[PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING SENIOR AND EXECUTIVE MANAGERS]

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00780R000300020009-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 24
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2003
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: January 1, 1963
• Content Type: STUDY

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PROBLEM
1. To establish an Agency progrma to identifrand provide special develop-
mental opportunities for employees oonsidered to possess the potential for
positions of senior managerial and executive responsibility.
BAC/COMM
2. One of the managerial prablems inherent in administering the affairs of
CIA is the development of adequate nuMbers of properly qualified individuals
to replace the managers and executives - at all levels - vbo inevitably
must same day vacate the positions thei, now bold. Recognizing this essential
task, and the special character which the nae of our Agency invests it
with, successive CIA otainistrations hews looked to a number at different
means of dealingiffikth the matter. Three of their studies are especially
pertinent:
a. The proposals of the 1952 Career Aerviee Committee which, as
approved by the DCI, established our present career service syitea.
Among the proposals vas ace for an XXecutive Inventory that vas actually
pet up. It listed about 150 senior profession:kis eansidered eamdi-
dates for key positions in the Amato but; because same at the essential
elements required for its mairdemazwevere massing, and attention vas
concentrated an other aspects of the career service system, the Leven,-
tory vas permitted to expire not long after its creation.
b. The Inspector Gamma's Deoember 1959 Barmy of the CIA Career Aer-
vice which called attention to the failure of our career system 4to
Na adequately with the need to ensure the tharougOi preparation of
the most capable people for key positions of responsibility." Eceemwm!,
the surrey brought about no real changes in our methods of dealing
with the problem.
c. Then in July 1962 a TUN:Force on Personnelikuuksement lad by the
Executive Director r000miendeds among other thinge,.the formation with-
in the Agency of a "gmmeralist corps" eaaprimed of officers identified
as potenttallragatimos-shose careers yere to beimanaged by a CIA Per-
simnel Board responeihle to the Aemin, no specific action wee
taken to. existing methods of executive development.
PROF110.0/123111171T/11 smarm
?
3. in Nay 1963, the lAw44r4rilixector aillei attention once again to
Agency's need for a speciariprawma to identify end develop high potential
oarearists. This time be boAtibeted the Director at Personnel to submit
proposals for a "gmammilist eons* to solocmpli:WZraWkapurpose. The Exec-
utive Director's instructions vera quite broad but no iicitt isawbmgplated
that he Director of Pommel, in asking his res.e iioelt consider the
reaalmleadatigna in the 1st the Task an
neat in CIA relating to a oarpeow It is te
to ammonite these reoamsendetiones
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No. 13 Consider JOT!. as "generalists"
No. 14 Give all supersrades a "generalist" designation.
No. 15, Establish a DCI Personnel Board to handle matters involving
supergrades.
No. 16 Wake the Director of Personnel responsible for identifying
those individuals in the middle echelon managerial grades
vbo should be considered for CIA generalists.
No. 17 Establish a aid-career training course for the purpose of'
selecting middle echelon supervisors Idlo should be named
CIA generalists.
No. 20 Establish a Personnel Development Board to vork full. time
creating and implementing plans for generalists.
D1BOUIcION
GENERAL
4. Through all the background papers on executive development in the Agency
there runs at least one common theme: the recognition that our career system
must produce an adequate supply of sell developed, broadly experienced
candidates for the key executive posts in the Agency. On this central issue
there has never been any dispute. Nor am there be if is are really commit-
ted to the notion that ours is a career service. Neverthelees, our !actions
(on this issue) have never matched our intentions. Why?
We have certainly A5 progress in may other brood areas of personnel
management. A, number of Iasi*, tech:deal 11PrOvements in the Per*****1
practices that support career service adainistretion have been and ere
being eahierede-4?in ccatitive propotional Moss repcalklim ideutirrimig
surplus personnel; - 'for rotational ft$aiglWm?ts vithin career sir-
vices;
. :traiaing; the development of personnel 4120110'4 ,wenior ambers)
withila career sertices; tile JOT Program; and in others too. Yet is still
haven't taCkled ag/thing'libp.ia systematic approach - the prOblea of
developing top executiveVre,pereer direction, if properly handled, must
transcend Career Aerie 440ut7.Directorate levels. Why?
k.
A
Certainly attempts larelleemi made.. One even enjoyed e brief period of
success in 1952; and ?there have been pushed visprvously, especiallybortbe
14 in 1959 and the Nxecutive Director in 1962: But -they haven't 140sce.
Av./ Several possible explanations suggest tbelvest
?First most of our senior executives np.tonov. have bees relatively
young mu. The urgency associated vith.preparIng for-their-rePl*Osessrt
has not always been apparent.
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--Remand, during the8 or 9 years - relatively stable ones insofar as
the size and projected growth of the UMW Viall concerned - VS may have
felt that sufficient nuMbers of qualified replacements were already on hand.
Dxperience has borne this out generally. Retirements and other losses
among top executives have not been be,ond our capacity to deal with. It is
only now, as we look ahead apd contemplate the sharp rise in anticipated
losses over the next 5-10 years, that we become alarmed.. For we realise
that, not only will our executive loupes go up abruptly, but so will the
losses of "replacements" we've been relying on, because they*** vill be
leaving the Agency along vith or closely behind the executives they alight
have replaced. Our'problem is thus changing dimensions as the average age
of our senior personnel oontinues to cliMb.
