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4 Workforce and Human Resources
Pages 71-87

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From page 71...
... The growing need to include a broader spectrum of stakeholders, particularly groups that represent environmental issues and American Indian water rights, considerably affects how the bureau carries out its second task and the skills it requires for this. The bureau, like other engineering organizations (e.g., USACE and TVA)
From page 72...
... Both the change in tasks and the need to recruit many new people will place a premium on training, offering Reclamation an opportunity to provide integrated training -- training that tailors the engineering and managerial skills to suit the current tasks. As a leader in the sustainment and management of water resources and as an organization that plans and executes much of the necessary work, Reclamation requires a highly qualified technical and tradecraft workforce.
From page 73...
... However, the PMTS in Denver and the five regions rely on the Commissioner's Office for policy and guidance on workforce planning. In the mid-1990s, the structure of the workforce changed dramatically in reaction to the change in mission, from water resource development to water resource management.
From page 74...
... One is that an increasing amount of the bureau's work involves forging agreements between multiple stakeholders. The other is that the increasing proportion of work that involves uncertainty also requires many stakeholders to agree in order to take action and evaluate outcomes.
From page 75...
... At the same time as an increasing proportion of work is essentially negotiation and communication, there is still a role for Reclamation to play in more traditional engineering projects, such as repairing aging infrastructure and dams. Reclamation needs to
From page 76...
... Although the committee's discussions with Reclamation employees revealed generally high morale, some employees expressed a sense of victimization and resignation more than a sense of empowerment. They seemed to feel they had an impossible task and would be held responsible for not accomplishing it.
From page 77...
... USACE and DWR provided more abstract support for the necessity of an inclusive approach to water resources management. SUPPLY ANALYSIS Workforce Plan FY 2004-2008 provides an excellent method for analyzing the supply of human capital (USBR, 2003)
From page 78...
... The reduction has been in response to the change of mission, from water resources development to water resources management. Reclamation's current workforce of approximately 5,900 is primarily male (65 percent)
From page 79...
... Forging Agreements Reclamation employees are engaged in many efforts that require technical expertise in forging agreements. For example, creating water management plans for multiple integrated facilities in a watershed is an activity that takes place in all regions.
From page 80...
... As noted in Chapter 3, a strict reading of A-76 would likely find only a limited number of inherently governmental functions being performed by Reclamation's TSC and regional staff and would probably alter the demand analysis accordingly. Project Management While Reclamation will continue to have a sizable construction program over the next several years, clearly the mix of projects is changing.
From page 81...
... the continuing shift of mission from water resource development to water resource management. These changes in needed competencies will require a change in hiring, training, evaluation, and promotion.
From page 83...
... The success of Reclamation's mission to manage water resources will more and more depend on the bureau's ability to solve problems through consensus, requiring an increased emphasis on training and the retention of staff with collaborative competencies at all levels of the organization. Additionally, as the bureau more directly attempts to determine the right mix between contractor and in-house support, it should also ensure that in-house staff has the overall technical expertise to be able to monitor contractor performance effectively.
From page 84...
... Reclamation has been successfully using retention bonuses to keep the services of key senior personnel who are eligible for retirement. As an alternative, Reclamation employees in jeopardy of reducing their retirement benefits by delaying retirement have entered into postretirement contracts with Reclamation.
From page 85...
... The international unit also assists the U.S. Virgin Islands with environmental assessment.
From page 86...
... Performance Evaluation and Promotion Performance evaluations that specifically target collaborative as well as technical competencies are currently applied to Senior Executive Service staff. Similar evaluations should be used for a broader set of employees in order to encourage the development of these competencies throughout the organization.
From page 87...
... 2004. Adaptive Management for Water Resources: Project Planning.


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