THE ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R000800050015-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2000
• Sequence Number: 15
• Content Type: REQ

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THE ROLE OF TBE DrhECTOR OF PERSONNEL
I. HIS POSITION IN Ta AGENCY
1. The impending retirement of the present Director of Personnel aed the
appointment of his replacement makes it a most appropriate time to reevaluate
the position in terms of the Agency's requirements and the functions the
Personnel Director will be expected to perform. The Office of Personnel has
been the target of constant criticisn from all quarters ever since the Ageney
was organized. Some of the current criticises are warranted, but others are
unfair because there are basic deficiencies in the concept of the role of the
Director of Personnel and a leek of understanding and agreement concerning
his resporedbilities, authority, and capability.
e. The problen is not unique to this Agency. Research conducted at
Barvard University shows that namagement in industry is faced with the same
problem and that there is no standard pattern or formula that can be applied.
Each organization must resolve its own problea based on its particular needs
and on its management philosophy. It is essential, however, to remove the
doubt ehd confusion that exists among Operating Officials in our Agency by
providing a tailored division of responsibility which will enable line and
staff officers to know who does what in personnel admivistration. It is the
purpose of this paper to offer suggestions and recommendations which will more
cleanly define the role of the Director of Personnel in CIA,
3. The first determination to be rade and agreed upon by all concerned
is the character of the position, that is, whether it should be staff, line
or a combination of each. To aid in making this determination, the distinction
between staff and line ahold be clarified. Trie purely staff position would
require only that the Director of Personnel counsel the DCI? the Deputy
Directors, and their subordinate supervieors on matters of policy and provide
certain service? such as the maintenance of personnel records, interpretation
and application of Civil Service and other government regulations, and morale
builders like recreation facilitieo and benefit programs. A truly line
position would give to the Director of Personnel complete authority for all
personnel actions and would remove from the supervisors some of their banic
responsibilities. The single division of staff and line is not realistic.
4. A combination of both positions would give the Director of Personnel
the staff responsibility for advice and guidance plus certain specific command
responsibilities delegated by proper authority. This is fairly representative
of the situation in the Agency today. The problems that have arisen ettlA frau
a lack of understanding and agreement on the extent of command responsibility
aosigned to the Director of Personnel and an unwillingaese or inability on the
pert of line supervisors to discharge their basic reeponsibilitiee. To clarify
the staff/line responsibilities requires a review of all of the functions in-
volved in personnel administration to determine bow they could best be performe.i
and by whan.
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etheeTiain OF PiesSeaNee AderellIeldientON
A. E.9.11a Makin&
1. Policy raking is basically the responsibility of the DCI since
he decides the course the Agency will follow. It is obvious, however, that
the Director is not in a position to personally initiate all policy, 'Lid sug-
gestions for introducing or altering policies originate in many places. The
Deputy Directors and their subordinate officers as well as the IG are responsi-
ble for many of them. In relatively minor matters, the Director of Personnel
makes a policy decision or refers the matter to the DDiS eh? has been given
certain authority to act for the DCI. Major policy suggestions are referred
to the DCI, usually through the Deputy Directors or the Career Council. Some
are submitted to the DDCI as well. When a policy suggestion results in an
Agency regulation, it is subjected to the fantastic procedure of "concurrence"
which permits wide and practically unrestricted use of veto power. In effect,
the Deputy Direltors and their Operating Officials make much of the personnel
policy in the Aikency. Thus, the policy making function is scattered.
2. The Director of Personnel as a specialist in personnel adminis-
tration should be the principal source of personnel policy suggestions end his
role in this respect must be clarified. Personnel policies are Agencyewide in
effect and. must be uniform and consistent. The Director of Personnel should
have the principal voice and his advice and guidance on major issues must reach
the Director undiluted and undistorted. Sufficient authority should be dele-
gated to him to permit him to make minor policy decisions on his own. Under
our present structure, this authority would be granted the DD/S. Its extent
should be made perfectly clear to the other Deputy Directors.
B. Hiriqg
1. There appears to be little question that hiring is a function
properly assigned to the Director of Personnel and that be should have decision-
making authority for this purpose. Hiring includes recruiting, interviewing,
clearance, testing, and record keeping. In actual practice, the Operating
Officials are content to permit Office of Personnel to hire clerical and secre-
tarial personnel and to tatb the colleges and universities for suitable candi-
dates, but in the higher brackets there is still a great deal of recruiting,
if not actual hiring, being done by office and division chiefs.
2. Independent and uncontrolled recruitment is responsible for many
of the marginal or unsatisfactory employees now carried on the Agency's rolls.
It frequently results in selection by favoritism, on the basis of "elle you knee:
not what you know." Employment standards are lowered or become inconsistent
and sometimes appear to be abandoned completely.
