[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9065-9067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3820]



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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


The National Partnership Council; Strategic Action Plan for 1995

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Partnership Council (the NPC; the Council) is 
announcing the approval of its strategic action plan for 1995.

DATES: The Council approved its strategic action plan for 1995 at its 
January 10, 1995, meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas K. Walker, National 
Partnership Council, Executive Secretariat, Office of Personnel 
Management, Theodore Roosevelt Building, 1900 E Street, NW., Room 5315, 
Washington, DC 20415-0001, (202) 606-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The strategic action plan outlines a number 
of actions the Council plans to take in 1995 to support and promote 
partnership efforts throughout the Federal Government, as it is 
mandated to do under Executive Order 12871, Labor-Management 
Partnerships. Additionally, the actions help the Council meet its 
responsibilities to change the culture of Federal labor-management 
relations so that managers, employees, and employees' elected union 
representatives work together as partners in designing and implementing 
comprehensive changes in support of the Government reform objectives of 
the National Performance Review.

Office of Personnel Management.
James B. King,
Director.
    Accordingly, the 1995 strategic action plan for the Council is as 
follows:

Executive Summary--National Partnership Council 1995 Strategic Action 
Plan; National Partnership Council Charter: Executive Order 12871; NPC 
Strategic Goal

    To institutionalize labor-management partnerships in Federal 
agencies for the purpose of achieving the National Performance Review 
goal of creating a [[Page 9066]] government that ``works better and 
costs less.''

NPC Objectives

    To support the NPC Charter as stated in Executive Order 12871, the 
NPC objectives for 1995 are:

Objective 1. To promote cultural change.
Objective 2. To support NPC-recommended changes in labor-management 
relations.
Objective 3. To assess outcomes.

                          NPC Strategic Actions                         
------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Objectives                                                           
    advanced                            Activities                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1, 2 and 3......  The NPC will collect, communicate, and utilize data   
                   and information illustrating the successes of labor  
                   and management working in partnership to improve     
                   effectiveness, efficiency, and customer service.     
                   Priority: ``sell'' success.                          
1, 2 and 3......  The NPC will collect, analyze, and utilize data and   
                   information concerning existing barriers and         
                   impediments to the information and success of labor- 
                   management partnerships, how parties have overcome   
                   for barriers, including training activities,         
                   incentives to create successful partnerships, and how
                   parties manage conflict. Priority: help overcome     
                   selected common problems.                            
1 and 3.........  The NPC will engage in efforts designed to measure the
                   information, conduct, and achievements of            
                   partnerships. Priority: stimulate assessment.        
------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Partnership Council Strategic Action Plan; National 
Partnership Council Charter

    The National Partnership Council (NPC) was created on October 1, 
1993, by Executive Order 12871, ``Labor Management Partnerships.'' The 
NPC was created to ``establish a new form of labor-management relations 
throughout the Executive Branch to promote the principles and 
recommendations adopted as a result of the National Performance 
Review.'' The Executive Order provides:
    The Council shall advise the President on matters involving labor-
management relations in the Executive Branch. Its activities shall 
include:
    (1) Supporting the creation of labor-management partnerships and 
promoting partnership efforts in the executive branch, to the extent 
permitted by law;
    (2) Proposing to the President by January 1994 statutory changes 
necessary to achieve the objectives of this order, including 
legislation consistent with the National Performance Review (NPR) 
recommendations for the creation of a flexible and responsive hiring 
system and the reform of the General Schedule classification system;
    (3) Collecting and disseminating information about and providing 
guidance on partnership efforts in the executive branch, including 
results achieved, to the extent permitted by law;
    (4) Utilizing the expertise of individuals both within and outside 
the Federal Government to foster partnership arrangements; and
    (5) Working with the President's Management Council (PMC) toward 
reform consistent with the National Performance Review's 
recommendations throughout the executive branch.

NPC Strategic Goal

    To institutionalize labor-management partnerships in Federal 
agencies for the purpose of achieving the National Performance Review 
goal of creating a government that ``works better and costs less.''

NPC Objectives

    To support the NPC Charter as stated in Executive Order 12871, the 
NPC objectives for 1995 are:
    1. To promote cultural change.
    2. To support NPC-recommended changes in labor-management 
relations.
    3. To assess outcomes.
    To achieve these objectives, the NPC will engage in the following 
activities:

Strategic Actions

    I. To advance objectives 1, 2 and 3, the NPC will collect, 
communicate, and utilize data and information illustrating the 
successes of labor and management working in partnership to improve 
effectiveness, efficiency, and customer service. Priority: ``sell'' 
success.

A. Collect

    1. Develop ``protocols'' for the information to be gathered, and 
verify all reported success stories by contacting all parties involved.
    2. Conduct focus groups of parties and those who have assisted the 
parties in improving their relationship.
    3. In follow-up interviews and/or survey, request further specific 
data and information focusing on success stories from those parties who 
respond to the NPC survey.
    4. Find out about labor/management relations and activities among 
award winners (awards for quality, hammer awards, etc.).
    5. Request information from regional employees of the neutrals and 
the parties on successes.
    6. Review information already collected by other groups (e.g., 
NAPA, the Alliance).

