Abstract:
In July 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) volunteered to be one of three federal agencies taking part in a one-year pilot project to reform federal hiring practices. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service coordinated the project, which matched federal agencies with for-profit or nonprofit firms, that specialized in hiring and recruiting. This case is about how the public-private partnership played out as "Extreme Hiring Makeover" was implemented within CMS. It traces how the agency mapped its hiring process in an effort to eliminate needless steps, staged a hiring demonstration, and learned how to write job listings which were visually and substantively appealing to candidates. The case describes the challenges as well as the successes of bringing private sector best practices into a public agency.
Learning Objective:
The case will help students understand the federal government's current hiring practices, as well as ways in which it can be flexible and creative. They will explore the facilitation role a third party, such as a nonprofit, can play between the public and private sectors. Discussion could also turn to the role of innovative decision makers in advancing change. The case can be used in courses on public management, on human resource management, or on public/private partnerships.
