Navy Civilians: Paradigms, Strategic Plans, and Outcomes
Published Date: January 1, 2006
The Navy workforce consists of three distinct types of personnel, managed according to very different rules. The military manpower personnel system is widely studied and has a rich history of empirical and quantitative analysis. Contractor personnel management is by and large left to the contractors. Navy civilians have been managed according to the Federal Government civil service system, although this is about to change. This paper focuses on Navy civilian employees and how to improve the way they are managed. Ÿ A civilian strategic plan provides goals. Attaining the goals requires good leadership—first and foremost—and good people-management skills at all levels. Ÿ Improvements in the skill and efficiency of Navy civilians require changes in behavior, not just changes in rules. Ÿ DoD and the Navy have yet to focus on how to provide new incentives or change the culture of Navy civilians (or the attitudes of uniformed Navy personnel who manage civilians). Ÿ The use of trained human resource professionals in the Navy HR and Civilian Community Management (N11) offices should be encouraged. Ÿ The emphasis needs to be on performance management, rather than on performance standards and annual reviews.
