Bob Tobias
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The largest reorganization in Veterans Affairs Department history won't look like most re-orgs you've seen before. That's according to Bob Tobias -- he's professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the organizational chart at the VA won't see the changes most other agencies do.
November 12, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs Department tops the list of most time spent on union business in fiscal 2012. The VA uses a little more than 1 million hours in total. But when you look at the numbers by hours per union employee, you get a completely different list. Bob Tobias is professor in the Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University and teaches about labor-management relations. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he offered insight into the figures on official time.
October 15, 2014 -
Only two agencies show any progress in following the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. Those two are the Office of Personnel Management and the Labor Department. The Government Accountility Office says GPRA compliance is actually getting worse at other agencies. Bob Tobias is Business Development director of the Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained what the failing grades mean for performance-based management in the federal government.
October 01, 2014 -
The House passes a series of bills to change the work life of some federal employees. The Senior Executive Service Accountability Act changes the due process for career SESers accused of misconduct. Three bills aimed at the IRS would target how employees work and communicate with each other. Bob Tobias is a professor for Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He explained the ramifications of the bills on In Depth with Francis Rose.
September 17, 2014 -
The Internal Revenue Service has a In Depth with Francis Rose, he shared what he thinks the key is to put a dollar value on the work employees do.
September 04, 2014 -
Your agency needs to clarify what it expects from employees who telework. That's according to the Patent Office Professional Association. Their president says the recent telework controversy at the Patent and Trademark Office exposes problems with how agencies manage employees working outside the office. Bob Tobias is director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He explained what he sees behind the controversy on In Depth with Francis Rose.
August 20, 2014 -
It's been almost five years since Congress eliminated the National Security Personnel System, and almost three years since it told the Pentagon to come up with a new performance management system for civilian personnel. Now, DoD has released some early details on what that new system will eventually look like. In a semiannual report to Congress last week, officials said they had notified DoD labor unions that the new system will evaluate employee performance in three tiers and promised that those performance reviews will be linked to organizational goals. Bob Tobias is Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He explained the system changes on In Depth with guest host Jared Serbu.
August 06, 2014 -
The Department of Homeland Security answers to ninety-two Congressional committees and another twenty-seven outside organizations. The Annenberg Public Policy Center says that's a total of one hundred nineteen different oversight groups. Bob Tobias is Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the complicated web of leadership might be a big reason why Congress has never passed an authorization bill for agency.
July 22, 2014 -
A new performance award strategy could rise from the ashes of a now-defunct pay system at the Defense Department. DoD tried to replace the General Schedule system with a National Security Personnel System back in the mid-2000s, but the White House repealed it two years ago. Bob Tobias is Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He was part of a Task Force that tried to improve the system back in 2009. He said one bright spot in the system could be the key to building a new performance culture across the federal government on In Depth with Francis Rose.
July 09, 2014 -
Some changes are coming at the top of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with new leader coming in for the Veterans Health Administration next Wednesday. VA's General Counsel Will Gunn plans to resign early next month. The changes appear to be the result of a trust issue at the agency. Bob Tobias is director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He said on In Depth with Francis Rose that performance issues are in the public spotlight because of the problems at Department of Veterans Affairs, but the problem actually goes way beyond the VA.
June 25, 2014 -
With an employment drop over the past year, agencies must adopt a "less with less" mentality, according Bob Tobias, director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He says executives must be honest with Congress about their limited capabilities.
June 16, 2014 -
The overall size of the federal workforce is shrinking. Different sources show different numbers, but they're all headed down. The raw number of civilian employees actually grew between 2004 and 2012, but 94 percent of that growth was at three agencies. Bob Tobias is Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He said on In Depth with Francis Rose agency managers are starting to drop the "do more with less" mentality. Read a related story.
June 11, 2014 -
The Sept. 30 deadline for Congress to deliver a complete fiscal 2015 budget plan is still about four months away. But with a lengthy summer recess spanning nearly the entire month of August, that leaves fewer than 40 working days for the appropriation committees on Capitol Hill to finalize agency spending levels. That has some budget watchers already raising the possibility of a stopgap continuing resolution to fund government operations.
May 29, 2014 -
The Sept. 30 deadline for Congress to deliver a complete fiscal 2015 budget plan is about four months away. Appropriations committees on Capitol Hill still have a backlog of agency budget plans to finalize. Bob Tobias is Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He's already thinking about the possibility of another continuing resolution and what it means for your agency's fiscal 2015 planning process.
May 28, 2014 -
If you believe the surveys, federal workplace morale and employee engagement have declined in recent years. For a variety of reasons, a disconnect has occurred between federal employees and their managers. As part our special report, Trust Redefined: Reconnecting Government and Its Employees, we're exploring how feds can develop a new model of trust. Bob Tobias is director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He joined Tom and Emily on the Federal Drive and explained, first, you have to solve the gap between GS-15s and SESers, and the employees they lead.
May 22, 2014