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In 1977, when the Department of Energy (DOE)
was formed, a division now known as the Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy (EERE) began its mission to increase
the availability of renewable energy, develop capabilities
for more efficient use of energy, and promote the consumption
of energy in a more efficient and environmentally acceptable
manner.
Over the years, however, and particularly
during the 1990s, Congress scrutinized EERE over concerns
about its management and operations. So, the natural questions
arose: How efficient is EERE itself? And what can be done
to make it run more smoothly? In 1998, Congress suggested
that EERE contract with the National Academy of Public Administration
to answer these questions.
In the resulting report, A Review of Management
in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, an
Academy panel outlines critical deficiencies that have harmed
EERE's credibility: organizational fragmentation, an emphasis
on process rather than on product, poor communications, and
weak decision-making.
According to the panel, the most serious
of these issues is the agency's fragmentation, which has led
to a lack of cohesion and common purpose among EERE's different
parts. This disconnection, says the panel, also has led to
insufficient methods of motivating staff toward overall organizational
goals and an inability to deliver the right amount of information
at the right time and at the right level.
In order to foster greater unity, the panel
recommends that EERE establish a single operating system and
find a proper balance between decentralization and centralization.
Furthermore, states the report, EERE's assistant secretary
needs to set and communicate goals and expectations, provide
information about rewards and sanctions relative to expectations,
monitor performance, and hold staff accountable. The study
also points out that successful implementation of the above
recommendations hinges upon the creation of a strong sense
of EERE identity and internal discipline.
Other problems cited by the panel include
EERE's nebulous understanding of organizational priorities
and its insufficient budget-formulation procedure. The panel
cites the need for EERE to take a more proactive role in defining
program goals, objectives, and content and to assess the relationship
between the organization's stated goals and objectives and
its resources.
To EERE's credit, the report notes that
the agency has taken the initiative to expand the initial
areas of review and that it has begun to reform its management
approach, systems, and processes.
A Review of Management in the Office
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Order # 00-02)
is published by the National Academy of Public Administration.
Copies may be purchased for $15 plus shipping by calling NAPA
Publications at 301-617-7801. The media may obtain complimentary
copies by contacting the Academy's Office of Communications.
The National Academy of Public Administration
is an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress
to improve governance at all levels-local, regional, state,
national, and international. The Academy's membership consists
of 480 Fellows with distinguished careers in public management
as practitioners, scholars, and civic leaders. Since its establishment
in 1967, the Academy has assisted hundreds of federal agencies,
congressional committees, state and local governments, civic
organizations, and institutions overseas.
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