Management of Civilian Personnel in the Federal Government: The Present Situation and Proposals for Improvements

Widespread agreement now exists among public managers of both political parties, students of government and some government personnel officials, members of congressional oversight committees, and public service organizations on the need for federal personnel systems changes. There is rather general agreement that the systems must be modified to improve service delivery, enhance productivity, and restore some lost credibility to the public service. Recent recommendations have ranged from advocating minor revisions in the existing patchwork structure to plans for complete personnel reorganization. Recommendations requiring structural changes stressed the Civil Service Commission's (CSC) role in three areas: (1) merit system hiring for the competitive service; (2) the placement of the federal appeals system; and (3) collective bargaining and the CSC role in policy guidance and technical assistance in labor-management relations.