As the only nonprofit dedicated to improving the effectiveness of our federal government, the Partnership for Public Service pursues constructive, practical and high-leverage solutions that are making tangible improvements to our government’s operational capability. We are a catalytic organization that strengthens federal leadership at all levels and works to modernize the laws and systems of government so that the American people receive the support that they need. Our nonpartisan stance allows us to collaborate with a range of stakeholders who share our vision for a better government, and we serve as a bridge between administrations, across the political aisle and between government and the private sector and academia. The Partnership offers best-in-class programs to develop strong leaders, equipping them to improve and transform government from the inside. We use our research to provide actionable recommendations for agency management and workforce development; advocate for civil service modernization and improved government performance; offer public-private networking and information-sharing opportunities for federal employees; run the premier recognition program for outstanding civil servants; and provide data and guidance to agencies to enhance their workplace cultures and increase employee engagement and performance. Drawing from our extensive track record, we have identified areas that have hindered government’s broad ability to continue delivering innovative and more effective programs to the American people: Presidents shape the direction of our nation, but seldom appreciate the strong link between the success of their administrations and the need for capable leaders with management experience to carry out their policies and programs. New administrations also typically start slowly and lag in staffing, which exacerbates the fundamental problem of having short-term leaders who are not incentivized to pay attention to the long-term health of the organizations they run. Leaders in government often lack access to robust, real-time performance information about their organizations and the effectiveness of their programs. The government’s goals are improved public goods rather than better financial returns, which makes measuring and managing for performance even harder. Federal agencies need to keep up with an ever-changing world, requiring quick and agile responses. While some leaders and offices are adapting, there are few clear models or tools for transformation, and as a result, leaders rarely focus on the right things or make much progress during their short tenures. Most consequential problems require multi-agency, intergovernmental or cross-sector action, but the federal government is organized in silos and that often makes collaboration and coordination difficult. To navigate these issues, we need strong leaders to create successful outcomes. We want to help create the next generation of leaders who can overcome these challenges.

1. Presidential Transition. Transitions between administrations are pivotal moments that lay the groundwork for governmental success. Since 2008, the Partnership has worked with all eligible candidates to ensure that the eventual winner would be fully prepared to govern. Leading up to the 2016 transition, we worked extensively with the Obama administration and with the presidential campaigns from both political parties and our work created a national conversation on transition and management. Building on our 2016 work, we expect to raise the bar on the preparations necessary for our political and career leaders to govern effectively. 2. Performance Insight. Good performance information is necessary for government leaders to manage effectively and for the public to hold those leaders accountable. However, this critical data is not readily available. Building on our work with the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings that are the only comprehensive measure of employee engagement government-wide and at individual agencies, we want to develop an effective federal customer experience index and other data tools that will provide critical performance insights for federal leaders and the public. 3. Agency Transformation. We have partnered closely on agency transformation efforts with the leadership teams at the Department of Labor, the Department of Education and other federal organizations. Looking ahead, we want to build a more complete playbook for improving agency capacity in critical areas – customer experience, employee engagement, innovation, leadership development and recruiting and hiring. These represent areas in which agencies must excel to become more high-performing institutions and serve the public interest. 4. Creating critical connections. Federal leaders routinely tell us that we are an indispensable resource for providing high-quality, nonpartisan insights into improving their agency operations and workforce management through our constructive recommendations, our connections with outside stakeholders and our relationships with agencies. Looking ahead, we will focus on several important initiatives, including the capacity of Congress to become a more effective steward of federal agencies; the development of university networks to encourage action in the academic community; and private sector partnerships to assist federal leaders. We also will execute our first long-term initiative outside Washington, D. C. by building the capacity of federal civil servants in California, home to the highest population of federal workers outside of the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area. 5. Raising the importance of government and our ideas. Our government faces enormous operational, performance and talent challenges that require critical stakeholders in our society to engage on the health of our government. We intend to build a coalition of business, universities, nonprofits and citizens who are galvanized to take action.

