EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF EXECUTIVE TRAINING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85B01152R001001300040-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: August 19, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

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? Wl\ 1' 1 Ll~l\ 1 1 AL
DD/A :.:: ~ i S'C Y`gc'
~ 3 -/S~o
19 August 1983
OTE 83-6303
Deputy Director for Administration
Director of Training and Education
SUBJECT: Executive Committee Consideration of Executive
Training
1. The Issue. On 31 August 1983 the Executive Committee
will consider an OTbcE proposal for a new Agency executive
training program. At issue is the kind of training OTdcE should
offer to meet the Agency's needs for executive development.
2. Background. Since January 1983, the F..xecutive Develop-
ment Staff of OTbcE has been studying this issue.
-- The study began with a survey of 20 external programs
to determine how other agencies develop their executives, and
what training courses are available in other agencies and at
various academic institutions.
-- In April, at a conference convened by the Center for
the Study of Intelligence, some 24 participants (GS-15 to SIS-3)
identified and explored issues related to executive develop-
ment. Their observations and suggestions were circulated to the
Deputy Directors and their associates, and to the chiefs of
offices, area divisions, and major staff elements throughout the
Agency for review and comment.
-- Eighty-seven of these senior officials were then
interviewed regarding their views on the effectiveness of CIA's
program for senior officer development, on the competencies
required of Agency executives, and, more specifically, on the
Agency's needs for executive training.
-- In studying the results of these interviews, OTdcE
discovered considerable ambiguity and diversity in perceived
needs. We developed a number of options designed to accommodate
these differences. These options--with a proposal recommended by
OTacE--were circulated to the Deputy Directors in a memorandum
dated 14 June 1983.
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CONFIDENTIAL
SUBJECT: Executive Committee Consideration of Executive Training
3. Observations. OTacE offers the following key
observations and conclusions derived from its study.
_ - _ -- Executive development is a problem of growing pro-
portions in the Agency, requiring the immediate and continuing
-attention of top management to ensure that CIA will continue to
have leadership of the highest quality. (See data in tables at
attachment A.)
-- Many executives consider the Senior Officer
Development Program as currently constituted as not the best
possible approach to selecting, training and developing an
executive force that will enable CIA to meet traditional
standards of excellence.
-- Because of the diversity in functions and experience
of the various directorates, a centralized Agency-wide program
for executive development would be difficult to implement and
generally is not acceptable to the career services.
-- The range of developmental needs is reflected in the
large number of key executives at or near retirement age, the
relative youth of others, and the number with less than ten years
of Agency experience.
-- Complicating this picture is a trend toward greater
specialization in some directorates, and the reduced opportunity
for junior officers to serve in assignments outside their basic
career services. Our next leaders are not likely to have the
breadth of experience of those currently in SIS-3 and SIS-4
positions. Opportunities for such assignments and changes in
career among officers at the GS-15 and SIS-1 level are
increasingly rare.
-- Finally, we conclude that, to be most effective as an
executive, an Agency officer's career should include a pro-
gression of challenging developmental assignments in his/her
basic career service, and if possible, at least one assignment
outside that service to broaden one's Agency perspective. These
on-the-job experiences should be complemented by internal and
external training courses to help familiarize officers with
concepts and techniques that can help him/her perform effectively
at the executive level. Such preparation can help the officer
make the shift to an executive perspective, and enhance his/her
competence at managing complex intelligence activities.
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CONFIDENTIAL
SUBJECT: Executive Committee Consideration of Executive Training
4. Proposed Executive Training Program. After considering
-the various training options outlined in our 14 June 1983
-memorandum, and given the diversity of developmental needs found
in the career services, we recommend a flexible training program,
-comprising a core course to be attended by all officers on their
initial appointment to an SIS-level position, supplemented by a
series of specialized, elective seminars and mini-courses open to
all officers in executive positions. (See attachments B and C
for training options and OT&E's proposed curriculum.)
-- The core curriculum would focus on those skills which
are in the purview of most Agency executives, such as dealing
with Congress, planning, delegating, preparing a budget, etc. It
would give them an Agency outlook, and help them make the shift
to an executive perspective from which they can focus more on the
conceptual level, and on integrating the work of their component
to the rest of the Agency and the government. It would provide a
training experience that would be common ultimately to all Agency
executives. By limiting the core course to SIS-level officers,
we would reduce the "miss rate" experienced when we attempt to
train prospective executives in the larger population of GS-14s
and 15s.