--Third, our Deputy Directorates and Career Services have been absorbed
with responsibilities for developing their own career staffs, including
their own key executives. In addition, they Inky have reasoned that the
development of executives for brooder uses vould necessarily *pings on and
possibly even clash with their peroohial and immediate ?mourns.
? N%
--Sot to be overlooked, also, is the fact that most pest proposals
for executive development have been interlocked with a.variety of other
ideas which, though related perhaps, were not essential to the central
problem of Identifying and developing top executives. Yet the propossals
were presented and treated as a package and, because some of then were un-
popular, the baby went out with the bath water.
UNCUTIVI DEMON= - THB CRUCIAL ISMS
5. Perhaps the time has come, therefore to isolate from the broader
problem of career development the crucial issue of executive development
and deal with it alone. This approaching' well stumped 'bore others have
not. And surely there can be no harm in respiring the separate elements
of our oerescrowrrice eyeMme to stand or fall .on their individual merits.
Tying uneertain'proposileto'sonna ones eerves WI to weaken them both
and risk their total non-acceptance.
For that reamer, it teis-prUdenp,to distill from the concept of a
development of top eximitifee ''conewestrat? juel
"generalist corps" those Stilencereed with the identification ana
Using such an approac4,itts'lock: at the elements involved in an
executive development
Resibility
6. The &scatty. Director is carioca SA #ropoeing (we assuMe) a DCI Board
to manage a program concerned with the development of top executives. The 1.
prOblems involved in such a progrentransoend coeponentbotmdaries. So
should the responsibility. It cannot be discharged successfully anywhere
else.
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However, it -would be isastake to hi this regponsibiliVliel out-
side of, or can be divorced from, the oonsend Unearths Agency and thus
be dealt with ail a sort of staff function. It cannot. The Director of
Personnel and other staff officers can be of invaluable assistance in the
support of such a program; but the ultimate decisions and implearnting actions -
without which there can be no program - mast oopsi ft= the senior Agency
commanders themselves.
Therefore, it is proposed that iesponsibility for the executive develop-
ment progrombe given a Hoard oomposed of:
?Lomutive Director, Chairman
4 Deputy rdziectors, Numbers
Director of Personnel, Xxeoative Secretary
Xlements of Program
7. The executive development progree,,as visualised hers, voublionsist of
these elements: N.?
a. The definition of goals.
b. The identification of employees considered to possess the oapacitgr,
desire, and potential for Agency position *c.if senior managerial ea& execu-
tive responsibility.
c. The establishment and noutoomos at an executive iareatory listing
the senior positions of concern to the prop= and the candidates bates
groomed to fill them.
d. The evolution of plans aad, 0pportaaities for executive develogient
through rotational assignments, external and other special training, oameittes
sod teak force assignments, special detail', examgs agreements with ptber
agencies, etc.
e. The selection of candidates for executive positions.
,-Daltaltionbt)130.11..
8. Before.launching 44 executive davalassint ;rim ...Hand throughout its
, life - We nealLgenera3. agresisaatsWto its purposes end objectives and a
common understanding of tifeltarsissalitAiroseduree employe& ?cc instance,
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Our purposes:
-What is an executive7N .
-How early in an affIleArrt.oareer will we try to evaluate his executive
potential?
-Has long do we expect a candidate to remain in our "inventory"?
- Will the progren attempt to. embrace all executive positions or just
those in the "generalist" category? -
? How way candidates vill we try to identify for each executive post! -
- Will candidates be groomed, for specific poets or developed. acre gsn
(trolly? .
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The next few Oectionsidll try to SUggeat SAIVUell to these and other
related questions.
ecope of"Prommm
9. Earlier we talked of developlpg "top executives', "senior mapegire", etc.
What do ve mean?
Clearly, our conaeralouste do vith executive and menagerial require-
ments involving broad, generel.experience - experience yhich'nameaLly can-
not.be acquired entivolywithin one Agemay oomPaasat butyl/A& takes oppor-
tunities beyond those a single component.oaa provide. We mean "generalists*
and are not talking of "specialist", thomOve recognise they too have
developmental needs.
It is clear also that our coneern is for a special program - I-" ,i,
size, narrow in foga', sailoaeoentrated imparpose. A prairie to SUOple.
sent the efforts of the major emaesate vhicb0-after all, here the primer,
IWaof directiUg, delieloping and a iiagieg the Agency's work force. A. .
program to take over the job of training aM preparing the select few. vho
have executive potentials beyond the capacity of a single component to pro-
vide adequate developmental opportunities for.
To give sharper definition to the limitelot our program, we probably
mean the following executive positions (numbering about 130 - 143) and the
potential candidates to fill them
a. Headquarters - all managerial positflons 04147 and Above, and all
staff positions at those levels. requiring abroad, gemeralba&ground.
b. Field - Chiefs of installatizat with major policy responsibilities,
OrZth-significant managerial responsibilities involvingaoria then
one Headquarters Deputy Directorate. .
