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RECRU ITMENT
, RETENTION,
ANDUTILIZATION OF FEDERAL
SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
Emory to ~
e Carnegie Comm
· ~
I~ 1~
on Science, Technology, and Government
Alan K. Campbell and Linda S. Dix, editors
Committee on Scientists and Engineers
in the Federal Government
Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1 990
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils
of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academv of En~neenn~. and the
Institute of Medicine.
~cow ~
This report has been reviewed by persons other than the author according to
procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the
National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineenug, and the Institute
of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating
society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research,
dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general
welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the
Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific
and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of
~ ,
sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established In 1964, under the charter
of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding
engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members,
sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal
government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs
aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the
superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National
Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of
Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the
examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts
under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional
charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to
identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Samuel O. Thier is
president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of
Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the
Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government.
Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the
Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of
Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the federal
government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is
adrrunistered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press
and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National
Research Council.
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 90 62688
International Standard Book No. ~309 043301
Additional copies of this report arc available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20418
S070
Printed in the United States of America
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COMMI'l~l'~E ON SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Alan K. Campbell, chair
Vice Chairman
ARA Services, Inc.
(Chairman, Civil Service Commission,
1977-78; Director, U.S. Office of
Personnel Management, 1979-80)
Ernest Ambler
(Director, National Institute of Standards
and Technology, 1978-1989)
Stephen I. Lukasik
Vice President for Technology
Northrop Corporation
(Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency, 1971-1974; Chief scientist, Federal
Communications Commission, 1979-1982)
Howard Messner
Executive Vice President
American Consulting Engineers Council
(Director of administration, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1971-1975; Assistant
director, Congressional Budget Office,
1975-1977)
Janet L. Norwood
Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1979
Alan Schriesheim
Director and Chief Executive Officer, Argonne
National Laboratory, 1984
· · ~
Liaison from OSEP's Advisory
Committee on Studies and Ana',
Eli Ginzberg
Director
Conservation of Human Resources
Columbia University
Staff Officer
Linda S. DO
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.
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Early in 1989 the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and
Government-concerned with the use of science and technology in this country,
particularly by government at all levels-asked the National Research Council's Office
of Scientific and Engineering Personnel (OSEP) to conduct an exploratory study of the
organizational and institutional processes that may affect the ability of federal
government to attract and retain scientists and engineers. The committee established to
conduct this investigation undertook specific activities to understand what those
mechanisms are and their impact on the ability of the federal government to retain,
attract, and provide a good working environment for scientists and engineers:
A literature review was cOmniete] to determine previous examinations of this
topic;
Staff contacted the 13 distinguished scientists who have received the Alan T.
Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation, asking them to
comment on the factors that influenced their decisions not to seek federal
employment after graduate school as well as factors that might affect their
considerations about federal employment today.
Directors of 22 federal laboratories-varying in mission, size, and geographical
location-were asked to consider organizational and decision-making processes
that may affect federal government recruitment, retention, and utilization of
scientists and engineers.
Placement officers in approximately 50 U.S. institutions- liberal arts colleges and
research universities, both public and private were asked for data on the
recruitment activities of federal agencies directed toward their students, the
interest of their graduates in federal employment, and trends in the numbers of
agencies visiting their campuses and graduates actually taking federal
employment.
Four papers dealing with topics that might shed additional light on the federal
government's ability to recruit and retain scientists and engineers were
commissioned (see Appendix B).
· ~
O
A worKsnop was nela in wasnlngton on February 23, 1990, at which
representatives of approximately 25 federal agencies briefed the committee on the
most influential factors relating to recruitment, retention, and utilization of
scientists and engineers; organizational and decision-making processes that relate
to them; and mechanisms undertaken to maintain a stable work force of scientists
and engineer (see Appendix C).
Information gleaned from these several sources led to the Committee's determination
that several issues require further examination. It is hoped that readers particularly
the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government and those policy
v
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makers in position to redirect the federal initiative for recruiting, retaining, and utilizing
the scientific and engineering work force will find the information useful.