3. The Director of Personnel should know better then any individual
supervisor the over-all needs of the Agency, the attrition rate, the unusual
requirements, and the most desirable qualifications to fit a person for work
in the intelligence field. The Operating Official knows best the immediate
specific requirements of the jobs he wants to fill. It is his responsibility
to make these requirements known to the Director of Personnel.
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41, The reerUtang staef provided the eeeector oe Fereoneel shouln
consist of members having a thorovgh knowledge of intelligence work in addition.
to knowledge of eanpower sources of supply. Recruiters should be selected from
operational and support components and not be limited to purely personnel work.
The function of hiring should be performed exclusively by Office of Personnel.
AsmentandReents
1. The initial assignment of a new employee is the single most impor-
tant event in his career with the Agency. On it depends to a large degree the
course his career will follow. If he has been properly signed to a job for
which be has the necessary qualifications of education, training, aptitude, and
teeperament he will be happy in his work. His morale eill be high, his enthusiaen
Crest, and he will give of his time and energy to the fullest extent. Given an
improper assieeeent to begin with, particularly one too far above or below hie
capabYlities or lacking in opportunity or purpose, will usually result in a
disaffected ennloyee who either stays on because he lacks initiative to move or
becomes frustrated and quits. The Agency has lost many potentially valuable
employees because of malassignment.
2. The Director of Personnel should be responsible for ma1ing initial
essignments of new employees. The supervisor must be consulted and given an
opportunity to interview the candidate. Whenever possible, he should be given
a choice between several velified candidates. The appointment amnia_ be made
on a temporary basis pending a demonstration of the employee's fitness for the
job. This need not be for the customary one-year trial period provided by
Civil Service regulation. In fact, it should be for a considerably shorter
period. Usually, it is possible to judge an employee's suitability within
1;hree months and only in exceptional circumstances is it neceseary to evelnate
a parson's pereoreance over a longer period of time. If the employee ?roves
tf) be unsatisfactory, the supervisor should be privileged to turn hi e beck to
the Office of Personnel with a request for a replacement. It is not always
possible to estimate a man's performance in advance of an actual assigrment
and a method of temporary test assignment will permit adjustments to be made
before permanent harm is done to the employee and consequently to the Agency.
3. The supervisor assumes a major responsibility when be tfAkcl; on
a new employee. He must see to it that the new man is given n tborou& indoc-
trination in the broad aspects of intelligence work as well as detailed irstrue-
tions in the reqpirements of the specific job. Be nest give careZul direction
and guidance and provide the new employee with every opportunity to dmonstrate
his capability. Above all, the supervisor !mast evaluate objectively the pote7)tis.1
of the new employee and not permit himself to be influenced, either fw,rorably or
unfavord4y, by extraneous factors. Undue sympathy or compztanian may icz7A to
the unjustified continuation of the wrong men in the job to the detriment of
both the TWA and the job. The proper utilization of mappovee is a basic
responsibility of the supervisor.
4. Reaasieemeat presents a far more difficult problem. Norml
reassignment actions for purposes of rotation between Headvarters P,nd the
Field or changes in assignments within a particular component are Iv:ed in
a routine fashion and in a generally acceptable manner. The problens In
reassignment usually occur when an employee (1) has outgrown his job and is
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prevented from advancing because ef the unavailability of titable pooitions
within his component, (2) vas hired because of a special competence for which
there no longer is a demand, (3) was assigned to a Job for which he mas inade-
quately qualified, (4) has incurred the displeasure of his supervisor for aey
reason whatever, or (5) simply becomes tired of vhat he is doing and wants a
change. The unfortunate employee vho finds himself in such a position can expect
little or no assistance in obtaining a more suitable position. Within his own
component, he can apply for and receive a release which entitles him to seek
employment elsewhere in the Agency. Be may then appeal to the Office of Personnel
either directly or through the component's Administrative or Personnel Officer.
The Office of Personnel will then gp through the Shr unslatisractory "shopping"
procedure which at the very leapt results in unfavorable publicity for the
employee and frequently destroys aey opportunity he bad for reassignment.
("ahoggne is the circulatingeef official personnel jackets throughout the
Agency in the hope that someone will develop an interest in the employee and
offer him an assignment. This free circulation of official personnel jackets
should be halted immediately. The control of personnel files Should be tightened
drastically. They should be released only to the Inspector General and the
Office of Security When required in the course of inspection or investigation.
The following procedure is suggested as being more productive of good personnol
eelations. Upon receipt of an application for reassignment the Office of
Personnel should determine the type of work for which the employee is best
valified by examination of the record and personal interview. This determina-
tion having been made, it should be followed by a review of all suitabie position
vacancies. The employee Should then be provided with a detailed resume of his
histoey and activities and an objective evaluation of his performance. Inter-
views with selected supervisors should be arranged for the employee awl, when
deemed appropriate, participated in by the Personnel Officer. This procedure
could be adopted immediately without waiting for concurrence in any other recom-
mendations contained in this study.)