' jittecm," .P.414.11144011
10. "Who"'l whale, aed,"byAge tre.the principal Oestions to answer
about the identification of lexedittiv., Vedidates.
. ?
Who? We have suggestedetimer be individuals possessing the capacitb
the desire, and the pOtent3.44cor?topmenegerial. positions. .Paregraph 9
defines for our purposes %becoming at "tOpmangsrial positions".
By whom? The view was expressed that only maim commanders van, make
the key decisions involved in an executive development program. Huralr the
formal identification of a oandidate is, a keq, deoisiOn.
When? The "right" answer is: vhemever vs can asks a alodoe with
reasonable assurance of its correctness. But that injects into the prograa
? a vagueness and anwieldinese vs Should avoid, and can by an arbitrary
decision concerning "eligibles".
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On 31 March 1963, vs
our*
08-18
17
16
Considering the' large ambers of potential "eligibles", let's arbi-
trarily confine our search to those idr.mre 08-15 or. above-and beve,e/reedy.
entered the "generalist" ranks.
The 1962 Task Force on Personnel Mensgement reoommended that JOTIA be
labeled "generalists" and also that a-mid-career training course be used to
identify "generalists"? Jar our ptirposes, such SCUM. WIC believed pre.
mature. We lack techniques di:tweet to idemtartbsindividni1444
the early and wk.'s/kr-groups vb01111 as. to top,executive.positions.,-We
could try, of course; but this vould ? wheelie, diffused development
program instead of a mall, specially tailored one. It vouldprObably also
result in a lass effective one. Mims importantly, it would b?
centrally directed program invading the commutdpuvrogatives Of Career. Ser-
vices (as they are now established) at too low a level. Whether benefits
from such a program extension.vonld over oompensate adwpmeWayfar this .
"invasion" is very questionable.
The.proposal to restrict executive candidates to 00-15,s and above'
rests therefore on tea ideas primarily: ?
- First, tbe' belief tlmt- a mall,U#tllxlenelged
gram with. clearly establisheklepecific objectives
will achieve fir better results in developing tot)
,ellicutiver then' rill's :large sialtispurpos? prairie!
NUMBER Or .
?
EMPLOYEES
,
04 Boacedo. the emiviation.tbst?in our Agency the fr4ixi.
kr??4 4 icb4cli: Airretepag aeraer7esplases, including
destined.fan .edibutive, poets, can but be handled .by
the=i4siatis Career Servioes and Deputt Directorates
and(140ild remain their responsibility. ?
? ! ? ? ? -
This last point is nt4,1eiTispstbetiO'or obsequious stheission to the
status quo. It simply recoguises thit, as .organisation is now streelmrid,
the best job opportunities for:devalimplentelIdrposes, as well as the rota-
tional and administrative arrangements for.exploitinctbees opportwities,
lie largely within the jurisdiction of the individual Career ? Serviette and
operating components. It recognises also that employees lmnl: best and 4e1slop
most rapidly in an occupational envirmmsent that satisfies their needs for'
group
group identification and group loyalty. Top management needs to step in
with an auxiliary or supplenen=strfomellaigoosalgtfin le Wirt-
dual component cannot do the or
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management differ or .diverge from thaw of i subordinate component.
_ levelopment of senior exeoutives, the need for a supOsemmOmmy
Afiency program - centrally directed . appears to emerge at about the 08-15
level, and certainly not below 14. Up to that point the Career Services
and Deputy Directorates can manage the Job quits adequately, including cross-
component assignments. If at tines they don't, it's usuall.rthe result of
human weaknesses and not of the system employed.
Hoverer, above the 14 leveluoandidates for senior positiods oiaad
opportunities for rotational assignments, external training, special details,
and other broadening experiences that individual Directorates generally
cannot provide. Even, more slanificantly, the interests of tap management
in the developsent of certain candidates may differ trait the parochial
interests of a component and can indeed become antagonistic.
The foregoing reasons argne for an ftscutIve Develnpmesit?progrom Which
at the Agency level is quite restricted in site and" inducts" candidates:
? only after they have manifested potential-jar senior *generalist" positions.
Setting 08-15 as the "entranoe level* i4 *rely atbitrary and could in some
easel be artificial; but it provides a useibullminchmark:for systematic
reviews of possible candidates. kA
Executive InventorY
?
U. Earlier consents have suggested an executive inventory consisting of
the following positions:
'Headquarters - all managerial positions 08.17 4141 above, and all staff
positions at those levels requiring a broad, general background.
Field - chiefs of installations mdthmajor policy responsibilities, or
with significsnt managerial responsibilities involving more than one
Headquarters Dopt4"/ PiloroOtWits. : ?
It vas settnated that the Inventory would eiOraee 130 to 140 jobs.
Matched against :thesq jobs should appear: the linciathents; and the other
executives candidates, about400. Penripio. being groomed faith* jobs listed.
?
To the extent roasonehleictiminventory should indicate the position(s)
for which each candidate isfbeing.groosed and,"eanversely, the prospective
candidate (s) for each posit4op4,-11m. both cases multiple listings should
usually occur - i.e., most key Positions shoal hove several prospective
candidates, and most individuals in the Larentary should be preparing tor
more than one job.
