The Foreign Service Journal, October 2008

such a decision. As Lee Hoskins and Phillip Kelly wrote in their seminal September 1988 article, “Lateral En- try into the Foreign Service: Oppor- tunity Lost,” in the American Review of Public Administration , lateral entry is viewed by the Foreign Service offi- cer corps as a threat to the very essence of their career system. Yet the Service’s failure to effectively assess and utilize lateral-entry techniques precludes the development of a per- sonnel system designed to strengthen functional competence, perhaps later- al entry’s greatest forté. How It Would Work Naturally, the implementation of a mid-level hiring program raises practi- cal difficulties that must be acknowl- edged. Yet there are specialists in both the public and private sectors who understand these challenges and could provide solutions, guided by the fol- lowing general principles: • Candidates would be selected based upon their professional experi- ence and their performance on the FS oral exam. Certain skill components of professional experience could even be tested. • Mid-level hires would fill existing vacancies and certain designated posi- tions. • Once hired, they would be fully integrated into the system and bid on assignments just like any other gener- alists. The evaluation and promotion of these mid-levels would also be iden- tical, following best practices from the corporate and government worlds. The war for talent has to be taken seriously. The competition for mid- level candidates may seem like a crisis, but like any crisis, it’s also an opportu- nity to seize — or squander. To con- duct transformational diplomacy, the Department of State needs to trans- form its personnel system and prac- tices for Foreign Service generalists. The original McKinsey study (among others) refutes the idea that promoting fromwithin is the only way to grow tal- ent, and the modern labor market underscores the point. Of course, opponents of this change will see threats, inequity and worse. But they have not laid out objective arguments against imple- menting such a program, given the current shortages and future chal- lenges. Instead, they are focused on trying to defend an increasingly archaic system that does not fit into a modern and globalized labor market. All stakeholders, particularly AFSA, would do well to evaluate this option objectively and transparently for the long-term health of the Foreign Service. This step could also position the FS for a more robust role in the nation’s foreign policy apparatus vis- a-vis other agencies. With the appli- cation of a well-implemented mid- level hiring program, the Service would initiate steps to solving its cur- rent and future personnel problems, and be able to “show up” when need- ed. In the end, superior talent will be tomorrow’s primary source of compet- itive advantage — whether in the cor- porate board room or in the Foreign Service generalist corps. n Kevin D. Stringer, a member of the 72nd A-100 class, was a Foreign Service officer from 1994 to 1997, serving in London and Washington, D.C. Now an international banker and part-time professor, his academic interests are consular and transforma- tional diplomacy. O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 S P E A K I N G O U T u