Summary: The Civil Service Reform Act is clearly the most important reform of the Federal civil service system in nearly a century. The reforms are based on sound principles intended to maximize the productivity of Federal workers at all levels of Government. The goals of the Act are to provide a competent, honest, and productive Federal work force; provide a work force reflective of the Nation's diversity; and improve the quality of public service. To accomplish these goals, the Reform Act initiated complex changes in Federal personnel management in four main areas including: (1) the the creation of a Senior Executive Service with sufficient flexibility to enable the Federal Government to recruit and retain highly qualified executives; (2) the introduction of new incentives for improved performance and revised procedures for handling poor performance; (3) the revision of staffing procedures in order to improve management efficiency; and (4) the introduction of programs designed to change the larger context of Federal personnel management, including an emphasis on recruiting minorities and women into the Federal work force, codification of labor-management relations provisions formerly in executive order, and a research and demonstration program designed to encourage the testing of innovative personnel management ideas. The Reform Act's most important attribute is that it recognizes the importance of human resources management and makes managers more accountable for managing their people, while giving them some tools to do so.