Responsibility for establisbing.and maint4ining the inrentor,rbelonge
to the Career Developnent Board. Inventory records, because or their
sensitivity, should probably/1kb* maintained personallybytbe Chairman and
the Executive Secretary.
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Complementary inventories will very likely be established in each
Deputy Directorate, eibracing? JON' at the next lower executive levels.
This will facilitate the management of the Agency inventory .and ihodld be
encouraged.
Development Methods
12. After identifying executive candidates and deciding at least tentative-
ly the position(s) for which they should, be presering, the Board must shape
at least in broad outline - a development plan for each candidate. Plans
viii vary according to the age and experience of the candidate, the Jae
for which he is being groomed, his prior training* eta. Same will be speci-
fic, others very general. But they must provide realistic, working targets
for the future assignment and training of every candidate; this is essential
to the successful conduct of the progrea.
The ingredients of executive development plans include:
- &national aselanenftwithin and across 00110Daments
- 'external and other special ttkining ;regress
- lAchange agreements with other agencies
- Committee and task force assignments within the Agency
and with inter-agency groups
- Special details and temporary assignments within the
Agency and to such outside bodies as BSC
- Other special arrangements
The task of devising executive development plans will probably be
given the Deputy Directors most oonoereed, but the Bout suet retain respons-
ibility for their final Approval and also for monitoring their execution.
The Board must take the initiative in creating new development opportuni-
ties and in expAnding.and modifying others already ave4ab1e. It must also
insure that Importait opPOrtisnities.vbieh present themselves in the normal
course of affairs - such as Senior School Quotas, inter-agency exchanges
appointmeni of inter-agency task forces, eta. - are exploited in mays that
yield the greatest return for '-the Adimozi It should be quite unusual, for
example, to nominate for oiler& t4esAssietes 3 ewes at the National be
College an individual vbo i16:4?talAbe executive inventory.
sttionr
13. Most decisions as to how the ftecutive Development Board will function
and how the Program will be administered must await their establishment.
However, several items deserve special *entice.
When an individual is "tapped" for the lbecutive Inventory, 'what notice
is given? The ideal answer is "none" except to Board ambers and other
top officials concerned. This means ;hat the individual is not told, his
career service designation is not changed, and all other visibleiroshols
and processes remain as before. Of course, an extra review is added to
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any significant plan or action initiated by a conponent effecting the indi-
vidual. But this can be done quite discreetly. The responsible Deputy
Director will know of the plan as sell es the individual's status on the
Inventory and can present the matter to the Board.
No real advantage can come from giving notice as to mho is an executive
candidate, and considerable unhappiness can be generated, especially if he
is later dropped. To be sure, there vAll be actions from time to time affect-
ing candidates that may be "read" by c011eagues as signaling their inclusion
in the Inventory, but this type of speculation is harmless. ?
How will the Board conduct most of its business - in formal meetings
or through unllAteral actions of webers? Hopefully, the answer is "formal
meetings". And this can be done without burdening the masibers with an
excessive nusiber of regularly scheduled or ad. hoc meetings if: (a).ade-
quate preparations are made for each meeting and (b) a career plan exists
for each executive candidate. Regular meetings 3 or times * year Should
permit the Board to transact its major business. One of these seseions
should be devoted primarily to an annual cerise aM.updating of cariper plans.
"IP
How will Executive Candidates be tapped for the Inventory? By formal
Board action, on the Neoommendation at one or more of is members. Each
recommendation should be accampanied by a propnsed plan, at least in broad
outline, for the future development and use of the individual.
Candidates can be dropped from the Inventory whenever the Board con-
siders they no longer possess the potential for top executive positions.
The Board. may also wish to establish a special category for Candidates
who remain in the Inventory for position planning purposes but are no longer
under active "development". Persons already occupying top positions and
others considered qualified to do so but who are near retimement might well
be in wuch a oateg.orr.
CONCLUSION
14. One of the critical pordblems inherent in the administrative affairs
of any organization is the iseceesify.telprovide an adequate replenishment
of managers and executives foltarthe positions' of leadership that must
inevitably and recurringly SidOhe vacant. CIA has recognised its responsi-
bilities in this area and bliiPpiiken- a =Ober of praiseworthy steps to pro-
vide developmental opportunitLei for moat of its careers:embers.
However, we have displayed consistent timidity ingesting the needs of
candidates for to executive positions even though this group constitutes
the indispensable nucleus of our Organisation. Despite our awareness of this
weakness, we have not acted to correct it. The time is therefore at band
to isolate from the broader problem of career development the crucial issuis.'-
of executive development and to establish a special, centrally directed
program to deal with it.
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Our Emanative 'Development Program should. be established along the
following lines:
a. Responsibility:for the Proram - shouldte assigned to an Execntiv3
Development Boara camp? of: the Executive Director SA Chair-
man, the 4 Deputy Directors as members, sand the Director at Pers-
onnel as executive secretary.
b. Scope of Program - The Board should be responsible far establishing
and mainteining an Executive 'amatory listing the senior positions
of concern to the program and the candidates beingsgroomei to fill
them. The-positions Shoal& include:
H - all manegeriel peeitions,084:7 and above,
and all staff .positions at those levels requiring a
broad, general bankgrmusi...
