Serving the Public Interest

Profiles of Successful and Innovative Public Servants

Norma M Riccucci

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780765635297
• eBook ISBN: 9781317459941
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Organisational Behaviour
• Index: Business

This reader presents a balanced collection of 16 administrative profiles of high-level government and nonprofit officials for course use. The profiles were originally published as part of a series for Public Administration Review. The profiles themselves cover a wide range of public service professionals at the local, state, and federal levels, and are written by a distinguished cast of authors. A concluding chapter by Riccucci pulls together and synthesizes the various themes of the profiles.

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ELMER BOYD STAATS AND THE PURSUIT OF GOOD GOVERNMENT

KATHE CALLAHAN

Elmer Boyd Staats devoted 65 years of his life to making government more productive, more transparent, and more accountable. His service to our country spanned the Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush administrations. Ever an optimist, at the age of 91, he continues to believe in the goodness of people and in an honest and effective national government. While he was the comptroller general of the United States from 1966–81, he routinely dealt with issues of fraud, waste, corruption, and criminal behavior (Frederickson 1992). However, Staats’s objective—and that of the General Accounting Office (GAO) under his leadership¹—was to advance good government. He had no desire to restrict the GAO’s role in searching for fraud and corruption, although he had ample opportunity to do so during his tenure. Although the GAO continued to conduct audit reports, Staats introduced a new element to the task of ensuring government accountability: program evaluation. Instead of focusing solely on compliance studies and audit sheets, he took a more proactive approach and chose to focus on making government more honest and effective.

If Elmer Staats stands for one thing, it is good government. In reflecting on Staats’s service to our country, a senior GAO manager referred to him in 1981 as “a pragmatic agent of good government” who viewed GAO audit reports as “a way to achieve results rather than simply hitting someone over the head” (Mosher 1979, 174). Staats was a strong advocate of public service and constructive change, and he worked tirelessly to improve the performance and integrity of government throughout his career. As the current comptroller general, David M. Walker, said, “In addition to his record of remarkable achievements over a lifetime, Elmer is widely considered one of the finest public servants of our time—a man who is admired as much for his intellect and ability as for his decency and devotion to the public good” (GAO 1987).

Elmer Staats’s apartment in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is a testament to his lifetime of service. The walls of his living room are lined with photographs of former U.S. presidents, each inscribed with a sincere message of friendship and gratitude for years of dedication and service to our county. In addition to the photographs of presidents are numerous photographs of vice presidents and prominent senators, and again, each is inscribed with a message that reflects admiration and appreciation. The walls are also covered with numerous awards, plaques, and medals reflecting his significant contributions to our country. When asked about his collection of awards and honors—in particular, the signed photographs of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush—Staats shrugged his shoulder as if to suggest it was no big deal and said, “My bosses.”²

There are numerous well-written accounts of Elmer Staats’s life and accomplishments (Frederickson 1992; Krusten 2004; Mosher 1979; Walker 1987). Mosher’s book, The GAO: The Quest for Accountability in American Government, is perhaps the most comprehensive of them all and provides a highly detailed account of the GAO and Elmer Staats’s role as comptroller general. Rather than attempt to summarize his career, which would be difficult to do in this limited space, this profile will focus on organizational change and the transformation of the GAO that took place under his leadership.

KANSAS ROOTS AND THE EARLY YEARS

Elmer Staats was born to Wesley Forest and Maude Goodall Staats on June 16, 1914, in Richfield, Kansas. He was one of eight children, and his early life was spent on a farm in the Kansas Wheat Belt, making him a son of the prairie. He was valedictorian of the 1931 graduating class of Sylvia High School in Sylvia, Kansas. In 1935, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from McPherson College, a private liberal arts college founded by members of the Church of the Brethren, in McPherson, Kansas. He went on to receive a master’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1939. In 1940, he met and married Margaret Shaw Rich, the daughter of Congressman Robert Fleming Rich of Pennsylvania. They were married for 52 years and raised three children: David, Deborah, and Catharine (Frederickson 1992; Walker 1987).

As a young man, Staats was shaped, as were many young people of his generation, by the Depression. Times were tough and jobs were hard to come by. He didn’t always envision a career in the public sector. He took “jobs along the way,” as he put it. He spent a short period of time as an intern for the Kansas Legislative Council and then held a position with the Public Administration Service in Chicago. After completing his coursework at the University of Minnesota, he was offered a fellowship at the Brookings Institution. Those early years in Washington sounded like good years. Staats was completing his dissertation on the administration of social security. He, along with 17 other fellows, lived at the Brookings Institution. “ We received $30 a month, room and board—and a squash court.” It was during these early, exciting years in Washington that he met his wife. She was a graduate of Brown University and was in Washington visiting her father. It was love at first sight, as he explains it. “I met her in April, we were married in September.”

