While 91.8 percent of federal employees seek to perform better in their jobs, only 40.9 percent believe their agencies actually care and allocate rewards for high performance, according to the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey conducted by the Office of Personnel Management.
According to the Partnership for Public Service (PPS), who sponsored the study, “federal workers are motivated to drive change through creativity, but need stronger support from their organizations and leaders to do so.”
The PPS developed “innovation scores” from the percentage of federal employees who responded positively to what the group identified as three innovation-related questions.
Survey participants responded to questions such as, “I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better,” (91.8 percent said yes), “When needed I am willing to put in the extra effort to get a job done (96.9 percent),” and “How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job in your organization?” (40.9 percent).
The top five large organizations for innovation were NASA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the General Services Administration, the State Department, and the Army, according to the survey.
The PPS pointed out that NASA and the NRC were among the five highest-ranking agencies in its annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government list.
Agencies ranked near the bottom of the innovation list included the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, and Transportation departments; and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