Field,- chiefs of installations with major policy
responsibilities involving more than one Headquarter.:
Deputy Directorate.s. .
c. Identification of ftecutive Candidates '-'tran'issong Agency employeea
G8-15 or above who have already hid mansearial experienoe the
Board should select candidates for the EXecutive lavenbar;vho.
possess the capacity, the desire, end tbispotential',f0r:toP all0040-
ment positions. Notice of selectione'shoult:not,be'givelEeandi
dates or anyone else except &embers of the Board:And OtIM"tw.:
officials concerned. - -
d. Methods of Develagmaat - The Board should approve and administer a
career plan for eacEkxecutive Candidate, including arrangsnamts
for such additional training and developmental opportunities as
may be indicated for each candidate. Development nethofts'shonlit
Lucinda: rotational assign:sent., special internal or external
trnining, rpaitatpation. in inter-agency exchange agreements membez?
ship on inter-agency task forces and. committees, special details* etc.
:Ra0cyTATI2ra
15. Recommend praspiegitOi 'filiAlt of anfteeitive Development Prop's'
along the lines suggested;1# paragraph lk above.
't
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ACTION MEMORANDUM
(CLASSIFICATION)
TO
VIA
SUBJECT :
REFERENCE:
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
Director of Personnel
Deputy Director/Support
Generalist Corps
Action Memorandum No.
Date I May 1963
1. 1 think the time has come to take the steps indicated in
the Personnel study of a year ago to establish a Generalist Corps
which would be the group whose career service would be under the
direction of the DDC.a. Recent experience indicates the ixnportarce
of this if we are ever to achieve a single Agency program where
senior officials can be rotated between units for the best interests
of the Agency.
2. Would the Office of Personnel provide me with a proposal
on this by 1 July 1943.
SUSPENSE DATE: 1 July 1963
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(signed) Lyman B. Kirkpatrick
Lyman B. Kirkpatrick
Executive Director
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(CLASSIFICATION)
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PRCELEA
1. To es-blish an Agency program to idintify and provide special dtv
11:ental onportunities for eraploye-es consiaered to possess the potential for
positions of senior managerial and executive responsibility.'
I.V.C.11-0 101 TID
2. Oe of the managerial problems inhlrent in administerin-, the affairs of
CIA is the developident of adequate num-)erc of properly qucaified
to re,'ace the managers arid execut:Ives - at all levels - -who Inevitab,y
L say vacate the posltions the:, vow hold. 2ecognizini; this e tial
Lid the special character whLch .;he nature of our Agency invests It
with, ,accessive CIA administrations a=1 looked to a number of difftent
means ,2 dealing with the ratter. Three of their studies are especially
pertinent:
a. The proposals of the 1952 Carer Service Committee which, a
ap.)roved by the DCI, established our resentcareer service
Amon: the proposals was one for an Ixecutiv Inventory thr.-wa 1-ctual1y
set up. It listed about 150 venir:professionals consi17.!red
cari-
dnins or key positions in the Agcney, but because some of the eisential
e.Le?ients required for its mairtewJL uere wissing, and attentidh was
concentrated on other aspects of the'career service system, the tnven-
tory -was permitted to expire rot lonl after- its creation.
I4LEGIB
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No. 13 Consider JOTts as ."generalists".
No. 14 Give all supergrades a "generalist" designation.
No. 15 Establish a DCI Par/scans-1 geard to -handle matters invol-ing
supergrades.
--D. 16 Make the Director of Personnel responsible for identifytng
those individuals inthe mildle echelon managerial gradt2s
who should be considered for CIA generalists.
. 17 Establish a mid-career traiaing course for the purpose pf
selecting riddle echelon sOervisors who should be nem&
CIA generalists.
No. 20 Establish a Personnel Development Board to work full tiLe
creating and implementinu plans for generalists.
.1A,:;;CUSION
4. Tli2OULi all the background papers on executive development in the! A7,ency
there ri.r t least one common therre: the recorTition that our career system
must p:oducen adequate supply of -wei.1 developed, bronaly experience
cinuic],es for the sey executive pests in the Agency. On this centra lL issue
t:.ere never been any dispute. or ca_l there be if we are really rommit-
ted tc ';11,, lotion that ours is a career service. Nevertheless, our attions ILLEGIB
(on th i ue) have never matched our intentions. Why?
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--Second, during the 8 or 9 yea' L - relatively stable ones insofar as
the size end projected growth of th) Agency were concerned - we may have
felt that sufficient numbers of qualified reeleeeeeets were already on 'bane.
Experience hap Ileree this out eenerally. Retirements and other losses
among to executives have not been beyoed our capacity to deal with. It is
only now, as we look ahead and oontemplete the sharp rise in aneipated.
,losses over the next 5-10 years, that we became alareed. For we realize
that, not onLy will our executive losses go up abruptly, but so will the
losses of "replaceeents" we've been relying on, becauae they too will ee
leaving the egency along with or closely behind the executives they miget
have replaced. Our problem i4 thus changing dimensions as the average ege
of our senior personnel continues to climb.