Staats began his government service in 1939, during the Roosevelt administration. He started his career in the Bureau of the Budget when there were 35 people on staff. Over a span of 25 years, he advanced from management analyst, to section chief, to assistant to the director, to executive assistant to the director, to assistant to the director, and ultimately, to deputy director of the bureau (Frederickson 1992). He came to work for government at a time when Americans generally regarded a career in the public sector as a noble calling. He left at a time when bureaucrat bashing was the norm.

As he progressively advanced through the ranks at the Bureau of Budget, he was recognized by his colleagues and the administration for his work ethic, loyalty, and optimism. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Staats to head the General Accounting Office as comptroller general of the United States. At the swearing-in ceremony, President Johnson referred to Elmer Staats as a “builder, not a doubter” and advised him to remember the kind words that were said about him at the ceremony, as they would likely be the only kind words he would hear for the next 15 years (Mosher 1979). Having spent a quarter-century in the Bureau of the Budget, Staats was able to draw on his many years of government experience as he led the GAO during a period of dramatic change and national turmoil. As an “outsider,” he had limited knowledge of the internal operations of the agency and few personal contacts within the GAO, yet he knew many people on Capitol Hill and certainly understood the political and bureaucratic environment of Washington. Uncertain as to the expectations the president had for him as comptroller general, he asked the president what he thought the job entailed. Johnson responded, “Congress passes a law and I sign it, and I want you to make sure the laws and programs are carried out as both the president and Congress intended” (Mosher 1979, 172).

GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and is the government’s accountability watchdog. According to Staats, “[The] GAO is first and foremost a problem-solving organization.” The GAO serves Congress and the American people by keeping a close eye on virtually every federal program, activity, and function. “Its highly trained evaluators examine everything from missiles to medicine, from aviation safety to food safety, from national security to social security” (Kruston 2004, 1). Or as Mosher put it, “The GAO is, among other things, a picture window on a moving vehicle traversing a rapidly changing landscape” (Mosher 1979, xvii).

In many ways, the GAO is unique. According to Mosher,

The uniqueness of the GAO stems in part from its legal and official status in the U.S. government. It is an arm of the Congress, from which it receives its powers, responsibilities and resources. But it is also independent, even of Congress, in the exercise of some of its powers and in its choice of the majority of its projects and the conduct of virtually all of them. This independence, which the GAO treasures, is enhanced by the nature of the appointment and tenure of its top leaders. The comptroller general and the deputy comptroller general are both—like many other high federal officials—appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate; but unlike most other officials except judges, they have long terms (of fifteen years) and are almost irremovable. Although most of the GAO’s work concerns the executive branch, it is not responsible to it. Its potential scope is almost as broad as that of the government itself. (1979, 2)

Through a variety of oversight and inquiry activities such as program reviews, program evaluations, financial audits, legal opinions, and investigations, the GAO holds executive agencies and individuals accountable for their actions and outcomes. Since its establishment on July 1, 1921, the GAO’s focus has been government accountability. Although the agency has always worked for good government, its mission and organization have changed a great deal since 1921. In the early years, from its establishment through World War II, the GAO was defined by its focus on legal compliance and voucher checking. This period often is referred to as the “Era of the Accountant.” From 1945 to 1966, priorities shifted to consolidation and contracts—the “Era of the Economist” (Mosher 1979). To outsiders, the GAO, as John Rourke described it, had “the image of dusty ledgers, armbands and green visors” (1978, 453). In fact, one of Staats’s earliest memories of the GAO reflects this image. “What sticks out in my memory,” he reflected, “is the rows of desks, face to face, with dozens of employees doing voucher audits.” Those green visors and armbands gradually disappeared under Staats’s leadership. Accountants soon shared office space and assignments with social scientists, computer professionals, health care experts, policy analysts, and information-management specialists.

TRANSFORMING THE GAO

The 1960s to the late 1970s was a time of great turbulence and change. President Johnson aggressively pushed for dramatic changes in domestic programs—in particular, civil rights, urban development, education, health, and welfare. Momentum for policy change was overshadowed by unrest over civil rights and an unpopular war. Vietnam, civil rights, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy fueled protests on college campuses across the country. Civil unrest was high during the summer of 1967, and race riots broke out in major cities from California to New Jersey. Trust in government was eroding as the horrors of war were televised in living rooms across America; this was followed by the gradual unfolding of the Watergate scandal.

Fortunately, the transformation of the GAO under Elmer Staats’s leadership was far less turbulent than the times. Elmer Staats’s appointment as comptroller general “in no way resembled the turmoil that often accompanies political transition in the executive branch” (Mosher 1979, 173). He was a respected administrator, and his nomination was greeted enthusiastically in Congress and in the press. When the Senate Committee on Government Operations held hearings on his confirmation, he was said to be “eminently qualified” with a “long and distinguished career.” According to one of the senators on the committee, no one came to the job “better equipped than Elmer Staats” (Mosher 1979, 72). The committee voted unanimously for his confirmation, and two days later, he was confirmed by the Senate.

