The agencies GAO looked at have assigned responsibility
for succession planning and management efforts to
councils or boards, and VHA specifically has established
a subcommittee and high-level positions directly
responsible for succession efforts, said GAO.
It said VHA and the Census Bureau include succession
planning and management as part of their executive
performance plans, and that the four agencies have
started linking succession efforts and strategic
planning, such as DoL, which is shifting from an
“enforcement role to a compliance assistance and
consulting role, requiring stronger skills in
communication and analysis.”
To that end, DoL launched the Masters in Business
Administration Fellows program in 2002 in order to attract
and retain the employees with the skills it needs to make
that shift, the report noted.
The report also said that the agencies use succession
planning and management to promote diversity.