--Third, our Lepaty Direceorates and Career Services have been absorbed
weee responsibilities for developing their own career staffs, incl.-ding
their own icey executives. In eddition, they may have reasoned that the
development ef executives for broader uses would necessarily impiege on and
possibly even clash with their parochial and immediate concerns.
-eie:te to be overlooked, also, is the fact that most past propocels
for executive development have been interlocked with a variety of other
ideas-whiche- though related perhaps, were not essential:to the central
problee of identifying and developine ,ep execueives. Yet the proposele
were presented and treated as e package and, because same of them, were un-
popular, the baby went out with the bath water.
Ee3CUTIV2 DEVELOPMENT - THE CRUCIAL ISSUE
5. Perhaps eiee has core, therefore, eo isolate from the broaeer
problee of ceeeer developaene ehe cruciel issue of executive develop -eat
and deal wit- le alone. Th. .pproach ieay well succeed where ethers haee
not. And si ely ehere can be eo harm In requiring the separate elenente
of our cereee ecrvize syste:1 to stand or fell on their individual eeeeee.
Tying unccetcen proeosels to ceund ones zerves only to weaken them both
and risk the r total non-acceptance.
For eee, :CaSC3, it ueee0 prudent Tb distill free the eoneept of a
"generaleet col-pr.":..hose aspects concerned with the identification and
developu.ent (,f top executives and concentrate oe z:ust those elements.
Ueeee eech en approach, let's look at the elements involved in
executive de elopmeat program:
ReseonsibiliI
6. The eeee,ceve Drecter ie correct in eroposeng (ve assume) a DC: Board
to ea:lege a eeoeram concerned with the development of top executives. The
prcbleas invve.4 La such a prograe transcend component boundeeieae So
should the responsibility. It cannot be discharged Successfully anywhere
else.
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However, it would be a eiseake to ee,ek this responsibilie: eiee
side'of, or can be avorced fro, the ceeeand line of the Agency and te,_
be dealt eete as a sort of c-tf: functioe. It cannot. The Director of
Personnel and other eeaff eerieere den be or invaluable assistance in the
support of sech a program; bat ;he uleimate decisions and inpleeenteng actions
without whecl. there can be no peogram - must come from the senior Agency
commanders themselves.
Therefore, it is propoeed ehat reapoesibility for the executive develop-
ment program be given a Board cemposed of:
Execeeeve Dieeeter, Chairean
4 teeuee Directors, Members
Director of Personnel, Executive Seer,
eleeents of Program
7. eee.....te4ve development peograul as visualized here, would coeeiee of
these elee
f eeeinieion of geele.
-ee edentification of employees eonsidered to 1)0CSOGS the cepec:ety,
des:-, aee eeteneiel for Ageeee position; of senior managerial and execu-
tive e.eponsieiliey.
. The establishment aee ealetenaece of an executeve inventory lestine
tee eeneor poeitione of concern to the preps= and the candidates being
gromeee to fill the:.
d. The eveluteen of eleee and epeoreunities for eeecutive develoeeent
through rotational assignmenee, external Lad other special training, coeleittee
aea eee- force assieements, seeeial details, exchange agreeeents with other
agencies, etc.
e. The selection of caedieates for executive positions.
eefenition of..e.`oels
b. eeefere la-nchiee an execeeeve developeant program - and throeghoet les
life - we neee general agreeeene as to ite purposes and objectives and e
ecieeon understanding of the teres and procedures employed. For instance,
for our purpoees:
-,eet is an exeeutive?
-how early in an officer's career wel ". we try to evaluate his executive
poteetieee
-Bow lone do we expect e cendidete te remain in our "inventery"?
- Will tee program attempt to embrece all executive positions or just
those in the "generalist" categor3e:
- How maey candidates will we try to identify for each executive poet?
- Will candidates be groomed for specific posts or developed more gea-
ere-115/1
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The next few sections will try to svggest answers to these and other
related questions.
ESIat of PISZE.4121
9. Earlier we talked of developing "top executives", "senior managers", etc.
What do we mean?
Clearly, our concern has to do with executive and managerial reqilire-
ments involving broad, general experience - experience which normally can-
not be deo:aired entirely within one Agency compotent but which takes bppor-
tanities beyond those a single componentaan provide. We mean "generfal.sts"
and are not talking of "specialist", thou lh we recognize they too haVL
developmen;a1 needs.
is clear also that our concern is for a tnecial program - sman in
sic, narrow in focus, and concentrated in purpose. A program to suniae-
n, the eiTorts of the major components ,which, after all, have the 4rt7i7ary
of directing, developing and nanaging the Agency's work force. f,
to .:dke over the job of tralning,and preparing the select feNifwno
ha?,t_ execut:me potentials beyond the capacity of a single component tb pro-
vide auequate developm:_ntal opportunities for.
sharper definition to the limits of our program, we probbbly
following executive positions (numbering about 130 - 140) ant the
poLeh...-d1 candidates to fill them:
a. cud7uarters - all managerial positions GS-17 and above, and all
positions at those levels requiring a broad, general background.
b. - Chiefs of instailations?vith major policy responsibilities,
or with significant managerial responsibilities involving mote than
)hc headquarters Deputy Directorate.
