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| an online newsletter for and by NOAA employees |
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I value the chance to talk with many of you
at these meetings. It's important to me to get to know you, find out what
you're thinking and share what's ahead. In part, future directions will
be shaped by the give-and-take that occurs during these meetings, field
visits and other kinds of communication. If you have ideas for more types
of internal communications, please let us know. Matrix management has been a key focus of the town hall meetings. I realize there are many questions about the matrix management structure. Please understand it means more than having two bosses. The idea of organizing around themes that cut naturally across all line offices emerged from the three-month program review in which all NOAA staff were invited to participate. The review — and the broad, candid response to it — recognized that NOAA was created 32 years ago with several distinct line offices or "islands" of focus for excellent reasons, but that the current structure alone is no longer sufficient to keep this agency on the cutting edge of environmental science. Our management challenge has been to move NOAA into the 21st century operationally in the same interrelated and linked manner as the environment we observe and forecast. The program review questioned how NOAA's outstanding talent and technology can best be aligned so that today's environmental and economic demands can be met while simultaneously advancing the enormous promises of tomorrow. The review revealed there is no need to rearrange all the deck chairs! Without requiring any major reorganization, matrix management simply means that in addition to the "islands" there will now be a clear bridge linking team talent, funding and management on given issues. The first three matrix programs — climate, homeland security and corals — were selected because every NOAA line office is key to addressing them. While employees will continue to work within their respective line offices, some will also begin to infuse targeted team initiatives with their expertise and enthusiasm. Program managers with budget planning and execution authority will lead each matrix management team — and voices for a range of earth sciences will be heard around one table. As an indispensable public trust, NOAA must adapt to 21st century challenges. Citizen-centered, results-oriented and market-based principles must drive how sound science is applied to meet the nation's tough challenges under sea, along our coasts and in the atmosphere. Individually and collectively, all of your skills, innovation and dedication will count more than ever in meeting these challenges. Happy New Year and thank you for being aboard. I look forward to getting to know many more of you. |
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Just before Christmas,
I enjoyed hosting town hall meetings with staff on our Silver Spring and
Suitland, Maryland campuses and in Washington, DC. This month, we held
a town hall meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, where a three-day conference
was held on cutting-edge ecosystem forecasting tools and management strategies.
I'm delighted that several of our partners, including the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, Sea Grant and the South Carolina Coastal Zone
Management Program, took part in the town hall meeting there. Another
two town halls are coming up this month, at the Southwest Fisheries Science
Center in La Jolla, California and for all NOAA employees in Hawaii. Several
more will be scheduled throughout the year.
