| Comment Number: | OL-10507699 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 2:04:44 PM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
After sampling a reasonable amount of responses, I have found an overwhelming sense of negativity towards the new pay plan. Some of the responses have been well argued and others have been filled with unwarranted fallicies, innuendo, and myth-making. Many are poorly written and display a sense of fear concerning their future viability in a performance-based system. Nevertheless, I am not part of the bandwagon of naysayers. I believe that our army, in transformation, must also transform its civilian support newtwork as well or WE, the civilian workforce, will become obsolete and useless to a transformed military. I have empathy for those workers who fear change as government service has been a very transactional endeavor in which one trades labor for money and people are considered replacable cogs in a hierachical bureaucratic machine. The people in government now were drawn to this type of transactional relationship. It is no wonder there is such a negative backlash toward the new pay system. The new pay system is transformational. This requires a new relationship be built between the leader/manager and the follower at whatever level one may work. Managers must change and learn how to be transformational leaders and work in a transformational environment. Those that readily acquire the new skills required in a transformational work environment will progress and be "part of the team" while those that cling to the old transactional methods will be left off the fast moving, pay-for-performance wagon. Transactional work is not bad, it is just not conducive to change in a changing environment. In order to have the desired effects, leaders must know how to operate in a transformational environment. My question, then, is what is the plan to educate the current civilian leadership in transformational ways? The military has changed their schooling system to adapt to the new environment. What will we do to ensure the naysayers fallacies of "good o'l boy", "favorites", "vet-nonvet preference", ect., do not come to fruition and the old transactional leaders make way for qualified transformational leaders?