.c.entification o Exeehtive Candidates
10. ',T:?-7) when", and "by whom' are the ,-principal questions to answ*r
about the ie.entification of executive candidates.
have suggested they be individuals possessing the capacity,
the dehfre, arld the potential for top manaerial-positions. Paragrdpt*
definef; for our purposes the meaning of "top managerial positions".
? The view was expressd that only Senior commanders can!make
tho -yTs.ions involved in an executive development program. Surely the
formal luentification of a candidate is a key decision.
The "right" answer is: wheaeVer we can make a choice wits
rJ1 assurance of its correctess. ? But that injects into the piogram
VICSS and unwieldinesa we should avoid, and can by an arbitrary!
decision concerning "eligibles",
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On 31 March 1963, we had:
GRADE
GS -lb
17
16
15
14
e13E.P, OF
IZIPLOYEES
Considering the large numbers of pOtential "eligibles", let's arbi-
teeeily confine our search to those who iAre GS-15 or above and have already
entered the "generalist" ranks.
iee 1962 TasL Force on Person:eel Aanagement recommended that JOI's be
leeeT_ed "generalists" and also that aeni-career training course be i to
edentify "generalists". For our purpose, such actions are believedt ; e-
Le_ere. We lade techniques discreet enough to identify the individuCee in
early aa mid-year groups who 'rill rise to to executive positiote. We
u1d try, of course; but this would proe.uce.a large, diffused develderient
eee,:;reei instead of a small, snecially tailored one. It would erob'Able
result i. ess effective one. More ilir)ortantly, it would produce d
ctraLly kirected progro2a invadin the cc-A:a:rand orerogatives of Career Ser-
vices au they are now established; at too low a level. Whether benerits
from sech a program extension would ever compensate adequately for this
"Invasion" is very questionable.
The eroposal to restrict executive candidates to GS-15's and abdt
rests therefore on two ideas nrimaeily:
- the bi that a snail, tightly managed se-o-
-eith clear17 established, specific objectives
eehleve far better results in developing t n
e,e0ueiveE than rii 1 a laree multi-purpose pro4eam.
- conv-ction that in our Agency the
cf deveLopin career elmnloyees, including llose
st:ned ?Drexocutive pogts, can best be handZe7 by
ie oepuruce Curce" ::;erviocs and Deputy Directdrates
eel should rcealh iter reenonsibility.
25X1
ILLEGIB
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management differ or diverge from thole of a subordinate component.
the development of senior executives, tae need for a suppleMentary
Agency program - centrally directed - al)pears to emerge at about the 0S-15
ana.eortainly not below 14. Up to that point the Career ervices
and Deputy Directorates can manage the ,00b quite adequately, incluaing cross-
component assignments. If at times they don't, it's usually the result of
human weaknesses and not of the systea employed.
wever, above the 14 level, candidates fcre senior positions .aeed
opportuni,,ies for rotational assienmehte, external training, special deeails,
and ether broadening experiences that individual Directorates generally
,...naot provide. _Even more signifcantly, the interests of top mansgiAment
In the development of certain candidates may differ from the parochial
interests of a component and can indeed1pecome antagonistic.
Y.Le foregoing reasons argue for an, Executive Development prograa which
at the Agency level is quite restricted- in size and "inducts" candidates
-al.:" after they have manifested potential for senior "generalist" positions.
GS-15 as the "entrance level" is purely arbitrary and could in some
r?ase.,, be artificial; but it provides a teefUl bench mark for systemdtic
re,iews of possible candidates.
Executive Darentory
i:arlier comments have suggested an executive inventory consisting of
the following positions:
l'eadquarters - all menagerie:. positions GS-17 and above, and ar.. staff
tositions at those levels reeuirintr. a brad, general background.
?ield - chiefs of installations with major policy responsibilities, or
significant managerial responsibilities involving more than one
i.eaequarters Deputy Directorete.
It w.s estimated that the inventory would embrace 130 to 14o jdbs.
_latched against these jobs should appear: the incumbents; and the Cc:Ler
executives candidates, about 300 perthapt, being groomed for the job d listed.
tne extent reasonable, the inventory should indicate the no4:tfon(s)
?:iich each candidate is being groomcd and, conversely, the prospective
!.n.I.,(1.7-.tc,(s) for each position. Yn both cases, multiple listings shiould
aL"aliy occur - i.e., most key positions should have several prospedtive
a.id most individuals in the inventory should be preparirV for
.ore7:1-1 one job.
.:cL.pa:sibility for establishing 'and maintaining the inventory bkAongs
to the Career Development Board. Inventory records, because of theitr
sitivity, should probably be =intuited personally by the CI:lain:Lail and
u Zxecutive Secretary.
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3)
Comnlementary inventories wila. very likely be established in eadh
Deputy Directorate, embracing jobs at the next lower executive levelt.
This will facilitate the management of the Agency inventory and should be
encouraged.
Develoiment Yethods
12. After identifying executive candidates and deciding at least tentative-
the position(s) for which they should'be preparing, the Board must shape
at _Least in broad outline - a development plan for each candidate. Plans
-ary according to the age and experience of the candidate, the Jobs
wnich he is being groomed, his prior, training, etc. Some will be speci-
f, others very general. But they must provide realistic, working 'targets
for the future assignment and training of every candidate; this is edsential
to the successful conduct of the program.