5. There is an almost complete absence of responsibility to accoeplich
reassignments in circumatances such as described above. Supervisors, Office of
Personnel, Career Service Boards or Panels go through their feeble motiona but
in the end the employee finds he must shift for A etelf. He either finds his
own job in the Agency or quits. This is an important factor contributing to
the high attrition rate but even more important is the.fallure to properly
utilize available, qualified manpower. The Derector of Personeel ehould be
authorized to make directed reassignments of qualified personnel when normal
Channels of reassigpment are ineffective.
D. Erc_ts_ ot_inEzejltnia____finsead DI schar e
These functions are lumped together because they ere e comeaud reppon-
25X1 A sibility of the line supervisors. Revised providing for coepetitive
promotions is MIMI. and Should enable supervisors to exemlse judgment AnA
authiNritr wisely. Diacipline certainly is a command reepoesibility and aenior
supervisors should be able to exercise the power of separation foe cause,
Recognizing the rights, privileges and benefits of goverawat employment, the
Director of Personnel must perform a staff supervisory funotion in these areas
EC should ensure that uniform and conalstent practices are adhered to and advir:
proper command authorities in accepted procedures.
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This is definitely a function for which the Director of Personnel
ehould bave sole responsibility. Be must keep up with wage scales in govern-
ment and industry and be able to establish fair cempensation rates for job
reqpiremento. Here again, uniformity and consistency tbroughout the Agency is
of vital importance and cannot be achieved by Operating Officials.
. ItETIALemenDevelkleash
Menagement development reqeires the cooperative effort of both
Operating Officials and the Director of Personnel but the latter should have
principal responsibility and authority.- The Operating Official identifies
employees with capability and potential for management development and pro-
vides opportunities within his limitations. The Director of Personuel, how.
ever, Should have the authority to carry the development further and to conduct
a process of screening and selection on an Agency-wide basis,
G. Tea:ate%
1. Training is ea integral part of personnel administration and
should not be treated as a function outside the scoye of Director of Persoenel
responeibilities. We have previously recommended tbe ultimate merger ot Office
of Personnel and OTR and it remains a sound recommendation today. For the
purpose of this peper, however, we will consider only the role of the Director
of Pereonnel in training as such, without regard for the present organizational
strueture.
2. In all aspects of personnel neeinistratiome in hiring, placemen"
aud proper msepower utilization., the individual's qualifications to fill a
position are paramount. Training, particularly in this Agency, is eseential
to the full development of the required qualifications and the Director of
Personnel met eave a strong voice in determining the nature and extent of
training given each individual.
3. Prior to the initial assignment of a now employee, the Director
of Personeel should determine the extent of basic training required., for the
particular job. The eupervisor then assumes rcsponability for on-the-job
training and for initiating further formal traineng when indicated. Other
means or impeoving competence such as rotatiou and experience are the responzi-
bility of the supervisor often working in conjunction with a Career Service
Board. In all of these activities, the Director of Personnel has more than
a passing interest. Be should participate in a staff capacity in helping to
vork out training progeams particularly of the long-range variety. BO should
take an active part in the screening of personnel for career development and
be given the authority to move the career services program tovard the achieve-
ment of its objectives.
H. Control
After personnel policies are established and an appropriate nueber
of Agency regulations are published, one more element must be added?that of
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Is tte policiike; ion 4.
carried out. It includes the examination and adjudication of complaints env
grievances whech are symptomatic of failure to follow already defined eolicies
and procedures. This is more than a staff function and one which must be backed
by high authority. /t ahouldte performed by the Director of Personnel acting
through the DD/i5, if necessary, and hacked by DCI when the situation warrants it.
I. Welfare Other "rale Services"
1. Such services ehich are intended to improve the morale of Agency
employees are definitely the responsibility of the Director of Personnel. These
include the life and. health insurance program, Credit Union, Aid Society aed
recreational programs. In these functions, he should exercise command authority
ender policies established by the DCI or DD/S.
2. Other services not included in this discussion are normal functions
of Orfice of Personnel which are not questioned. These include job couuseling,
personal problem), in and out processing, ete.
ifl..r.ffja.j.2wzkq.9s_nc
1. There are a number of influencing factors which make the problem more
complex and add to the difficulty of precisely defining the role of the Director
of Personnel in CIA. Among these are security, the Career Services, pereonalities?
compartmentalization, centrealzation vs. decentralization, and the size of the
organization.
2. Security hampers recruiting by placing strict limitations on the extent
to which Agency activities?that is, jobs--can be discussed. The length of time
required for clearance also adversely affecte recruiting. While the nuMber of
gpplicants rejected for security reasons is relatively small, it further reduces
the nueber of prospective candidates available for duty. The SI clearance adds
another hurdle and eliminates still more otherwiee well-epalified employees.
