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Report 1 on Tracking and Assessing Governance and Management Reform in the Nuclear Security Enterprise (2017) / Chapter Skim
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4 Achieving and Sustaining Change
Pages 27-34

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From page 27...
... , Congress agreed and noted that correcting the longstanding governance and management problems afflicting NNSA and the nuclear security enterprise would require "personal engagement by senior leaders, a clear plan, and mechanisms for ensuring follow-through and accountability." 5 Thus, an approach that explicitly prioritizes sustainable change is necessary, especially in partnership with its management and operating (M&O) contractors.
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From page 28...
... The Augustine-Mies panel noted the dysfunctional relationships between those responsible for mission execution and those affiliated with support functions. It recommended that Department leadership "streamline management, transform the culture of the Department, strengthen the M&Os' contribution to the mission, and restore trust and credibility with customers." 6 Steps toward these results include establishing "transparent information sharing mechanisms and increasing direct staff collaboration." 7 To track whether such efforts result in improved trust, the panel called for periodic efforts to "survey personnel to gauge morale, assess cultural changes, and identify the results of efforts to change management practices." 8 The CRENEL review likewise emphasized culture and noted the need for the reestablishment of working partnerships and trust between DOE and its national laboratories.
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From page 29...
... Steps are being undertaken by NNSA to build greater communication among the components of the enterprise so as to improve the level of trust among them. Strategies include creation of various governance councils to facilitate communication and increase trust by working jointly on solutions to problems, better coordination of processes and policies to reduce burdens and foster better working relationships, and fostering employee engagement and participation, as measured by the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
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From page 30...
... In the "Message from the Administrator," responsibility is assigned: "These initiatives are assigned to career Senior Executive Service managers who are held accountable by the NNSA Management Council, which is chaired by NNSA's Principal Deputy Administrator, and ultimately the NNSA Administrator." 14 That message goes on to stress that meeting the objectives of the NDAA requires the efforts of both federal and contractor (M&O) personnel: "NNSA's federal employees and M&O partners will work together to implement these improvements and ensure the mission is efficiently and safely carried out well into the future." 15 The "Message from the Secretary" in that plan also reflects an understanding of other principles of change as described in Box 4.1, including the necessity of evaluating the effectiveness of the actions taken: DOE recognizes that to be successful the improvements must be long lasting and clearly understood.
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From page 31...
... Glauthier and Jared L Cohon noted that DOE and NNSA senior leadership were significantly involved in efforts to resolve administrative issues and improve relationships with national laboratories and M&O contractors.
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From page 32...
... One member of the Laboratory Operations Board said its deliberations have surfaced fewer points of friction. The commitment and attention of leadership has contributed significantly to the effectiveness of these groups, including building relationships and trust, but panel members' experience with change management has shown that effective cross-organizational conversations based on shared goals and trust require ongoing attention if they are to be sustained.
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From page 33...
... 21 The use of appropriate metrics would enable NNSA to monitor its efforts to achieve and sustain change. Experience with large-scale change management has shown that developing and testing metrics is an iterative process that can extend over years, so it is important that this work begin soon.
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From page 34...
... Recommendation 4.1. The NNSA Administrator should define an effective mission-focused operating model as the vision for implementing the changes called for in reports of the Congressional Advisory Panel on the Governance of the Nuclear Security Enterprise and the Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories and elsewhere.
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Key Terms

  • security enterprise
  • change management
  • sustain change
  • congressional advisory
  • national energy

  • cultural change
  • seab task
  • energy laboratories
  • iterative process
  • sustaining change

  • doe national
  • culture change
  • nnsa officials
  • deputy administrator
  • implementation plan

  • quality center
  • american productivity
  • nnsa management
  • effective change
  • change requires

  • successful change
  • change takes
  • energy task
  • nnsa administrator
  • energy advisory

  • doe secretary
  • management process
  • laboratory operations
  • cultural changes
  • require sustained


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