potentials and
Replacement Pool
for Sr. Managers
Middle
Managers
1st-line
Supervisors
All
Employees?
Technical
Specialists
Time
What Are Developmental Needs?
 Understanding other departments
 Understanding enterprise and its environment
 Building relationships and networks
 Getting things done in government
 Managing change
 Managing the public
 Managing the media
 Influencing, motivating, developing, retaining talent
 Managing conflict, dealing with problem employees
Leadership Development Best Practices
Private
Public
Other
 Accenture
 Army War College
 Brookings Institution
 Aon Corporation
 Defense Logistics
Agency
 Georgetown
University
 Federal Executive
Institute
 Harvard Kennedy
School of Government
 Government
Accountability Office
 Louisiana State
University
 Office of Management
and Budget
 Senior Executives
Association
 Office of Personnel
Management
 Young Government
Leaders
 The Boeing Company
 GE
 Goldman Sachs
 IBM
 IDEO
 Lockheed Martin
 McKinsey & Company
 Procter & Gamble
 Office of the Director of
National Intelligence
Leadership Development Best Practices
 Leadership development part of system
(e.g., succession planning, competencies,
performance management)
 Current leaders develop future leaders
(not necessarily expensive)
 Leaders learn best by “doing”
 Executive coaching addresses unique, realtime needs
Structure
Coursework
Defining Leadership &
Managing People
• Understanding your
leadership style
• Managing people
• Building teams
Managing Projects &
Networking
• Delivering results on time
and on budget
• Establishing and cultivating
your network for success
Communicating with &
Influencing Executives
• Making a business case
• Selling your ideas
• Writing and communicating
Leading Innovation &
Managing Change
• Driving innovation
• Managing change
Continuous
Self- Development
• Creating and managing your
individual development plan
• Seeking career guidance
Projects:
Solving Government’s Problems
Project Criteria:
Agency Criteria:
 Important management
issue that requires action
 Leadership committed to
testing innovative solutions
 Solutions within control of
an agency
 Committed to providing
necessary background
materials and data
 Potential for high-impact
results
 Support participants and their
time away from the job
Dealing with High-Risk Issues
Improve communication during food
recalls
Recruit talent required to care for veterans
Ensure sufficient energy for our country
Improve employee morale to enhance
economic and homeland security
Coaching
 360o assessments – anonymous
 Coaches identify strengths,
weaknesses and blind spots
 Personal action-planning tool for
long-term skills development
 Personal coach for ongoing advice -government and business leaders
 360o repeated after program to
measure growth
Building Your Leadership Pipeline
1. Engage senior leaders
2. Identify competencies
3. Assess developmental needs
4. Create leadership development strategy
5. Use Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
6. Tap into talent pool of retirement-eligible
employees and retirees
7. Don’t let $$$ be the barrier
8. Assess results
Panel:
What are you doing to build
your leadership pipeline?
Building and
Maintaining a
Strong Workforce
in Tough Times
4. Building a
Partnership
With HR
Why it Matters
“It is not at all clear how
government can be well
executed unless it is able to
compete more effectively for
its fair share of talent.”
HR must give
value or give
notice.“
“If line managers and HR
professionals are to be the
champions of organizational
capability, then a new
agenda for both HR practices
and HR professionals must
emerge.”
Why it Matters
 GT 2008 survey – HC/HR #1 concern
 GT 2009 survey – right talent #1
factor in clean audit
 2009 survey of corporate CFOs –
most critical factors:
• Strong leadership
• Hiring best people
HR Evolving -- Splitting in Two
 Administrative and transactional work -increasingly automated or outsourced
 Transformational work -- helps develop
organizational goals, determines what
capabilities are needed and creates HR
practices
David Ulrich
The Shift – in Theory
Personnel management
HR management
Rule maker
Consultant
Functional orientation
Business orientation
One-size-fits-all
Tailored programs
Centralized decisions
Framework for others to decide
Mutual distrust
Partnering
Focus on activities
Focus on impact
Internal services
Outsourcing
But … the Current Reality
 Very little change
 Instead of playing a central strategic
business partner role, HR
maintaining status quo
Ed Lawler
What’s HR’s Mission?
• Implement a system of personnel administration which will
ensure equitable treatment of employees through a merit
system based on recognized princ1ples of appointment,
promotion, classification, termination and other aspects of
government employment.
• Plan, organize and implement pre-service training, in-service
and federal programs to rehabilitate, upgrade, and enhance
the skills and work performances of all employees thus
promoting self-reliance, dependability and enhance
competencies in the quality services for the public.
Blah, blah, blah
What’s HR’s Mission?
Attract, develop and retain the talent
we need – and measure our progress
HR’s “New” Roles
HR expert
Business partner
Change agent
Leader
The “New” HR Competencies
 Organizational
acumen
 Results orientation
 Interpersonal skills
 Making/implementing
tough decisions
 Demonstrating
empathy
 Speaking and writing
persuasively
 Analyzing data
Negotiating
Demonstrating good
judgment
Coaching
Applying knowledge of
HR principles/methods
Systems thinking
Understanding
technology
What Managers Should Expect From HR
Understand HR business and your business
and how HR can support strategy
Build partnerships -- be flexible, champion
change
Rely on data -- deliver measurable results
on outcomes
What HR Should Expect From You
Allow HR to be a business partner
Involve HR early
Take ownership of talent management
Ask questions and champion change
Understand tomorrow’s workforce
What You Can Do
Get involved in recruiting and hiring
Do a good job onboarding new employees
Make performance management work
Train and develop
Ask questions and push for change
Understand tomorrow’s workforce
Panel:
What are you doing to build
a partnership with HR?
The Bottom Line
 Understand recruits’ and employees’
expectations -- and then meet them
 Use interns as key talent source
Develop multiple talent pipelines
 Recruit aggressively and
make the hiring process work
 Onboard strategically and
thoroughly
The Bottom Line
 Become a best place to work
Focus on performance management
Build the leadership pipeline
Create more flexible, timely, user-friendly
and responsive civil service systems
Set expectations with HR
Use workforce planning as the foundation
There isn’t any silver bullet to
attract, develop and retain talent
It takes silver buckshot!
Bob Lavigna
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
www.ourpublicservice.org