The Foreign Service Journal, June 2010

Nearly 20 years ago now, Foreign Service Secretaries were reclassified as Office Management Specialists. This change in nomenclature was intended to recognize the re- ality that technological ad- vances and other factors were altering the important work these indi- viduals were doing. It also, for the first time, attempted to treat them as pro- fessionals who deserve the same access to training and career mobility as their FS colleagues have long enjoyed. But did we get the name right? And did we define the function clearly enough that everyone understood and respected the role office management specialists perform? Four years ago the State Depart- ment’s Bureau of Human Resources is- sued a Career Development Program for officemanagement specialists. The stated goal of the new guidelines (some mandatory, others elective) was to de- fine the OMS function in a way that maximizes its potential contributions to the Foreign Service’s operational effec- tiveness while creating amore satisfying professional path for its members (cur- rently more than 800). But in practice, the training opportunities called for in the CDP have often not materialized. It is time to consult office manage- ment specialists themselves about the professional devel- opment and in-service train- ing they need to meet the CDP requirements. The goal should be a clear definition of the function, in sync with cur- rent needs and realities, and reflecting recognition that flexibility and agility are critical requirements for all effective institutions in today’s fast-mov- ing, complex world. That will equip us to deal sensibly with the numerous issues that OMSs have consistently raised: • Defining OMS career paths that include a range of options to provide greater career mobility for those who want it and adjusting the Career Devel- opment Program accordingly; • Providing adequate funding for mandatory training; • Reviewing the current FP-3 grade cap and the number of FP-3 OMS po- sitions; and • Increasing language training op- portunities for OMSs. Addressing these concerns will give officemanagement specialists a range of options for career development, which is an important goal in its own right. But the compelling reason for doing so is that OMSs are force multipliers for the State Department and the Foreign Service. So affording them opportuni- ties for professional development and in- service training benefits all of us. Themandatory training identified by flexible career development programs must be adequately funded—centrally, if need be. The current OMS grade cap at FP-3 and the number of positions at that level both merit thoughtful review, especially as the Foreign Service un- dergoes what amounts to a reorganiza- tion involving a 25-percent increase in personnel and exponentiallymore com- plicated missions. Some senior OMS positions clearly require highly developed and experi- enced executive assistant skills. The ef- fective office management specialist is like an air traffic controller, juggling multiple tasks and issues, setting prior- ities, anticipating needs, taking today’s accelerated operational tempo in stride and making the office run smoothly — and making all this look as if it is hap- pening on its own. Yet this level of per- formance is all too often taken for granted within the Foreign Service. The highly competent, experienced “executive assistant” enables the fortu- nate principal to get much more done and to focus energy and thought on the issues that need his/her attention. So is the FP-3 level really the right cap for OMS professionals? Or should we make it possible for these force multi- pliers to spend more of their careers at senior levels? As always, I invite you to comment on these issues by writing me at President@afsa.org. ■ Susan R. Johnson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS Treating Office Management Specialists As Force Multipliers B Y S USAN R. J OHNSON J U N E 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 5