PERSONNEL OFFICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R001100010033-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 31, 2000
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: July 27, 1953
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2001/09/04: CIA-RDP80-01826RO01100010033-7
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Approved For Release 2001/09/04: CIA-RDP80-01826RO01100010033-7
 Approved For Relwe 2001 a C, ,. IA-RDP80-01826R0Q O06
cQ L DE1 Y TIAL
27 July 1953
EYES ONLY
MEMORANDUM FOR: INSPECTOR GENERAL
SUBJECT : Personnel Office
REFERENCE : Memorandum for Chief, Technical Services Staff,
from the Inspector General, dated 1 July 1953,
subject: same as above
1. Replying to the direct question in the last sentence of para-
graph 1 of the reference, so far as I know the Personnel Office is
furnishing the services which it is formally supposed to furnish under the
existing set-up. I assume, however, from the remainder of this paragraph
that you may be interested in a somewhat more generalized comment.
2. As a beginning, may I state that apart from military service
in World War I, my entire career has been spent with a large industrial
organization. I notice great differences between the mode of handling
personnel in Government and in business, and the differences are practically
all in favor of business. I think the reason for this is quite simple: wise
handling of personnel in a private corporation is essential to its survival.
While industry has basic policies to provide fair treatment, the enforce-
ment of these policies is done in such a way that the "command" relation-
ship between supervisor and subordinate is not appreciably weakened. The
employee knows that his chief will have a profound influence on his career -
the supervisor in turn may not blame the shortcomings of his group on the
quality of his staff. Great emphasis, of course, is placed on early recogni-
tion of ability and on development of ability, and this is one of the important
duties of the supervisor. A strong feeling of responsibility for his
personnel is built up in the mind of the supervisor, from the lowest to the
highest.
3. The development of personnel handling in Government has
resulted in a great number of rules and regulations which seem to me to be
designed to secure two ends: (a) the protection of the Government against the
employee; and (b) the guarantee of fair treatment to the employee. The
desirability of both ends is unquestioned, but the means adopted to attain
DOCUMENT NO.
P.O CHANGE IN CLASS. ^
Cam? DECLASS!FIED
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DATE: REVIEWER U 1A
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them are massive and complicated and have produced some undesirable
results which tend to defeat the achievement of other ends of a different
kind of importance, such as (c) securing and retaining in Government
service persons of high calibre, and (d) identifying and developing those
persons in the service who have a real capacity for greater things,
either as leaders, or as highly talented individual workers. This is not
because the importance of (c) and (d) are not recognized, but because the
system is inconsistent with their attainment. The command relationship
of the supervisor is highly diluted because so much of the personnel action
is centralized, and is, therefore, in the hands of persons, boards, etc. ,
who are not directly responsible for the work to be performed. Discipline
is weakened, and there may also be an impairment in the integrity of
personnel relations.
4. I suspect a substantial amount of the foregoing applies to the
Agency. Although the statutes relating to CIA give unusual powers as
regards personnel, it appears that the Civil Service system is followed
closely.
5. The Agency, personnel-wise, is smaller than some other
Government agencies, and much smaller than many private concerns. It
has an important and peculiar mission which calls for men and women of
unusual ability, and preferably with good experience in the work of the
Agency. It seems to me that the Government interests and the minimum
right of employees could both be preserved, and the other advantages
(items (c) and (d) above) obtained, by placing most of the personnel responsi-
bility and authority on those who are supposed to exercise command over
the personnel. This decentralization would permit the Personnel Office
to devote most of its attention to positive work, such as policy guidance,
on employee relations, etc. Furthermore, each required action should be
studied to see whether it contributes anything useful in each case, or
whether it is either useless, or at best, only useful in an extremely low
percentage of cases. If the latter is true, it would probably be better
for all concerned to set up some simpler mechanism. It is often futile
to attempt to improve a system by adding to it.
6. The present system of rigid T/O's and.slots seems remarkably
cumbersome and inflexible for an organization whose work seems to demand
flexibility, and I should think that a better scheme could be adopted.
7. It is difficult to recruit good men, difficult to hold them, and
extremely difficult to get rid of misfits, etc. The result of all of this is
not good. Our system should be made more elastic and more human.
r T4
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Personnel administration is too mechanistic, too professional, and tends
to concentrate on form and procedure rather than content.
8. The following persons in TSS have a formally assigned
responsibility for handling personnel matters:
Personnel Officer, GS-13
Personnel Officer, GS-7
,k-Stenographer, GS-4
9. In addition, the Research Chairman, the
Chief, TSS; Deputy Chief, TSS; Executive Secretary, Research Board;
as well as all Division Chiefs spend a considerable amount of their time
on such matters - as in my opinion they should under any system.
Chief, DD/P/TSS
TSS/OC:wag/jel (27 July 1953)
Distribution:
,Addressee - Orig. & 1
TSS/OC - 1
II L~l LJ\L
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