Intelligence community places premium on collaboration and job satisfaction, survey says

The intelligence community has embraced a spirit of collaboration and rates higher on job satisfaction than government as a whole, according to a recent employee survey by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. But there's room for improvement, the report said.

"Yes, we are collaborating more, but we're still not at the level we that need to be," said Ronald Sanders, chief human capital officer at ODNI. "There's still a significant gap between the indentified need for collaboration and the amount of it that actually occurs."

Eighty-four percent of those surveyed at the 16 military and civilian intelligence agencies said their mission depended on "sharing knowledge and collaborating," according to the 2007 IC Annual Employee Climate Survey. That figure rose 9 percent from the previous year.

Intelligence employees have a higher appreciation for their work environment than the overall federal workforce does, the survey showed. Although down 2 percent from the previous year, 72 percent of intelligence employees said they were satisfied with their jobs. The most recent Federal Human Capital Survey, which the climate survey was modeled on, said 68 percent of employees governmentwide were satisfied with their jobs.

Only 57 percent of respondents said performance culture, the link between an employee's work and an agency's mission, goals, performance and reward systems was satisfactory.

Employees "continue to look for stronger leadership and leaders who will help them achieve their full potential," the survey reported, with 62 percent saying their agencies' leadership capacity was satisfactory. And while many employees said they had confidence in their leaders, 45 percent said agency managers generated "high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce." That figure was higher than the 38 percent reported in the 2006 federal workforce survey.

The intelligence agencies rated low on "dealing with poor performance and linking pay and promotions to performance," the survey said. Only 28 percent of respondents said their pay raises were tied to job performance, and the same percentage said their agencies had taken steps to deal with a "poor performer who cannot or will not improve."

In December 2007, ODNI established a six-tier management system to address performance issues, requiring intelligence agencies to implement it by Oct. 1, 2008. Employees will receive midyear and annual performance reviews and ratings for fiscal 2009 based on accountability for results, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, personal leadership and integrity, and technical expertise.

When the new system was announced, Sanders called it "foundational" and the first step toward pay for performance. "People are saying they don't see, and they want, a link between performance and pay and promotions," Sanders said on Tuesday at a breakfast sponsored by Government Executive. "They don't think we're doing nearly enough to hold poor performers accountable."

The intelligence community also has launched a joint-duty program that requires employees to complete one assignment outside their home agency. "In the IC for at least three years, if you want to be a senior executive, one tour in another agency is a prerequisite," Sanders said.

The report said results were consistent with the previous year, noting that intelligence employees find their work "vital and rewarding."