By Martha A. Dorris, Founder of Dorris Consulting International
A peaceful transition of power in the U.S. goes beyond political ritual; it’s a unique opportunity to reset, refocus, and enhance the experience of incoming administration staff. Since the early 1990s, each presidential administration has prioritized improving customer experience within government operations, directly benefiting the teams tasked with carrying out these missions. The General Services Administration (GSA) plays a critical role in this process by ensuring that new teams are well-prepared and equipped to build on prior progress. By streamlining onboarding processes, providing essential resources, and offering institutional knowledge, the GSA acts as a bridge between administrations, creating a smoother, more productive transition.
Congress recognized the importance of these transitions with the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, which underscored the risks posed by disruptions in executive power. As stated in the Act, “Any disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its people.” To ensure an orderly transfer, the Act established a framework for federal agencies to prepare for a presidential transition. This preparation, supported by strong bipartisan backing, has expanded over the years to address the increasing complexities of modern transitions, ensuring that the transfer of power is smooth and structured to minimize disruptions to government operations.
Under the Act, GSA is mandated to provide office space and other essential support services to presidents-elect and vice presidents-elect, as well as pre-election support to eligible candidates. This support includes not only physical resources but also assistance with onboarding and operational planning. Additionally, the Act requires that transition planning begin well before a presidential election, enabling agencies to prepare new leaders effectively, whether in a first or second term. With its deep institutional knowledge and extensive resources, the GSA remains a cornerstone of this process, helping to maintain continuity in governance and to uphold a tradition of cooperation that bolsters public trust in government.
In our recent episode of The CX Tipping Point Podcast, I interviewed three long-term career public servants with extensive experience in navigating Presidential transitions: Tim Horne and Jim Williams, who were previously acting administrators at GSA during transitions as well as holding many other executive roles in GSA and other agencies; and Greg Giddens, who served in many agencies, from the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Their unique insights shed light on this critical process, which enables the successful transition to a new leadership team. What is the role of the GSA in that process? And how can public servants be successful in enabling the transition? How can agencies continue the momentum to deliver outstanding government services? Let’s dive in.
Preparing for the Transition
The presidential transition process is carefully organized to ensure that incoming teams have access to the information and resources they need to hit the ground running. There are many things that career public servants do to prepare for the transition months before Election Day, including the following:
Preparing Briefing Books and Transition Materials
Federal agencies create comprehensive briefing books, which consolidate all the critical information the new administration needs in order to understand the agency’s mission, current programs, budget requirements, and personnel structure. These materials are carefully compiled to ensure they provide a complete, unbiased picture of each department’s functions and ongoing initiatives, facilitating continuity.
Beachhead and Transition Teams
During the transition period between Election Day and Inauguration Day, two primary types of teams enter the agencies: the ”beachhead team” and the “transition team.” The beachhead team, often consisting of people with prior agency experience, works on the ground to collect and interpret information for the transition team, providing detailed insights that will aid in decision-making as the new administration takes shape. Transition teams, composed of members selected by the incoming administration, begin high-level assessments of agency functions and priorities.
Inauguration Day
At noon on January 20, all political appointees from the previous administration officially vacate their roles, leaving career employees to temporarily fill leadership positions and ensure government continuity. This period, spanning 77 days from the election to the inauguration, is marked by unique challenges. During this critical period, career employees are responsible for upholding government operations and addressing the evolving needs of incoming leadership. It’s a delicate balance that demands tact, adaptability, and clear communication to ensure agency stability and to mitigate potential vulnerabilities as the new administration takes shape.
Using customer experience strategies throughout the transition process
As new leaders transition into these new roles, keeping customer experience at the forefront of the process creates a more collegial, collaborative and trusted atmosphere and relationship. By understanding and meeting the needs of the new administration’s teams, you will ensure a smoother onboarding processes and more effective transitions. Seasoned, long-term career public servants can offer valuable advice on creating a positive experience for new appointees.
Be Courteous and Helpful
When the new team arrives for their first day, they’re energized and eager to start strong. Do everything possible to set a positive tone from the beginning. Greg Giddens advised, “If you want to get off to a bad start, make this team sit around and wait for your process to get them cleared in the building. They’re working hard, trying to get in and get their work done. Make sure you’re ready for them to come. Have someone there to help them get through the security process and get them to the right room.” Giddens also noted, “a little food goes a long way.”
Remember, the incoming appointees bring their own experience, skills, and agendas. They may not want to pick up exactly where you left off—don’t take it personally. Help them hit the ground running with everything they need at their disposal. That includes helping them set expectations around resources and pacing, remembering that incoming teams will likely be eager to get things done as quickly as possible. “Trust me, on day one, they're going to be talking about sprinting out of the gate. And you can't sprint forever,” shared Giddens. He suggests you help them avoid burnout by helping them recognize and set priorities, early on.
