SPECIAL SESSION CAREER SERVICE PANEL OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 3 April 1973

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00317A000100060024-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: April 3, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

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SPECIAL SESSION
CAREER SERVICE PANEL
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
3 April 1973
Attendees:
Dr. Sayre Stevens, D/ORD 25X1A9a
Recording Secretary
25X1A9a
25X1A9a
1. The meeting was called to order by the Chairman at
1515 hours.
2. DR. STEVENS: At the DD/S&T Career Service Board
meeting, we went through the evaluation rating procedures on
the GS-15s, 16s, and 17s. At the conclusion of these evaluations,
it was concluded that there should be a policy whereby the
bottom men, rated at these different grade levels, are told
they were at the bottom of the list. There was general agreement
that it was increasingly evident we were responsible for making
this information known to the men. That is going to be done.
I think it is essential we do the same in ORD as quickly as
possible. I suggest we start with the batch of fitness reports
in process now. We should make a change in our approach to
these fitness reports and really address ourselves to the terms
of these ratings. There is a lot to be done. We need to go
through each file and put a memorandum in the employee's file
that on such a day we changed the fitness report procedures.
We could stamp our fitness reports to this effect like FMSAC.
This is good. I think now is the time to get out of the old way
of doing the ratings. It is the opportune time. It seems that
there should be satisfaction in knowing you are still working,
let along worry about getting a Proficient instead of a Strong.
We have to sit down and do a better job in rating. The fitness
reports are terrible. In particular, there is no real major
relationship from one to another. Some of the opinions are
grotesque. For example, in the ratings of GS-15s where the
raters didn't know their personnel, they relied on the fitness
reports. wound up on the bottom of the list.
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 25X1A9a 2. DR. STEVENS (Continued):
I don't think anyone here believes this is a proper position for
Not knowing the person and relying on the fitness
reports -- that is obviously one problem. Fitness reports should
be given by the Branch Chief, Deputy Chief, of if there is no
Deputy Chief, the Division Chief; let George or me review it.
It might be proper for the Project Officers to have three things
that every Project Officer is rated on and anything additional
would be fine. Some standard performance ratings on Projects
Officers are needed. There should be a standard performance
rating for Branch Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs and Office Chiefs.
There should be a category on rating of employees by the supervisor.
Let the reviewer rate the supervisor on his rating. After the
evaluation ratings of the ORD/CSP we really do need to decide on
some kind of mechanism for telling the men where they stand.
25X1A9a 3. Should we talk to only those who are
marginal or at the bottom of the list?
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4. DR. STEVENS: There is no trouble talking with the
middle and outstanding people. That's easy to do. It is those
on the bottom. You raters will be the ones to tell them the
fact that even though they have received a STRONG on their
fitness reports, they are last on the evaluation list -- for
example say GS-14s. You will have to tell them they are not
doing as good a job as the other GS-14s in the office.
5. I think this should be done by the
25X1A9a
6. DR. STEVENS: FMSAC did that. Mr. Brandwein told
the employee, "If you don't straighten out, you are in jeopardy
of losing your job." They have changed their approach. They
feel that the one who gives the employee the rating on the
fitness report should tell him he is at the bottom of the list.
If a rater wants to defend his rating of the individual, he can
come before-,-the Panel and state that the Panel has made an
unfair rating before he tells the employee. It also makes it
clear to the rater something is wrong if he has given the
employee a high FR rating, and he has to sit down and tell the
employee he is in trouble.
7. Take or others working in a
departmentalized situation who are rated against people with
a full technical and professional background. This cannot give
them a "fair shake."
8. DR. STEVENS: Most of these people end up in the bottom
half of the list. You should point out to him that he is doing
a very good job in a limited field which is putting him way down
the list. He ought to be informed of it.
25X1A9a
25X1A9a
9. The CSP/ORD is currently preparing a document
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9. (Continued) :
that attem is to quantify a technique for making up our fitness
reports. Chairman of the Committee on the Study
of Fitness Reports has pulled together a draft report and a
memorandum for your signature. We are on our way.
25X1A9a 10.
All the major points are incorporated.
25X1A9a 11. It spells out the ratings, and what the
implications are when the ratings are given.
25X1A9a 12. What did you do about 25X1A9a
evaluation rating?
13. DR. STEVENS: I had him put considerably higher up.
In the ratings of GS-15s, 16s, 17s, and equivalent, the personnel
are broken down into fields and are rated against one another 25X1A9a
such as: analysts in one group, project officers in another
then generalists, R&D, and the computer specialists.
was on the R&D list. Two people are assigned the R&D category,
and they rate these men using what they know about them, the
biographic profile, and fitness reports. Dr. Chamberlain and 25X1A9a
Dr. Steininger did R&D. They didn't know They
looked at the FRs, and they compared him to the tither men who 25X1A9a
they knew. didn't look very good by comparison. But
there were men then who did know him, and we rectified this.