The ingredients of executive development plans include:
- Rotational assignments within and across components
- External and other special training programs
- Exchange agreements with other agencies
- Committee and tahk force assignments within the Agency
and with inter-a4ency groups
- Special detnile eui temporary assignments within the
Aency and to such outside bodies as NSC
- Other special arrangements
The task of devising executive development plans will probably be
given he Deputy Directors most coreerned, but theBoard must retainrespons-
fbility for their final approval and also for monitoring their execution.
? Bard must take the initiative in creating new development Oportuni-
?ie and in expanding and modify others nTready available. It mutt also
.C11:17E: :,:aportant opportunitie which present themselves in the normal
cc.ir7c of affairs - such as ,Senior Sch3on iitiotas, inter-agency exchanges,
ai.:J;ointment of inter-agency task ferce3,: etc. - are exploited in way* that
zielhe :;reatest return for the :.gency. It should be quite unusual, for
en,kle, to nominate for one of the Agency's 3 spaces at the National War
College an individual who is not on the executiveinventory.
Adminis'zration
:%ost decisions as to how the Executive Developnent Board will fdaction
how the Program will be adminiEterad must await their establishmdat.
II,TJwever, several items deserve special mention.
? an individual is "tapped" for the Executive Inventory, what?notice
given? The ideal answer is "none", eXcept to Board members and otner
? oZficials concerned. This means that the individual is not told; his
? cr service designation is not changed, and all other visible syMbols
ahd processes remain as before. Of coarse, an extra review is added!to
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ay significant plan Or action initiated by a 00tponent affecting the indi-
vidual. But this can be done quite discreetly. The responsible Deputy
Director will know of the plan as well aS the individualla status on thn
Inventory An4 solo Ts...agent tna matter to tile Board.
No real advantage can come fro-a giving notice as to who is an extcutive
candidate, and considerable unhapniaess can be generated, especislly if he
it; ltn,er dropped. To be sure, ther2 will be actions from time to time affect-
ing. candidates that may be "read" by colleagues as signaling their inelusion
in the inventory, but this type of speculation is harmless.
:,ow will the Board conduct most of i'ss business - in formal meettl,gs
or throur7J1 unilateral actions of member 3T Hopefully, the answer is "tolmal
And this can be done withou's burdening the members with an
excessive number of regularly scheduled or adhoc meetings if: (a) ade-
quate nreparations are made for each meetng and (b) a career plan exists
fe:2 o-c_ executive candidate. Regu:ar meetings 3 or 4 times a year s4ould
permit 46he Board to transact its major Im6iness. One of these sessions
should be devoted primarily to an annual review and updating of career nlans.
ow will Executive Candidates be tapped for the Inventory? By formal
Board action. on the recommendation of ont or more of its members. EA,A,
recomAendation should be accompanieel by a'proposed plan, at least in -oad
outline, for the future development and use of the individual.
'.;andidates can be dropped from the Inventory whenever the Board con-
siders they no longer possess the potential for top executive nositior
:heJCX: ,,,ay also wish to establish:a speclal category for Can,.ieates
who reain thc Inventory for ,ositior planning purposes but are no :Longer
under ac-,:ive elopment". Persons already occupying top positions .4r!
others considurcd qualified to do so but Who are near retirement might: well
be in such a categ,ory.
,ONS
pprove
ILLEGIB
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Our Executive Development Program should be established along the
following lines:
a. Resnonsfbilqy for the Program . should be assigned to an Esteutive
Development Beard_ camped-ea-6n- the Executive Director as Chair-
man, the 4 Deputy Directors as Members, and the Director of Pers-
onnel as executive secretary.
u. .cone of Prcvam - The Boar: sholild be responsible for estab!.ishing
i-nd maintaining an Executive Inventory linting the senior positions
of concern to the program and thl candidates being groomed tk fill
them. The positions should include:
headquarters - .111 lozvagerial positions GS-17 and above)
and all staff positicom at those levels requiring ,a
broad, general backgniund.
2ield - chiefs of insr;allations with major policy
responsiilities involving more than one Ileadquartlrs
Deputy Directorate.
c. ,d(.,r,ification of :71xecutivo Caudatsls - from among Agency eRtployees
u0-15 or above who have all-eadv had managerial experience, th-!
bard should select candidates for the Executive Inventory who
2oasess the capacity, the uesire, and the potential for top nianage-
;,ent positions. Notice of selections should not be given canqi-
da-,es or anyone else except metlbers of the Board and other t?1
oficials concerned.
r-------1
The -1301ai.::'. should arrprove and adminiEiter a
_utive Cr: r,'Iidate, including arrangements
1 ng and . develonmental opportuni ties t, E3
C` a mit eft te. Develoriment meth ons sheitILI cl
gnments, special internal or externai
in inter-agency exchange agreements, :-.ernber-
force s ' ind ccrr ittees, special detal-: 1 t., etc.
,1CC):4I, E.1:Di '7'1 DNS
___ ...... __ _
15. Recommend prompt establishment of an Ixecutive Development Prograr
..long the lines suggested in paragraph 14 'lbove.
c.
aL Licit. I
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