January Procurement Operations Division Code 210 MD-715 Project Management Person Responsible: Valorie Burr, Procurement Officer Project Facilitator: Karen Weaver Organizational Development Specialist Organizational Leadership & Culture Office, Code 111 Dated: January, 2008

January What is MD-715? EEOC Management Directive MD-715 provides policy guidance and standards for establishing and maintaining effective affirmative programs of equal employment opportunity under Section 717 of Title VII (PART A) and effective affirmative action programs under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act (Part B) For the complete text and more information see

January Requirements Establish a “Model EEO Program” Conduct initial and annual Self- Assessments Barrier Identification and Elimination Reporting Requirements

January Activities by the GSFC Office of Equal Opportunity Assessment of the Management and Operations Directorate Statistical analysis of the Center’s Procurement Operations Division showed under-representation of African Americans in the 1102 occupational series at grades 13 and above Review of data and study of Code 210 Survey conducted with a group of employees from the Procurement Operations Division (POD) to learn more about what it is like to work in the POD and identify any barriers regarding recruitment, retention and advancement for minorities

January Survey Findings Career Advancement Getting Ahead Uncertain – some are unclear about the criteria for getting ahead (ie. warrants, inconsistent application of policies, etc.) Education – employees understand that there are degree and training requirements Clique – an advocate in senior management is essential to get the assignments needed to prove one’s self Experience – challenging assignments and being able to demonstrate you can do the work are needed to get ahead Race – may impact promotion opportunities

January Survey Findings Show Stoppers Bucking the system – (ie. speaking out, questioning management, etc.) Making a mistake – early in one’s career are played over and over Lack of education Lack of initiative Not having an advocate in the clique Complaining – (ie. don’t whine up, don’t forget to appear grateful)

January Survey Findings Career Development Opportunities – limited opportunities for rotations and mentoring Individual Development Plans – limited use Education Requirements – inconsistent application of policies regarding education requirements in promoting employees to GS-13; inconsistent application of policies regarding part-time study programs Organizational Climate Openness – new ideas are usually not received well or at all Need good relationship with management Need frequent dialogue with management

January Barriers Identified in MD-715 Report Two Barriers Were Identified in the MD-715 Report. Barrier #1: The lack of a well defined, written and published criteria for non-supervisory GS-13 and 14 positions has resulted in few minority applicants for GS-13 positions and a limited pool for GS-14 positions. Barrier #2: A significant portion of the minority population in the division perceives the organizational culture to be one that limits their access to management personnel. Specifically, these employees believe that this access affects their developmental assignments, performance feedback, recognition, and awards.

January Response To Date: Barrier # 1 Performance Requirements for Contract Specialists added to the Code 210 Web site Plans to develop career paths for Contract Specialists

January Response to date: Barrier # 2 Procurement Operations Division attended a 3-day retreat including “Race, Power & Privilege” training Office of Human Capital Management assigned a Organizational Development Specialist to work with management to develop the action plan to respond to issues identified Project Plan developed with approach for addressing barriers Learning Group – (on-going) facilitated by the Procurement Officer Code 210 Web site – (on-going) updated with information regarding individual organizations, policies, services, system support, and employee training and development

January Project Plan Activities Interview management team and employees Develop guidelines for each role in the organization Conduct pilot with all branch offices Develop action plan to address barriers Evaluate pilot results Revise guidelines and implement for the entire organization Develop process for continuous feedback, review, and implementation of activities within the procurement organization Continue on-going conversations with the GSFC EO office; provide documentation for their reporting requirement

January Action Planning Objective To create an organizational culture that is open, inclusive and transparent and is readily perceived as equitable by all Code 210 employees irrespective of race or national origin

January Questions or Suggestions Please contact Karen Weaver by phone at (301) or via at