For their many contributions to this exploratory study, the Committee on
Scientists and Engineers in the Federal Government is grateful to the following
individuals: David Z. Robinson, executive director, and Jesse Ausubel, director of
studies, Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and the Government; William D.
Carey, chairman, and Alan Fechter, executive director, OSEP; and Eli Ginzberg, liaison
to this committee from OSEP's Advisory Committee on Studies and Analyses. In
addition, providing useful information throughout the study were several staff from the
Office of Personnel Management:
rim 1 1 ~A ~cot _4 _ ~ _ ~ ~ _ ~_ _
Constance Berry Newman, director; Dona Wolf;
r~p I.. or; Bonn ~urnow; Andrew Klugh; Paul Thompson; Leonard Klein;
Sandra M. Payne; Martin Reck; Bark Shapiro; George Steinbauer; Barbara Fiss; ant!
Ruth O'Donnell. We also appreciate the assistance provided by staff in the U.S. Merit
Systems Protection Board- John M. Palguta, deputy director, Office of Policy and
Evaluation, and Paul VanRiJn. Furthermore, the Committee learned much about the
day-to-day experiences of those responsible for recruiting and managing the federal
scientific work force from federally employed scientists and engineers throughout the
country both through discussions at the committee-sponsored workshop and through
correspondence. We are particularly appreciative of comments received from scientists
and engineers who, although not contacted directly by the committee, had learned of
this study and sent us pertinent information. Response to this exploratory study has
been intense, confirming the belief of the sponsors and committee that the issue uncler
study-the ability of the federal government to recruit, retain, and utilize scientists and
engineers effectively cannot be determined in a simplistic fashion but requires a
deeper investigation to verify the perceptions and findings reported here.
V1
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CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
II.
I FINDINGS
Availability and Relevance of Data on the Federal Science
and Engineering Work Force
Management Practices Relating to the Career Work Force
Trends Regarding Presidential Appointments
ISSUES REQUIRING FURTHER ANALYSIS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIXES
A: Related Materials
B: Commissioned Papers
.
.
Recruitment' Retention' and Utilization of Scientists
and Engineers in the Federal Govemmenf: Results
of a Literature Review by Linda S. Din, 77
Quantitative Inputs to Federal Technical P~r.~f~nn~! Mnnn~m~n
by Charles E. Falk, 95
Meeting Federal Work Force Needs with Regard to Scientists
and Engineers: The Role of the U.S. Office
of Personnel Management by John M. PaIguta, Ill
Differences in Recruitment, Retention, and Utilization Processes:
A Comparison of Traditionally Operated Federal
Laboratories, M&O Facilities, and Demonstration Projects
by Sheldon B. Clark, 121
The Political Appointments Process and the Recruitment
of Scientists and Engineers by James P. Pfiffner, 133
, O · · -
C:
Workshop on Recruitment, Retention, and Utilization
of Federal Scientists and Engineers
.
Agenda, 145
List of Participants, 147
Proceedings, 149
· ~
V11
1
s
7
8
11
27
29
33
37
75
143
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ABBREVIATIONS
CDC
CPDF
CSRA
DOL
ERL
GAO
IDA
MSPB
NBS
NIST
NOSC
NRC
NRL
NSF
NWC
OMB
OPM
OSEP
OSTP
PACE
PHS
PMI
S&E
Centers for Disease Control
Central Personnel Data File
Civil Service Reform Act
Department of Labor
Environmental Research Laboratories
General Accounting Office
Institute for Defense Analysis
Merit Systems Protection Board
National Bureau of Standards
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Naval Ocean Systems Center
National Research Council
Naval Research Laboratory
National Science Foundation
Naval Weapons Center
Office of Management and Budget
Office of Personnel Management
Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Professional and Administrative Career Examination
Public Health Service
Presidential Management Intern
Scientific and engineering
· · -
vail
