In FY 1998, ER’s residential and non-residential executive development programs contributed to creating a corporate body of managers and executives by giving over 6,700 participants an extended exposure to colleagues from across government and by explicitly addressing national and governmental roles of Federal leaders. Each center maintained or improved a historically high end-of-course, cumulative rating of program content, relevance and facilities (4.60 out of 5 at FEI; 4.60 out of 5 at Eastern MDC; and 4.66 out of 5 at Western MDC).

In FY 1999, it is estimated that over 7,400 managers and executives will participate in OPM programs (a 10.4% increase over FY 1998), and participant ratings will meet or exceed a standard of 4.4 on a 5 point scale.

In FY 1998, the Results Act CD-Rom produced by the Office of Executive Resources (ER) was distributed to several thousand government executives and managers. ER also participated in a NAPA sponsored Performance Consortium consisting of 26 federal agencies to assist in GPRA implementation.

In FY 1998, the ER finalized a curriculum redesign for its core management programs. This redesign was prompted by the issuance of the new Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Competencies, and provided an opportunity to use the ECQ’s as a way to ensure that our core courses cover all of the competencies and as a way to explain to our customers what the courses cover. These courses assist Federal agencies in the development of their managers and executives by fostering a corporate perspective of the Federal service, an understanding of the constitutional framework for public governance, and the leadership skills needed to assure the government is run efficiently and effectively.

In FY 1998, two new, self-supporting executive development learning centers were opened to serve the federal community. The new facilities at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA and the Management Development Center in Shepardstown, WV will strengthen OPM’s capacity to instill common corporate values, develop executive and management skills, improve understanding of important public policy issues, stimulate Federal management awareness, and ultimately improve the performance of Government.

In FY 1998, FEI’s Center for Executive Leadership (CEL) grew dramatically by – developing a list of ten short, open enrollment programs designed to present key theories, provide opportunities for practice, and build mastery of the program content; helping agencies through consulting on team development, strategic planning, and other issues; and, developing custom designed presentations for our client agencies. It achieved its goal of having a full roster of executive development activities ready for the opening of FEI’s new facility.

In FY 1998, the Western Management Development Center assisted Region VI of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-Dallas) in their efforts to develop a corporate culture to support its administrative and legislative requirements. The process started at the beginning of FY 1998 and will extend into FY 1999. This multilayered approach consists of a detailed organizational analysis followed by a series of intense evaluation and planning sessions for all levels of management in the region. As a result, the region has a clearer picture of its strengths and weaknesses and a clear plan to implement its expectations.