Technical interview occasionally tura up individuals whose abnormal tendeacies
create joint medlcal-security-personnel problems. Infractions of security regu.
lations and etandards brings the Office of Security into the act over the heeds
of the Operating Officials as well as the Director of Personnel particularly
when disciplinary action or dismissal are the result. The constant pressure of
living and working with classified information affects the disposition and morale
of Agency employees and sometimes creates serious personal prOblems. The respon-
sibilities and authority of the Director of Security are not qaestioned here.
The security factors are described only to illustrate boy, within CIA, they
impinge upon functions normally assignea to a personnel director In any other
organization.
3. The Career Council and the Career Services were establieheA by
Regulixtionor the purpose of developing e career program to establish
personnel management practices ehich eill develop people to the fullest exteni:,
to meet present and anticipated personnel needs of the Agency: The policy stated
in the regulation contemplates a peogressive program that identifies, develops)
effectively uses and rewards individuals 'who have qualifications required
the Agency; motivates them toward rendering maximum service to the Agency; and
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elAoivateo from the ;',Z.YVA. irt egysitable manner, those, who fail eo perfora
as effective members of the Agency. Tele policy iu to be implemented by the
beads of Career Services and the several Boards and Panels. Ay this regulation,
an entirely separate mechanism has been created to engage in personnel management.
Whereas we were initially concerned with a clearer distinction, between the func-
tions of the Director of Personnel and Operating Officials we must now contend
with a thirclfactor whioh has been assigned personnel management responsibilities.
It is true that the Director of Personnel is associated with the Career Service
program as Chairman of the Career Council, but his influence in the Career Ser-
vice Boards is little felt. The dispersion of responsibility for personnel
management adds to the Inarky problem of the Director of Personal.
4. There is no problem area in the Agency which does not to some extent
revolve around personalities. Sound organizational structures have been distorted
to accommodate personalities. It is said. with some measure of truth that
"everyone in the Agency thinks he is an expert in personnel management."
Extensive distortions of sound personnel management in this Agency have been
caused by personalities. The absence of clearly defined, authoritatively
assigned responsibilities of the Director of Personnel encourages the display
of individual personality which serves only to add confusion to an already
obscure situation.
5. Compartmentalization is a word highly revered in some parts of this
Agency. Some regard it as the cornerstone upon which is built the Clandestine
Services. TO others it spells deliberate obstructionism and frustration. Ho
effort will be made here to weigh the pros and cons. To anyone attempting to
provide an adequate personnel service to the Agency, it M48MB an artificial
barrier has been erected which effectively prevents the close relationship
between the lino officers and the Director of Personnel essential to good
personnel management. No other single factor has so successfully obstructed
the development of sound personnel practices in this Agency.
6. Centralization vs. decentralizatiOn has been debated for many years.
Simply stated centralization strives for a single unified CIA while decentraliza-
tion advocates as a minimmm the present organization of three Semi-autonomous
areas and hopes for further and wider separation of components for the future.
The effect on the Director of Personnel can be stated in equally simple termot
centralization will reqnire a greater concentration of responsibility in the
Director of Personnel for personnel management in the Agency; decentralization
will result in a complete dispersal of these responsibilities to individual
components. Whichever is determined to be the best course for the Agency, it
should be made clear to all concerned so that appropriate steps can be taken in
that direction.
7. The size of the Agency has a bearing on the role of the Director of
Personnel in its effect on the magnitude and complexity of the job. Relatively
speaking, the Agency is small. Compared to Amtor units, it is about the size
of an Infantry Division. Compared to international industrial and commercial
enterprises, it would not even reach the level of medium size. Within the
structure of U. S. Government organization, it is a unit of almost insignificant
proportions containing considerably less than one per cent of the total number
of government civilian employees. In this respect, the functions; of a Director
of Personnel described earlier in this report are not beyond the capabilities of
a competent Director of Personnel.
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AT COW?Wa1011
This paper has atteapted to describe the major problems of personnel
'administration within the Agency and to suggest some means whereby such problems
could be overcome. The single conclusion that can be drawn from this discussion
is simply this: the respective responsibilities of the Director of Personnel
and line supervisors mast be clearly defined and authoritatively enunciated.
Only by this means can the role of the Director of Personnel he established on
a firm basis and pro5rese be made toward better personnel administration in CIA.
It is recommended that:
a. This paper be forwarded to the Career Council for further study.
b. The Career Council be directed to produce for the signature of the
DCI a stateaent of policy and specific implementing instructions which will
clearly define the respective responsibilities of the Director of Personnel
sx4 line supervisors in the area of personnel administration.
c. Such policy statement and implementing instructions be issued at
the same time the newly appointed Director of Personnel assumes office.
GIONIF
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