U.S. Department of Commerce National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan

Foundations for Stewardship - Foundation 5

FOUNDATION 5: Agency management, infrastructure, and workforce

The quality of our performance depends upon the quality of our people and our organizational management systems. The issues and problems involved in the stewardship of living marine resources are extremely varied and complex, and they require the systematic and strategic application of knowledge, skill, and resources. As we move towards the next century, NOAA Fisheries is seeking to become more systematic and strategic in the application of our resources to the problems we face and to ensure that we have the means to effect these improvements.

During the next 5 years, we will improve our management, infrastructure, and workforce by: Institutionalizing strategic management. We will develop operational plans which will coordinate with our national strategic plan, and we will allocate agency resources to strategic objectives. We will assign clear responsibility and accountability for the accomplishment of strategic objectives.

  1. Improving internal communication within NOAA Fisheries through the timely distribution of information including notification and explanation of key decisions by the directorate affecting agency policies or employees.
  2. Creating, distributing, and periodically updating a document specifying NOAA Fisheries policy directives to appropriate personnel.
  3. Improving our information systems. We will ensure that employees, including field staff, have access to computer and telecommunications capabilities and training commensurate with their job responsibilities and that adequate technical support services are provided for computer systems. Shared agency information will be accessible to all employees.
  4. Developing, coordinating, and implementing new policies and legislative initiatives.
  5. Improving our human resource management. We will delegate authority to the lowest appropriate level and foster employee input into decision-making and involvement in the management process. We will ensure that policies and operating procedures are understood throughout the agency and are applied uniformly and consistently. Strengthened employee training programs and alternative incentive reward systems will improve the performance of our workforce. Finally, we will improve the diversity of our workforce to better reflect the composition of the U.S. population.
  6. Providing a safe working environment. We will ensure full compliance with all environmental and safety laws and regulations.

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