The Foreign Service Journal, October 2011

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 11 State: A Pretty Good Place to Work The Partnership for Public Service ( www.ourpublicservice.org ), in col- laboration with the Hay Group ( www. haygroup.com ), re cently identified the “Best Places toWork in the Federal Government 2010.” The list draws on the PPS’s own survey and data from the Office of Personnel Management 2010 Employee Viewpoint Survey. The Department of State came in seventh among the large agencies with a 70.8 percent employee satisfaction rating, up from 69.1 percent in 2009. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Government Accountability Office head the list, followed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Smith- sonian Institution, National Aeronau- tics and Space Administration and Social Security Administration. After State come the General Serv- ices Administration, Department of Justice and the intelligence community (considered a single entity for purposes of the survey). On the small agencies list, the Peace Corps came in fifth at 82.8 percent. To view complete results for all par- ticipating agencies and departments, visit www.wapo.st/innovate-federal. Less encouragingly, the findings in- dicate a real disconnect between the desire of federal employees to innovate and the degree to which their work- places encourage such creativity. While 91 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, “I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better,” just 39 percent of them said, “I feel encour- aged to come up with new and better ways to do things.” The overall governmentwide inno- vation score of 63 percent favorable shows considerable opportunity for im- provement. As the report says, “This suggests federal workers are motivated to drive change through creativity, but need stronger support from their or- ganizations and leaders to do so.” Six workplace conditions have a high effect on innovation, according to the report, and federal leaders can improve innovation within their agencies by cre- ating an environment in which each of the following conditions thrives: C YBERNOTES T he days when the debt-ridden Uncle Sam could leisurely squander unlimited overseas borrowing appeared to be numbered as its triple-A credit rating was slashed by Standard & Poor’s for the first time [on Aug. 5]. Though the U.S. Treasury promptly challenged the unprecedented downgrade, many outside the United States believe the credit rating cut is an overdue bill that America has to pay for its own debt addition and the short-sighted political wrangling in Washington. China, the largest creditor of the world’s sole superpower, has every right now to demand the United States to ad- dress its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China’s dollar assets. To cure its addiction to debts, the United States has to re-establish the common-sense principle that one should live within its means. For centuries, it was the exuberant energy and innovation that has sustained America’s role in the world and main- tained investors’ confidence in dollar assets. But now, mounting debts and ridiculous political wrestling in Washington have damaged America’s image abroad. All Americans, both Beltway politicians and those on Main Street, have to do some serious soul-searching to bring their country back from a potential financial abyss. — From an Aug. 6 Xinhua News Agency editorial, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-08/06/c_131032986.htm.