It was an example of the inconsistency of fitness reports. We
can't tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys." In ORD you
know each other. Although DD/SFT has two men assigned to
giving the rating, the man's office representative is there so
there is some protection. There are always people no one knows 25X1A9a
very well. Messrs. and Iams reviewed the project officers.
25X1A9a 14. What is the scoop about the DCI's views
on the Career Services?
15. DR. STEVENS: I don't know how you would handle things
like this without the Career Service Panel. I guess we could
do it like DDO where they have many small panels. They spend
six weeks full time on ratings. One cannot argue with the
DCI's opinion. It is really ridiculous when GS-16s, l7s, and
18s owe allegiance to DD/S$T and no one else in the Agency.
25X1A9a 16. We have adopted the major aspects of the
FMSAC system.
25X1A9a 17. We have also come up with more ?-- a
standard criteria for evaluation but not in regard to fitness
reports. That is a separate problem.
18. DR. STEVENS: In our ratings, we had no real problem
cases -- maybe five or six. Most of them have been resolved
one way or another. There are problems that occur when people
are "stashed out" somewhere. You have to find a job for them
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18. DR. STEVENS (Continued):
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when they come back.
25X1A9a
19. Do we have to make a place available
for when he comes back?
20. I don't think he will be back. He
is doing very well there. (FBIS Plans and Evaluation Task
Forces)
25X1A9a
21. 0 M If the preparation of the fitness
reports cou be e ayed two weeks, an advanced draft of the
procedure would be available.
25X1A9a 22. On the GS-15s and their fitness
reports, why don't we make it a policy requiring the rater to
put in a statement on where the man rates with his peers.
25X1A9a
25X1A9a 23. I was doing a fitness report on
but I don't know if I like the idea of a
two-week delay. I don't know how to incorporate the ideas and
say they apply without the report.
25X1A9a 24. I have a fitness report ready for
25X1A9a OSI on He will only be here until June
when he retires, and I don't see changing it at this point in
time.
25X1A9a
25X1A9a In
25X1A9a
26.
office.
25X1A9a
27.
We are downgrading our fitness reports.
case, how will the rater know?
There will be ammemorandum from the
25X1A9a
The paperwork is ready, but
is not here to sign off.
25X1A9a 28. Well let's have the Panel look at it, and
25X1A9a
let's go ahead with it.
29. DR. STEVENS: This is a continuing problem. The
thing that bothers me, and I feel badly about, is those cases
where we are being clearly dishonest. That goes on all the time.
The rater gives the man a fitness report and cannot tell him that
he is in bad shape, and he is not doing the job he should.
25X1A9a
30. If the rater puts down where the
employee ranks, won't this help?
31. DR. STEVENS: Branch Chiefs have to face up to the
facts.
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32. Branch Chiefs have not known where
their people stood when they were rating.
25X1A9a 33. DR. STEVENS: That means we are all at fault.
34. We have had a minimum of feedback
except for fitness report discussions.
35. DR. STEVENS: That's true throughout the Agency.
25X1A9a 36. I thought that was wrong. 25X1A9a
25X1A9a 37. DR. STEVENS: - - he is rated way down. In the
past - has been overselling things. I don't know how good
25X1A9a he is. It is clear that he has that image. He will hh.ve to
work on it. is "dead from the word go."
on overselling.
25X1A9a 38. In order to get programs through, you
had to really sell, so you oversold.
25X1A9a
39. DR. STEVENS: Well, they have lost their credibility.
40. attitude after coming back
from the Advanced Intelligence course is to corner the market
in R&D.
41. DR. STEVENS: Let the record show that the men who
do this are going to suffer. They will have no credibility.
I have told the Board that these are great guys so quit going
back and pulling information out that is out-of-date.
25X1A9a
42. This discussion has been helpful to
identify where the problems lie. If we are going to help these
fellows, we have to remove the blemish.
43. DR. STEVENS: In all cases I got the man's position
changed substantially. These men will have to bend backwards
the other way. They need to do some soft selling. These men
need to be aware of the problem. They are not sensitive enough
to the concerns, fears, and worries of the audience, and they
25X1A9a are too glib. In case, I heard him give one briefing,
44. Men like - are particularly technical
and maintain that image. They want to get in arguments when someone
crosses them on a technical point. He is being compared with
other men who worry about their outward image.
45. DR. STEVENS: I think you feel these evaluations are
very shallow which they are not.
