A presidential transition is a time of change for the country—but nowhere is that change more acutely felt than in the federal government itself. A new wave of politicians and political appointees will come in to reset agendas and missions, causing career civil servants to feel anxiety over the unknown elements that will change the nature of their jobs. This added employee stress has the potential to severely diminish employee engagement, mitigating governmental effectiveness before the transition and after the next administration takes over.
To reduce anxiety and prevent false information from spreading, managers must find ways to creatively and proactively communicate with employees. Read the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte’s latest Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® analysis to learn more about the essentials of communicating with federal employees during a presidential transition.
While many Federal employees have experienced one or more Presidential transitions, for many this will be their first. This overview, published by the General Services Administration, is designed to help all federal employees—both career and appointees—better understand and engage in the transition process to ensure a smooth Presidential transition. Includes sections on:
- Transition Activities
- Presidential Transition Timeline
- Agency Transition Directors Council
- White House Transition Coordinating Council
- Frequently Asked Questions
The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Trump for American transition team and the General Services Administration establishing the support and services the transition team will receive as described in the Presidential Transition Act. This document was signed by the GSA Federal Transition Coordinator, Tim Horne, and Trump for America Executive Director, Rich Bagger.
Executive Order 13476 from President Obama establishes the White House Transition Coordinating Council and the Agency Transition Directors Council.
Infographic that outlines the responsibilities and membership of the White House Transition Coordinating Council and the Agency Transition Directors Council.
Making smart and timely decisions will enable the next administration to more effectively implement key priorities and address emerging challenges. But it won’t be easy. Incoming leaders will be flooded with information and advice and will face a never-ending barrage of decisions. To succeed, new appointees need an organized approach that uses data and draws on proven processes and frameworks.
In this report, “Enhancing the Government’s Decision-Making: Helping Leaders Make Smart and Timely Decisions,” author Ed DeSeve presents insights and offers recommendations for transition teams and the next administration on establishing effective decision-making approaches, taking an enterprise view and using data-driven analytics.
This is the third report in our Management Roadmap series, published jointly by the Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center for The Business of Government. The reports share lessons learned from roundtable dialogues with key stakeholders, identifies promising initiatives and offers ideas on successful implementation.
Learn more about the Ready to Govern initiative.
Over the last year, the Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center for The Business of Government have held a series of roundtable discussions with key government leaders and stakeholders to develop a Management Roadmap for the next administration. This roadmap will share lessons learned, identify promising initiatives and offer ideas on successful implementation.
Our first roundtable and report focused on executive talent. Our second roundtable discussion was centered on how to create an ecosystem for cross-agency collaboration in the new administration. In the new report, “Building an Enterprise Government,” Jane E. Fountain outlines a framework that the next president and agency executives can use to formulate strategic priorities, modernize management processes and build capacity to achieve cross-agency goals.
In the coming months, we will release additional reports on related management topics. We invite you to learn more about the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition and the Management Roadmap.
Memo written by Howard Sheklanski that addresses how agencies should work with Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) during the last year of an administration. The memo states that agencies should avoid midnight regulations and should complete their highest priority rulemakings by summer to reduce end-of-year scramble.
Sound management enables the effective implementation of policy and is essential for a successful presidency. That’s why the Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center for the Business of Government have joined together in sponsoring a series of roundtable dialogues with key government leaders and stakeholders to inform the next president about critical federal management issues, and recommend actions that can strengthen the new administration’s capacity to address key challenges.
Through these roundtables, the Partnership and the IBM Center will develop a Management Roadmap for the next administration to share the lessons learned, identify promising and proposed initiatives, and offer ideas on successful implementation.
The first roundtable discussion focused on strengthening executive talent across the federal government. In the new whitepaper, “Managing the Government’s Executive Talent,” authors Doug Brook and Maureen Hartney recap the roundtable discussion and propose a framework for the next administration to manage and harness the talent of top political and career executives in order to accelerate the achievement of presidential priorities.
In the coming months we will release additional whitepapers on related management topics.
Learn more about the Ready to Govern initiative.
General Services Administration (GSA) second update memo details both planned and ongoing activities being taken by the executive branch to prepare for the possibility of a full transfer of authority to a new president as a result of the 2012 presidential election. The activities are in accordance to the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010, and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
