GAO Survey on Interagency Rotational Assignments Intended to Improve National Security Collaboration: POLAD Rotation Participants

U.S. Government Accountability Office

Contents

• Introduction
• Section I: Demographic Questions
• Section II: Interagency Rotational Assignment Outcomes
• Section III: Publicity and Information for Interagency Rotational Assignment Programs
• Section IV: Participation in the Interagency Rotational Assignment Program
• Section V: Perceptions of Interagency Rotational Assignments
• Section VI: Match between You and the Assignment
• Section VII: Performance Appraisals
• Section VIII: Interagency Rotational Assignment Management
• Section IX: Post-Rotation Assignment
• Section X: Interagency Rotational Assignment Program Evaluation
• Section XI: Additional Comments
• Submit your responses to GAO
• View and print responses

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Introduction

Congress has asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to identify policies and practices that contribute to effective interagency rotational assignment programs as part of a Congressional effort to better understand the role that such programs can play in helping to improve national security collaboration. As part of this effort, GAO will be surveying personnel who participated in one of three categories of interagency rotational assignment programs during fiscal year 2009: (1) Army Intermediate Level Education Interagency Fellowship, (2) Department of State (State) POLAD, or (3) other State sponsored interagency rotational assignments. (State does not consider the third category to be a formal program. Therefore, for the questions below that refer to a "program," please respond based on your experiences with your interagency assignment). You were selected to complete this survey because you participated in one of these interagency rotational assignments in fiscal year 2009. The purpose of the survey is to gain the participant perspective on the effectiveness of these programs or types of assignments in improving interagency collaboration, as well as how these programs have incorporated key policies and practices. In addition, GAO will be surveying supervisors to gain their perspectives on these matters.

Your responses will provide critical information that will help GAO inform the Congress as it considers a variety of mechanisms for improving collaboration among agencies and personnel with national security responsibilities. We will not release individually identifiable data outside of GAO, unless compelled by law or requested by the Congress. While the results of the survey will generally be provided in summary form in our report, individual answers may be discussed, but they will not include any information that could be used to identify individual respondents.

We ask that you complete this survey within 10 days of receiving it. This survey is divided into eleven short sections and should take about 30 minutes to complete. This survey does not need to be completed in one sitting. Your responses can be saved and accessed at a later date. To learn more about completing the questionnaire, printing your responses, and whom to contact if you have questions, click here for help. If you are unsure of how to respond to a question, please contact us for assistance.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Section I: Demographic Questions

This section of the survey covers some basic information about you and your agency or organization (referred to as "agency" throughout this survey).

1. In which of the following interagency rotation programs did you participate in fiscal year 2009?

All of the following questions will pertain to your experience participating in the program you selected in the preceding question.

2. A home agency is the agency where you are normally employed, sometimes referred to as the sending agency. Which of the following was your home agency at the time you began this interagency rotational assignment?

2a. If other agency, please specify:

3. A host agency is the agency where you are temporarily assigned, sometimes referred to as the gaining agency. Which of the following was/is your host agency for this interagency rotational assignment?

3a. If other agency, please specify:

4. What was your rank or pay grade at the time you began your interagency rotational assignment?

4a. If other rank or pay grade, please specify:

5. Under which personnel system were you employed at the time you began your interagency rotational assignment?

5a. If other personnel system, please specify:

6. How long was your interagency rotational assignment? For those who have not yet completed assignments, please indicate the total scheduled length of your current assignment.

7. Have you been promoted since completing your interagency rotational assignment?

Section II: Interagency Rotational Assignment Outcomes

This section of the survey asks about outcomes of your interagency rotational assignment.

8. In your view, how effective, if at all, is the interagency rotational assignment program in achieving each of the following outcomes?

8a. Helping you to develop a better understanding of how the host agency operates

8b. Helping you to develop your ability to consider complex national security issues from a broad-based, interagency perspective

8c. Helping you to develop interagency professional relationships and networks that will be useful in carrying out your home agency's national security responsibilities

8d. Helping you to develop the skills necessary to lead in an interagency environment

8e. Improving your ability to collaborate with personnel in other agencies with national security responsibilities

9. How effective, if at all, is the interagency rotational assignment program in contributing to improved collaboration among agencies with national security responsibilities?

10. Please use the space below if you would like to describe any other outcomes of the interagency rotational assignment program.

Section III: Publicity and Information for Interagency Rotational Assignment Programs

This section of the survey asks about information you received on the interagency rotational assignment program.

11. Are you aware of any efforts to market or publicize the interagency rotational assignment program?

If you answered "no" to question 11, skip to question 13.

12. Do you think those efforts were adequate?

13. Were you provided with written guidance or other materials intended to prepare you for your interagency rotational assignment?

14. Did you take part in an orientation or training intended to prepare you for your interagency rotational assignment?

If you answered "no" or "don't know" to both questions 13 and 14, skip to question 17.

15. If yes to either question 13 or 14, was the training and/or written materials you received sufficient for you to understand each of the following aspects of the interagency rotational assignment?

15a. The goals of the interagency rotational assignment program

15b. The process for selecting participants

15c. The process for assigning participants to an interagency rotational assignment

15d. The process for appraising your performance during the interagency rotational assignment

15e. The process for transitioning you back to your home agency or next assignment

15f. Information about the host agency mission and organization

15g. How to optimize your experience during the interagency assignment

16. Please use the space below if you would like to describe any other useful information that you received on the interagency rotational assignment program.

