GPRA Not Getting a Grip

0 Comments | Insight on the News, July 23, 2001 | by Sean Paige

The 1993 Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) proposed something theretofore unknown in the annals of modern American governance -- namely, that federal agencies should formulate mission statements, establish strategic plans and measurable goals for themselves and then actually work toward achieving them.

This earthshaking mandate generated plenty of paper shuffling as the grumbling bureaucracy, as if zapped by a cattle prod, lurched fitfully into what passes for action in Washington. But the results of the so-called Results Act have been disappointing, according to a recent analysis by the General Accounting Office (GAO). Apparently, agencies complied with the letter of the law but not its spirit.

A GAO survey of federal middle managers found that the idea of managing agencies for results remains an alien concept in many sectors of the federal government. "Many managers in the 28 agencies did not [have] a strong perception that their agencies' top leadership demonstrated a strong commitment to achieving results" according to the report. "Progress in fostering such leadership has stagnated," says GAO, summing up the matter bluntly.

In terms of managing for results, agencies rated lowest by their own personnel include the IRS, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Forest Service and the departments of Interior and State. Poor performance ratings also were earned by the Health Care Financing Administration, which recently followed the lead of other tarnished federal programs by changing its name and letterhead in a pathetic attempt to remake its image.