-- The electives would be organized in close
consultation with the career service panels, in an effort to
tailor what is offered to the needs of individual officers and of
the components. These multiple training opportunities will help
broaden officers in certain skill areas, and provide knowledge
where their prior experience may not have prepared them
adequately to function at the executive level.
5. Views of the Deputy Directors. The DDI and the DDO
responses to our 14 June 1983 memorandum are attached. The DDA
and DDSbcT requested that we brief their staffs on the issue.
Directorate reactions to our proposal were generally positive,
although some differences were expressed regarding implementation
strategies. (See attachments D do E.)
6. Action Requested:
-- We request that the Executive Committee approve the
OTacE executive training proposal.
-- We further request that the Executive Committee
members agree that the Career Services should review their goals
and activities aimed at developing the next echelon of executives
with a view to discussing with OT&E representatives the training
needs of specific candidates. Discussion would center on the
OTacE curriculum, but could also include consideration of external
training or other developmental opportunties as well.
3
OONFIDENTIAL
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OONFIDENTIAL
SIIBJECT: Executive Committee Consideration of Executive Training
-- The Executive Committee may also want to-consider
whether a broader, more comprehensive review of the professinal
and executive development needs of the Agency is .needed. Our
_~brief study, although focused on training, suggested that in many
.respects the Agency has not kept pace with other Federal services
nor with much of industry in these fields. In our survey, we
_ fi eard too often that top officers--or the best ones--can't be
spared for assignments intended to provide the breadth of outlook
and experience needed by future executives. Training can
substitute for some of this, but other initiatives beyond our
purview may be in order.
Attachments:
Al-A5 - Executive Survey Background Data
B1-B3 - Survey Responses on Training and Competencies
C - Proposed Executive Training Curriculum
D- Memo from t h e .DD I
E - Memo from the DDO
Distribution:
Original do 21 to Addressee
1 - Executive Registry
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DIRECTORATE
AVERAGE YEARS
AVERAGE AGE
OF SERVICE
DDI
20.95
47.3
DDA
26.06
54.11
DDO
27
52.78
DSEtT
15.6 4
4 9
DCI
27.58
57.83
Agency-wide
23.34
51.28
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 C (1NFIDENT IAL
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x~r ~VLN'1'S
IN EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT
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DDA
7
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DDO
16
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17
10
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DS$T
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0/DCI
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6
3
11
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42
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39
35
41
49
31
wide
*Number of people interviewed
A-3
C0~?FIDEP?TIAL
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SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, OR TRAINING LACKING
WHEN THEY BECAME EXECUTIVES (as percent of respondents)
Developmental
Assignment
Executive
and Management Senior
Skills* School
DDI
21**
29
57 10
DDA
18
6
33
DDO
23
13
48 9
DSd~T
14
50
14
O/DCI
11
9
43
Agency-
wide
87
21
46 5
*The most frequent responses Agency-wide were budget, personnel
planning, interaction with other directorates and government
agencies, long-range planning, managing limited resources,
conflict negotiation, and oral and written presentation skills,
in that order.
**Number of people interviewed.
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JOT/CT
Midcareer
Senior Seminar/
SODC
Senior
School
DDI
5
14
9
10
21*
.~
DDO
17
11
5
1
18
DS~'T
2
6
4
2
23
DDA
14
5
8
7
5
O/DCI
5
5
2
4
11
Agency-
wide
34
44
27
22
*Number of people interviewed.
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CONFIDENTIAL
EXECUTIVE TRAINING OPTIONS
% in favor of:
DDI
DDA
DDO
DSdcT
O/DCI
Agency-
wide
OTE course longer
than 4 weeks
63
79
9
43
78
48
p
broader selection,
shorter courses
d
l
*
50
50
69
79
50
64
mo
u
ar
part-time (during or
after hours)
54
40
64
30
53
50
86
79
50
14
63
48
self-study material
100
29
50
77
67
49
*Modular approach consists of a number of
short courses, workshops or seminars dealing
with specific subjects.
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% i n favor of
Agency-wide courses
use of prestigious
schools
EXECUTIVE TRAINING OPTIONS
DDI DDA DDO DSdtT O/DCI Awidey
79 93 ?7 86 100 85
75 63 33 64 73 57
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 CONFIDENTIAL
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KEY EXECUTIVE CO)tIPETENCIES~
External Orientation
Management
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