When Staats first arrived at the GAO, he was shocked by the lack of organization, in particular the fragmentation and duplication of effort. In 1966, the GAO, as he saw it, was essentially three separate agencies: One agency addressed international concerns, another defense concerns, and another civilian concerns. Each “agency” had its own priorities, processes, and procedures, and communication among the three was weak at best. Staats knew that changes were in order, but he did not want to rush into things or jump to conclusions. “I didn’t go in with a plan. I knew what my responsibility was. The question was how to implement it.”

Staats was instrumental in transforming the GAO from a relatively narrowly focused, accountant-dominated organization concerned with budgets and the bottom line into a multidisciplinary organization concerned with the much broader issues of program evaluation, managerial effectiveness, and accountability. Though his efforts began quietly and grew slowly, Staats’s focus was improving the GAO’s internal planning processes, expanding its relevance to Congress, and addressing issues of accountability and program effectiveness.

Staats is widely recognized for increasing the GAO’s relevance to Congress. He is credited with a dramatic increase in the number of reports prepared for Congress. It is estimated that in 1966, when Staats first starting working at the GAO, 8 percent of the agency’s work was prepared for Congress. When Staats left in 1981, that number had increased to between 40 percent and 50 percent. Staats shared an interesting story about this turnaround and his initial assessment of the GAO’s output. When he was first assessing what the GAO actually did, he asked one of his senior staff members, “How much of our work is for Congress?” The staff member replied that he didn’t know. Staats asked the staff member to “go and look at the reports prepared in the last five years and let me know how many were prepared at the request of Congress.” Staats’s proactive approach in focusing on the congressional customer allowed him to broaden the scope of the GAO audits to better serve Congress and the American people.

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Staats knew he did not want to make any major changes until he got a feel for the organization and the people. He visited all the regional offices, 8 to 10 at the time, to meet the staff and talk with them about the issues they were addressing. He used this as an opportunity to assess the professional qualifications of the field staff and to identify employees with leadership potential. He built on the background, expertise, and loyalty of the staff who were there, and he promoted from within. “I deliberately didn’t bring in outsiders, not even secretaries. It was a wise decision—they didn’t feel like they were going to be replaced.” Staats also knew several big retirements would be coming soon, and he waited to fill those key positions with competent professionals who would help him broaden the scope of the GAO and increase its relevance to Congress.

When it came time to hire new staff, the entry-and mid-level recruitment policy shifted. The recruitment of staff was broadened from the traditional disciplines of accounting and law to include program evaluation, engineering, and systems analysis. Staats set a recruitment goal: Fifty percent of the new hires would be from the newly identified fields. He also established a task force on women and minorities. He wanted not only to recruit more women and minorities but also to address the disparity in pay and advancement opportunities. In addition, Staats created a variety of professional development and training opportunities for his staff. He said one of the most rewarding aspects of his job “was seeing the organization change and seeing people develop professionally.”

Staats created an opportunity for staff growth and development by establishing the Office of Congressional Relations (OCR). He selected four to five talented young employees to staff this office and to work more closely with Congress and congressional committees. These young people were to be the eyes and ears of the GAO. They were to stay abreast of congressional issues through day-to-day interaction with committee members. As comptroller general, Staats found himself testifying before Congress on a regular basis—at least three to four times a week on different subjects. He was a regular, and they soon got to know him on the Hill. Staats admitted that it was nearly impossible for him to know all the details of the reports that were issued, and he found himself relying more and more on the OCR staff. Staats had confidence in his staff, and h...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Introduction: The Making of Effective Public Servants
• 1. Elmer Boyd Staats and the Pursuit of Good Government
• 2. Leadership and the Transformation of a Major Institution: Charles Rossotti and the Internal Revenue Service
• 3. Leadership with an Enduring Impact: The Legacy of Chief Burtell Jefferson of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.
• 4. Qualified to Learn the Job: Donna Shalala
• 5. William Robertson: Exemplar of Politics and Public Management Rightly Understood
• 6. Lillian Borrone: Weaving a Web to Revitalize Port Commerce in New York and New Jersey
• 7. Leadership and Change at NASA: Sean O'Keefe as Administrator
• 8. George Tenet and the Last Great Days of the CIA
• 9. Colleen Jollie, State Tribal Liaison: A Story of Transformational Change
• 10. Being There Matters—Redefining the Model Public Servant: Viola O. Baskerville in Profile
• 11. Managing the "New Normalcy" with Values-Based Leadership: Lessons from Admiral James Loy
• 12. Nancy Alfaro as an Exemplary Collaborative Public Manager: How Customer Service Was Aligned with Customer Needs
• 13. Chrik Poortman: A World Bank Professional
• 14. The Pracademic and the Fed: The Leadership of Chairman Benjamin Bernanke
• 15. Bill Gibson and the Art of Leading Across Boundaries
• 16. Prosecuting Nazi Collaborators and Terrorists: Eli Rosenbaum and Managing the Office of Special Investigations
• Conclusion: What Are the Ingredients of Effective Performance Among Public Servants?
• About the Editor and Contributors