A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050

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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
Establish a sub-comittee of the President’s management council responsible fordiversitySenior leadership to promote diversity is essential, and it is unfair to ask OPM orOMB to take on all the responsibility for leading change. There should be a newsub-committe of the President’s Management Council responsible for devising thegovernment wide plan and monitoring progress across government and in agencies.The sub-committee should be chaired by an agency Deputy Secretary andinclude the Director of OPM, the Deputy Director of OMB, and the Chair of theEEOC along with a number of Deputy Secretaries from agencies.Developing a stronger applicant poolThe need to find, recruit, and hire qualified minorities and women requires developinga stronger applicant pool. In particular, there is an urgent need to attracttalented Hispanics into federal government. If those applying for roles in theSenior Executive Service or its feeder grades are routinely diverse, it improves thelikelihood that progress will be made. We recommend the following strategies.Campus recruiting of underrepresented groups for internships and other pathwayprogramsPresident Obama issued an executive order in late 2010 that set up a number ofpathways programs to bring young talent into federal government. 38 These includeinternships, a program for recent graduates, and the Presidential ManagementFellows program. Many of the recruits into these schemes will become membersof the Senior Executive Service in the future. The administration should ensurerecruitment into these schemes is as diverse as our nation, with a special focuson recruiting talented women and Hispanics. In particular, OPM should lead aneffort to recruit at campuses that have a significant number of Hispanics.Agencies should undertake initiatives to increase the diversity of the applicant poolfor Senior Executive Service postsThe vast majority of recruitment and advertising for jobs is done by agencies.While we do not believe there is a need to “headhunt” applicants other thanHispanics, there is a strong case for focusing marketing efforts on other people ofcolor and women. The federal government, for example, can offer a better worklifebalance than many private-sector employers and marketing that more heavilymay help increase the number of talented women applicants. Agencies shouldalso make an effort to make connections with communities of color and women’sorganizations through outreach and advertising in their media channels.22 Center for American Progress | A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050
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