A Smorgasbord of Topics

Change is happening everywhere, all the time, and at a record pace in some instances. But I'm sure I don't have to tell that to you, the federal workforce, which has been going through continuous change in the last several years. The ability to manage that change, whether it is at the agency level or the workforce level, will be the difference between success and failure.

This month's Forum highlights the ins and outs of mastering change management and, as Walter McFarland writes, how to "use change as a fuel for performance improvement." All the articles in this Forum point out the opportunity that change management presents "to develop the federal workforce, increase engagement, and improve mission effectiveness."

"The world is changing rapidly and profoundly, threatening the federal government's ability to perform important public missions in the future," Dan G. Blair writes in his article. "It is critical that agencies undertake the long-range planning needed to identify and implement often-complex changes in time to meet the demands of the future," he adds.

Along with the thorough look at change management, this issue examines transformational leadership, social change, and analytics-driven talent management. Another article takes an inside look at how best to prepare senior executives working in government.

Several articles in this issue explore the findings of two surveys: the 2014 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government and the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS).

The People article spotlights the highs and lows of the survey, especially employee satisfaction with their jobs and workplaces, which dropped for the fourth consecutive year. With the wealth of data from the survey, federal managers can identify areas of weakness among their teams and discuss the results with their employees to find solutions and help build employee trust.

The Exchange article focuses on the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and its honor as the Top Small/Independent Agency Across All Indices in the 2014 FEVS. According to Director Leocadia I. Zak, the agency's culture, work ethic, and employee development all contribute to employee engagement, overall job satisfaction, workplace inclusion, and human capital management.

There is something for everyone in this issue. Not only will you be able to face change head on, you will find new ideas for leadership development, and recruiting, engaging, and keeping valuable talent. Enjoy!

Paula Ketter
Editor, The Public Manager
[email protected]