The Partnership brings five unique skills to our work that differentiate us from other organizations. Constructive: We act as a force for positive change. Finding problems is easy but identifying possible solutions is much more valuable. We work to identify these problems and propose possible solutions through Continuity: We serve as a source of continuous focus on modernization efforts, understanding that effective change requires a longer runway than is provided by the constant and quick leadership turn-over between and within administrations. Credible: We are nonpartisan, and our work is evidence-based and rooted in experience. Connector: We have created a robust community of leaders, practitioners and thinkers within and beyond government. Catalyzer. We understand that the scale of needed change requires high-leverage action and many partners. As a community, we need to help government do its job better rather than doing the job of government. The Partnership has earned a reputation as a thought leader on federal management issues—including innovation, leadership and employee engagement—and is viewed by both the private and public sectors as an objective and reliable actor with the expertise and staying power necessary to drive change in government. Since our founding, we have trained more than 15,000 federal employees to work across boundaries, promote innovative approaches to complex problems, and drive results. In essence, we are equipping public servants to improve government from the inside. We have successfully championed dozens of reforms on topics ranging from federal customer service to presidential transition planning. In a climate where it is popular and common to denounce government’s failures, we have set ourselves apart as a constructive force for change that calls out short-sighted actions by political leaders but also offers practical, actionable solutions. Thought leaders outside of government are increasingly taking notice of our value as a credible catalyst for change that provides continuity across presidential administrations.

Our vision of an agile and effective government capable of addressing the increasingly complex problems of the day will not come easily or quickly. We recognize that we need to design our work in stages and to be clear about the outcomes we intend to achieve in each stage. For the next four years (2019 through 2022), we will hold ourselves accountable for the following five outcomes: 1. Presidential candidates, federal agencies and Congress understand their roles and responsibilities in implementing and improving presidential transitions and contribute accordingly to the smooth functioning of government across presidential administrations. 2. Executive and Legislative branch leaders develop more and use better government performance data to drive high quality decision-making. 3. Agency and White House leaders prioritize improving government effectiveness by using transformation tools and models. 4. Career, political, White House and congressional leaders increasingly work together across the federal enterprise and across sectors to develop and implement solutions to better serve the American public. 5. Business, philanthropy, universities and the media have a better understanding of government’s operational challenges and how its limitations impact our broader society as well as the specific issues they care about. As a result, they will commit time, expertise and financial resources toward helping identify and implement solutions.

Over the past 18 years, we have: Built the Call to Serve network to inspire and educate a new generation about public service by connecting more than 1,000 colleges and universities with nearly 80 federal agencies, improving government's ability to recruit and hire a quality workforce; Established the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals to highlight the value and impact of public service by recognizing exceptional civil servants for their extraordinary accomplishments—to date, more than 5,000 nominations have been received and more than 400 public servants have been recognized; Created the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings—the most comprehensive examination of federal employee satisfaction and commitment, turning agency leadership and media attention to the health of the federal workforce and its role in achieving effective and efficient government. In addition to Congress holding hearings on employee engagement, Cabinet secretaries included it among their top strategic priorities and the Obama administration made it a key element of its management agenda; Launched the Ready to Govern program to better prepare administrations and their presidential appointees to lead government from day one. The Partnership works to ensure a smooth and safe transfer of both power and knowledge by working throughout the transition process. From engaging with Presidential campaign leaders and transition teams to help them understand government management challenges to onboarding new political appointees with courses such as Ethics and Optics, and Managing the Career/Political Interface emphasize the Partnership is setting the incoming administration on a path to successfully execute against its campaign promises; Successfully championed 38 laws and resolutions—including bills that reduced the number of politically appointed positions subject to Senate confirmation, provided major party presidential candidates with pre-election planning resources to help ensure a smooth transition to power, and established chief human capital officers at key departments and agencies; and Generated hundreds of pieces of thought leadership that are driving better government. Our thought leadership has spurred agencies to improve their employee engagement, invest in their senior executives and try new ways of doing business. Our research topics range from cybersecurity to wholescale reform of federal government's personnel system, offering actionable steps our stakeholders can take to address many of the challenges that impede government's progress.