Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:11:12 -0500 (CDT)
From: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
<odni[at]service.govdelivery.com>
Subject: Harvard Kennedy School/ODNI Press Release: Intelligence Community
Civilian Joint Duty Program Honored as Innovations in American Government
Award Winner
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY CIVILIAN JOINT DUTY PROGRAM HONORED AS INNOVATIONS
IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AWARD WINNER
Office of the Director of National Intelligence Receives Accolades from
Harvard University s Ash Institute
Cambridge, Mass., September 9, 2008
The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy
School today announced the Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program
as a winner of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards. This program
of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence promotes cross
collaboration and knowledge transfer across the entire intelligence community.
As one of six 2008 Innovations winners recognized at tonight s awards gala
in Washington, D.C., the program will receive $100,000 toward dissemination
and replication across the country.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence designed the Intelligence
Community Civilian Joint Duty Program in 2007 to address the unique threats
faced by American intelligence as detailed in the 2004 Intelligence Reform
and Terrorism Prevention Act and the 9-11 Commission. The program instills
a new model of collaboration by requiring personnel to serve a period of
duty outside of their parent agency as a prerequisite for senior level promotion.
As a result, Joint Duty personnel gain a deeper and broader knowledge of
the inner-workings of American intelligence, and in the process, build the
collaborative, inter-agency information-sharing networks so vital to today
s post-9/11 intelligence mission. Through the efforts of Director of National
Intelligence Mike McConnell, as well as the strong backing of Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates, all 16 agencies, including those within the six cabinet
departments that make up the intelligence community, participate in the program.
Previously, the intelligence community s agencies and departments operated
almost independently, with very little interagency collaboration and information
sharing an insularity deeply rooted in the Cold War and identified by the
9-11 Commission as one of the primary reasons the intelligence community
failed to connect the dots leading up to the September 11th tragedy.
Under the guidelines of the Joint Duty program, all Intelligence Community
employees are evaluated under the same performance standards, no matter which
of the 16 agencies they may serve. Such standards include how well they
collaborate, share information, and take integrated action across agency
boundaries. Executives receive annual feedback from superiors, staff, and
peers, through comprehensive 360-degree reviews standardized across all agencies.
While formal outcomes are classified, the program is already receiving much
anecdotal acclaim.
"Joint Duty ensures that leaders of the Intelligence Community acquire a
deep understanding of how each element of the IC contributes to the overall
mission," said Director Mike McConnell. "It's like the quintessential CEO
who has spent time working in the mail room, advertising, distribution, sales,
and accounting. A leader who understands and sees the big picture is eminently
better prepared to handle the challenges of a complex global threat. The
Joint Duty Program is one of the many fruits of the Intelligence Reform and
Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004."
Knowledge-sharing between our federal intelligence agencies is key to improved
national security, said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in
American Government Awards at Harvard Kennedy School. The Office of the Director
of National Intelligence has developed an innovative solution for improving
cross-agency understanding, while at once creating a more rewarding professional
experience for intelligence community personnel.
Since 1986, the Ash Institute s Innovations in American Government Awards
Program at Harvard Kennedy School has honored 187 federal, state, and local
government agencies through Ford Foundation support. In highlighting exemplary
models of government innovation, the Program drives continued progress in
improving the quality of life of citizens and encourages scholarly research
and teaching cases at Harvard University and institutions worldwide. Many
award-winning programs have been replicated across jurisdictions and policy
areas, and have served as harbingers of today s reform strategies or as
forerunners to state and federal legislation.
About the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation
The Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation
advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions
worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and
government innovations awards, the Institute fosters creative and effective
government problem-solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of
the most pressing needs of the world s citizens. Asia Programs, a school-wide
initiative integrating Asia-related activities, joined the Ash Institute
in July 2008. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Institute.
Additional information about the Ash Institute is available at
www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu.
Applicants for the 2009 Innovations in American Government Awards are encouraged
to apply at
www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu.
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