B. Communicate

    1. Design and implement a pro-active internal and external 
communications strategy (who to reach and how).
    2. Feature successful partnerships in all NPC meetings, including 
meetings held outside the Washington, D.C. area.
    3. Publish and regularly update partnership success stories through 
the NPC clearinghouse and the Office of Personnel Management's 
electronic bulletin board. Publicize the availability of this resource 
and how to access it.
    4. Enhance the spectrum of speakers on the NPC speakers' bureau by 
adding individuals from different regions of the country with line 
management and frontline union perspectives. Identify and encourage 
targeted speaking opportunities.
    5. Publish targeted articles on success stories in union 
newsletters and bulletins and agency publications.
    6. Prepare ``talking papers'' on success stories and partnership 
issues for dissemination to trainers/speakers and for use by NPC 
Members during public discussions of NPC activities an partnership.
    7. Present NPC Awards for successes in such areas as relationship 
building, joint problem solving, quantified improvement in quality, 
customer service, etc.
    8. Prepare an NPC Report to the President on progress under 
Executive Order 12871.

C. Other Uses of This Information

    1. Identify common elements of successful partnerships.
    2. Provide written guidance and develop criteria as to what 
constitutes an effective and successful partnership. [[Page 9067]] 
    II. To advance Objective 1, 2, and 3, the NPC will collect, 
analyze, and utilize information concerning existing barriers and other 
impediments (legal and other) to the formation and success of labor-
management partnerships, how parties have overcome the barriers, 
including training activities, incentives to create successful 
partnerships, and how parties manage conflict. Priority: help overcome 
selected common problems.

A. Collect

    1. Utilize the same sources, including focus groups, that are being 
used to obtain data and information about success stories to reveal 
legal and other barriers and impediments to parties achieving NPR 
goals.
    2. Request parties in successful partnerships to indicate whether 
further progress is being impeded by legal or other barriers.
    3. Obtain information from the parties during NPC meetings.
    4. Meet with management groups, such as Federal Managers 
Association, the Senior Executives Association, and the Coalition for 
Effective Change, to identify ways to achieve NPR goals.
    5. Consider a partnership facilitation simulation with NPC Members.
    6. Extract and summarize legal barriers to partnership from the NPC 
Report to the President and existing GAO studies.

B. Analyze and Use

    1. Compile a list of barriers to partnership, methods to overcome 
barriers, incentives to partnership and methods to manage conflict.
    2. Provide guidance on how to overcome common barriers to 
partnership at different levels.
    3. Problem-solve to help overcome common selected problems, 
including ``people'' issues (such as how to deal with resistant 
managers and union representatives); ``how to'' issues (such as meaning 
of ``employee'', how to deal with unrepresented employees, and 
compliance with Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements); and other 
problems where a more consultative role would facilitate the formation 
and success of partnerships.
    4. Identify cost-effective ways of obtaining training.
    5. Develop an instrument for parties to determine their training 
needs.
    6. Develop an instrument to evaluate various training resource 
alternatives.
    7. Integrate partnership training into existing training programs, 
such as union steward training, supervisory training, total quality 
program training, etc.
    8. Develop resources for addressing partners' needs, such as: (1) 
enhancing the clearinghouse's information concerning trainers/
providers/change promoters; (2) assisting resolution of resource and 
resource allocation issues; and (3) creating incentives by working with 
established awards programs to integrate labor/management partnership 
as an eligibility or ranking criterion.
    9. Develop and implement plans which support NPC-recommended 
changes necessary to achieve the principles of Executive Order 12871.
    III. To advance Objectives 1 and 3, the NPC will engage in efforts 
designed to measure the formation, conduct, and achievements in 
partnership. Priority: stimulate assessment.

A. Collect

    Collect information on how parties are assessing whether success 
has been achieved; whether partnerships or partnership agreements 
exist; what activities are being undertaken by partnerships; the impact 
of partnership on productivity; the impact of partnership on quality of 
work and customer service; and information concerning various aspects 
of training activities undertaken under Executive Order 12871.
    1. Utilize the same sources for the data and information 
collection, including focus groups, to identify criteria related to the 
assessment of partnership activity, and to identify training activities 
undertaken.
    2. Request specific information concerning the measurement of 
partnership activities; the amount and types of training activities 
undertaken; who has been trained; who was the provider; how has 
training been evaluated; has training had desired results; what skills 
have been identified as necessary for successful partnerships; and 
whether there is a partnership training plan.

B. Analyze and Use

    1. Identify and highlight good assessment techniques already in 
place.
    2. Provide guidance on the tiers of success during the various 
stages of partnership.
    3. Issue guidance on skills needed for partnership and high 
performance workplace.

Responsibility for NPC Activities

    1. The foregoing NPC activities will be undertaken by NPC Members 
and by action teams, composed of representatives of NPC Member 
organizations.
    2. The Executive Secretariat, Office of Personnel Management, will 
provide logistical and administrative support to the action teams.
    3. The NPC Members will specifically charge the action teams with 
definitive objectives and time frames for completion of the objectives.

Coordination with PMC

    The NPC recognizes the importance of the support of the President's 
Management Council in achieving the foregoing objectives.

[FR Doc. 95-3820 Filed 2-15-95; 8:45 am]
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