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46. Who are the good men? 25X1A9a
47. DR. STEVENS: Top of all R&D GS-15s is
25X1A9a
25X1A9a Life Science men suffer because they are not well-known. I
25X1A9a
got them in the top category. is above middle;
iddl
i
i
hi
h
s m
e;
s very
g
;
25X1A9a
is #2 on the computer list. is a problem. They
25X1A9a
don't trust him.
25X1A9a 48. Absolutely wrong.
49. DR. STEVENS: He scares me to death. He terrifies
me. Yes, he is an extremely hard worker, competent and
dedicated. He runs -grounds with a wounded ego that scares me
to death. He will come in to see me and say in effect,
"Here is a program; you take this, or you leave town." He has
pulled this on Dr. Steininger.
25X1A9a 50. I am entirely unaware that this
message came across to him.
51. DR. STEVENS: He makes people very nervous. There
are a lot of men like this that can get away with it and are
great. You take them at face value, and they are worth putting
25X1A9a up with if you can keep them under control. It kind of all
adds up. is down pretty far on the list because of
his anonymity and his specialization. Men like that you can
do something for.
25X1A9a
52. If I undertook a series of talks with
25X1A9a and rehabilitated his view towards the world, is
it worth for him to stay on.
53. DR. STEVENS: He is rated very high. It is not
conceivable that he would be in jeopardy by losing his job.
25X1A9a 54. In light of all this maybe ORD should 25X1A9a
consider getting away from visibility.
25X1A9a
55. tries hard.
25X1A9a
56. He is emotionally involved. Strange,
since he is an expert in behavioral sciences, and he should be
applying this to personal relationships.
57. DR. STEVENS: I don't think you are going to help
him by hurting his feelings.
25X1A9a 58. ?
talk to him.
I am not going to help him if I don't
59. DR. STEVENS: Ever bod here is rated high or very
high. Please don't let give any more briefings.
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60. He is a very strong talent.
25X1A9a
61. Should
DD/S&T Course.
give his talk in the
62. DR. STEVENS: Yes. I have been impressed with him,
but there just seems to be this problem of overselling.
25X1A9a 25X1A9a
63. Goes back to time.
- was part of that group. Some of the men were innocent.
25X1A9a
25X1A9a
64. DR. STEVENS: The next time - goes over to give
a briefing to Dr. Steininger, he should be conscious of the
concern that he is a "huckster." He should be sure to bring out
all the problems and treat them in a forthright fashion. Tell
him not to oversell the program.
25X1A9a 65.
There is a tendency to push programs here.
66. DR. STEVENS: If the program gets real big, they
lose them.
25X1A9a 67. They either go with them or lose them. 25X1A9a
68. DR. STEVENS: is rated quite hi h - he is 25X1A9a
not a problem. has problems and has a problem.
25X1A9a
25X1A9a 69. Did have trouble? 25X1A9a
70. DR. STEVENS: - is understood. 25X1A9a
25X1A9a 71. Dr. Stevens, did you decide if we
are going to establish a policy to rate everybody in this office
and let the men on the list know where they stand?
72. DR. STEVENS: Yes, we have to look at all the men
considered by the CSP/ORD and determine case by case, and
rating by rating.
25X1A9a
73. We should try to accomplish improving the
performance of those on the bottom of the list by identifying
the weak points and strengthening them. 25X1A9a
74. DR. STEVENS: The men in deep trouble are the 25X1A9a
25X1A9a generalists. Be careful about this. Most of these jobs are
supported by DDM&S. I worry about We also should
think about sending over to PAS/TSD. I think he would
be interested in doing that. We ought to look into doing this.
appeal was approved and he is going in as a systems
programmer with DS$P/ORD. is going with the Office 25X1A9a
25X1A9a of Training. might do some of the executive
tasks and handle the support.
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75. Is there another cut in the offing?
76. DR. STEVENS: There is suppose to be another cut.
There will be a reorganization. They will look at the problems
and then cut again. I feel ORD has done more than their share
this time.
25X1A9a 77. is on board
and reported in yesterday.
78. DR. STEVENS: Why don't you take him around and
introduce him. He is from FMSAC.
25X1A9a 79.
25X1A9a
was dropped by TSD.
80. DR. STEVENS: Make it possible that your personnel
get the best information available on the meeting yesterday
with Mr. Duckett. We don't think they should broadcast it.
81. I passed Carl's word on to my staff
as explicit as I coul .
82. The Chairman thanked Dr. Stevens for the very
informative session.
83. Meeting adjourned at 1640 hours.
25X1A9a
Executive Secretary
Career Service Panel/ORD
25X1A9a
Chairman, ar Service Panel/ORD
E
EYES ONLY
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