17. Please use the space below if you would like to describe any information that you did not receive but that would have been useful.

Section IV: Participation in the Interagency Rotational Assignment Program

This section of the survey asks about your decision to participate in the interagency rotational assignment program.

18. How important, if at all, was each of the following factors in contributing to your decision to participate in the interagency rotational assignment program?

18a. Opportunity to develop my ability to work in an interagency environment

18b. Opportunity to improve my chances for promotion

18c. My agency's leadership looks favorably on interagency rotational assignments

18d. Opportunity to work in a new and different environment

18e. Opportunity to help host agency achieve national security goals

19. Please use the space below if you would like to provide any other factors that were important to your decision to participate in the interagency rotational assignment that were not indicated.

Section V: Perceptions of Interagency Rotational Assignments

This section of the survey asks about perceptions--at your home agency--of interagency rotational assignments.

20. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements as they apply to your home agency?

20a. Leadership at my home agency has indicated that interagency rotational assignments are valuable

20b. Participants are recognized and rewarded through the performance appraisal system at my home agency

20c. Participants are publicly recognized and rewarded (for example, through announcements, awards, etc.) at my home agency

20d. Participating in interagency rotational assignments improves promotion prospects at my home agency

20e. At my home agency, participants are assigned to desirable positions or responsibilities after completing interagency rotational assignments

21. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements as they apply to your home agency?

21a. The performance appraisal system at my home agency does not adequately reward performance at another agency

21b. Assignments at other agencies may diminish promotion prospects at my home agency

21c. At my home agency, participants are assigned to undesirable positions or responsibilities after completing an assignment at another agency

21d. Costs associated with interagency rotational assignments, such as housing or relocation, are borne by the participant

21e. Interagency rotational assignments cause temporary workforce gaps at my home agency that are difficult to fill

21f. High-performing personnel may not come back to my home agency after the assignment at another agency

21g. Costs associated with interagency rotational assignments, such as training and travel, are difficult for my home agency to fund

Section VI: Match between You and the Assignment

This section of the survey asks about the match between your knowledge, skills, and experience and your position at the host agency. For those who have not yet completed your interagency rotational assignment, please indicate your opinion as of now.

22. How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following aspects of your interagency rotational assignment?

22a. The match between your abilities and the interagency rotational assignment

22b. The opportunities provided by the interagency rotational assignment to develop your ability to work in an interagency environment

22c. The opportunities provided by your interagency rotational assignment to make a meaningful contribution to achieving host agency mission and goals

Section VII: Performance Appraisals

This section of the survey asks questions about how your performance was appraised during your interagency rotational assignment.

23. Were assignment-specific goals and expectations for the interagency rotational assignment communicated to you?

24. Have you received a performance appraisal (at either your home or your host agency) that covers any of the time period you spent in the interagency rotational assignment?

If you answered "no" or "don't know" to question 24, skip to question 27.

25. Was your performance while on the interagency rotational assignment included in your formal appraisal?

If you answered "no" or "don't know" to question 25, skip to question 27.

26. If your performance during the interagency rotational assignment was included in your formal performance appraisal, was it given sufficient merit?

Section VIII: Interagency Rotational Assignment Management

This section of the survey asks questions on any contact you had with your home agency during your interagency rotational assignment. For those who have not yet completed your interagency rotational assignment, please indicate your opinion as of now.

27. Did you maintain contact with your home agency at any time while you were on rotational assignment to discuss any of the following topics?

27a. Your performance appraisal

27b. Your transition to a new assignment or return to your home agency

27c. How to share the knowledge, skills, and abilities you gained on rotation with others at your home agency

28. Please use the space below if you would like to convey any other topics on which you maintained contact with your home agency at any time while you were on the interagency rotational assignment.

Section IX: Post-Rotation Assignment

This section of the survey asks about your experience after completing your interagency rotational assignment.

29. Have you completed your interagency rotational assignment?

If you answered "no" to question 29, skip to question 34.

30. How satisfied, if at all, were you with your transition back to your home agency or next assignment?

31. How effectively, if at all, did the position that you were assigned to (after completing the interagency rotational assignment) make use of your newly acquired experience?

32. Did your home agency or next assignment apply your newly acquired experience in any of the following ways?

32a. I was assigned to a position in which I could apply the experience I gained

32b. I was assigned to an interagency working group or team in which I could apply the experience I gained

32c. I was asked to share information I gained through presentations or written materials with my colleagues or leadership

33. Please use the space below if you would like to convey how the experience you gained during your interagency rotational assignment was applied in any other way.

Section X: Interagency Rotational Assignment Program Evaluation

This section of the survey asks about any evaluation of the interagency rotational assignment program in which you may have participated.

34. Did you have an opportunity to complete an evaluation or provide feedback on the interagency rotational assignment program in some formal way?

35. How effective, if at all, was the evaluation tool or feedback mechanism in collecting your opinions on the interagency rotational assignment program?

36. Please use the space below if you would like to convey how the evaluation tool or feedback was or was not effective.

Section XI: Additional Comments

37. Please use the space below if there is anything else you would like to tell us about the effectiveness of the interagency rotational assignment program.

Submit your responses to GAO

38. This completes our survey. Are you ready to submit your final completed survey to GAO?

View and print responses

You may view and print your completed survey by clicking on the Summary link in the menu to the left.