A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050

Agency-specific objectives to close the diversity gap inthe Senior Executive Service by 2030Recruitment into the Senior Executive Service is ledby agencies, not by OPM and OMB, so it is in agenciesthat real change will happen. Agency plans should alsocontain a strong commitment to closing the diversitygap. Specifically, we recommend agency-specific objectivesto close the diversity gap in the Senior ExecutiveService, including interim milestones for every fouryears commencing in 2015. Each agency should set itsown milestones taking account of the current level ofrepresentation and the likely turnover in its most seniorranks over the coming years. But together, agencyobjectives and milestones should be consistent with thegovernment-wide plan. Agencies should also considersetting objectives for representation in key feedergrades, especially for Hispanics.It is important that the objectives and milestones arejust that—indications of the amount of progress thatagencies hope to make. They should not be quotasand they should not impact decisions on who to hire.Never should anyone responsible for recruitmentinto the Senior Executive Service feel they shouldoffer someone a job merely because of their ethnic,racial, or gender background. Not only would thatlead to a poorer-quality government but it would alsoundermine the confidence of all applicants. Nobodywants to feel they got a job because they looked rightbut were not the best candidate, which is a recipe for failure in the job. It isalso likely to lead to a backlash from whites or men who will feel that they arewrongly disadvantaged.Instead action to promote diversity should be about attracting and developingdiverse talent, making sure that the best people of color and women areattracted to a career in federal government. It must also include identifyingthose with the greatest potential in feeder grades to offer them support to maximizetheir career prospects.Women at Home DepotThe federal government must establish accountability fordiversity and make it easier to connect qualified womenand people of color with existing opportunities in theSenior Executive Service. Technology may hold the key, asThe Home Depot Inc. is now demonstrating.Home Depot was the subject of a class action lawsuit thatalleged gender discrimination in hiring, assignments,promotions, compensation, and training. 37 In 1998 HomeDepot attempted to improve their hiring and promotionalpractices from the ad hoc system that was in place as theentrepreneurial company grew.The critical tool in the new system was the Job PreferenceProcess, an in-store computer and telephone systemthat automatically allowed employees and applicants tobecome part of the applicant pools that met their qualifications.The Job Preference Process took managers out ofthe process of choosing who to interview, and it also allowedthe company to monitor whether qualified womenand people of color were less likely to be selected.The results: Since its launch, female managers haveincreased 30 percent and minority managers haveincreased by 28 percent.21 Center for American Progress | A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050