Collaboration is Key
Horne shared his perspective on how effective service to the American taxpayers and advancement of the incoming administration’s agenda requires collaboration between career employees and political appointees. "They can’t accomplish anything in a vacuum," he explained, emphasizing that their interdependence is vital to the organization. This partnership is unique and largely unmatched in the private sector. In most businesses, leadership changes don’t happen with the same regularity or frequency as they do in government. Political appointees may change every four years or even sooner, creating high turnover at the organization’s senior levels. This dynamic is especially unique because, in many agencies, priorities shift significantly depending on the political party in power.
Horne further pointed out how this dynamic is comparable to a corporate merger or takeover occurring on a national scale every few years. In order for this partnership to work, each group plays an essential role. Political appointees rely on career employees, who know the inner workings of government and how to navigate the bureaucracy. While some political appointees may have experience within certain departments, most require the expertise of career staff to effectively implement their visions. Career employees need political appointees for their connection to the administration's agenda. When both groups collaborate closely, the organization achieves success. However, when either side resists this partnership and attempts to operate independently, it often leads to a challenging and unproductive environment for everyone involved.
Career public servants must be committed to providing this information to the incoming teams, regardless of party. “We’re about good government,” Williams said. “It should be about giving the same information to whoever wins.” According to Williams, it helps to put yourself in their position. “What would I want to know if I was coming in? Convey everything you can to help that person hit the ground running no matter who they are. That’s good government.”
Provide All Necessary Information
From program summaries to budget projections, ensure the incoming team has the resources they need to make informed decisions. “You want them to first see that you're an organization that's well put together that understands its mission,” said Giddens. Don’t hold back when it comes to sharing the details of each project, even if those details aren’t necessarily positive. “If you know where there are some issues and problems, and you hide that, the transition teams will wonder one of two things: they'll say, ‘Well, did they know about this but decided not to share it?’ Or, ‘Are they incompetent and didn't know about this issue?’ Neither one of those is a good thing.” Share information openly, especially early on, when the team is actively gathering data to synthesize and begin considering potential policy decisions.
Prepare the Incoming Teams with Easy and Early Wins
During a presidential transition, incoming teams arrive with fresh energy and a desire to make a positive impact. One of the most valuable contributions public servants can make is to pave the way for these new teams to achieve early wins. As Giddens explained, “Every new team will want to get some early wins. And that's not a bad thing.” Early wins not only help new leaders build support and momentum but also benefit the entire agency, creating a positive foundation for collaboration and trust. By identifying quick victories and setting achievable goals, public servants can create a smoother transition that positions both the team and the agency for success.
Helping the incoming team means offering tangible ideas and initiatives that align with both the agency’s mission and the administration’s goals. These might include existing programs that could use renewed attention or high-impact projects that can be implemented swiftly. By curating these opportunities, public servants enable new leaders to make meaningful contributions early on, strengthening their standing within the agency and reinforcing their connection to the agency’s ongoing work. Providing these starting points encourages the new team to continue building on existing progress and ensures a seamless continuation of valuable initiatives. These initial successes also foster a collaborative culture, setting the tone for a productive partnership that extends beyond the first days of transition and creates lasting impact.
Preserving the Focus on Improving Government Services
The federal government has had some degree of focus on improving customer service or customer experience since the early 1990s with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). Over the past 10 years, there has been a renewed focus and priority on customer experience and improving government services, from the creation of a Cross Agency Priority (CAP) goal on customer experience in the Trump Administration and the passage of 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) to the Biden-Harris’ Management and Executive Order on Customer Experience. Improving the services delivered to all Americans is a non-partisan issue. So how do we ensure that this remains a priority in the incoming Administration?
As the new Administration comes in, government officials should be able to demonstrate the results and mission impact from using customer experience strategies and practices such as understanding their customers through research, obtaining feedback on their experience, setting performance targets, and designing services with the user in mind. One way to deliver this information is to use data to convey results. “If you are really focused on the customer experience, you should have some data to show us how that's impacting citizens,” said Giddens. “It's more than just customer service; it's the overall experience. It's not that the citizens got their issue resolved or got the product that they need, but how did they feel about that? Did they trust that the government had their interest in mind? Was it a pleasant exchange or did they wait for an hour and a half on the phone before they could talk to somebody?”
Creating a culture of service and a focus on the people being served is foundational to improving service delivery. Prioritizing trust and keeping citizens at the heart of its mission has led to improvement in trust scores and overall satisfaction with government. This focus on CX has proven not only effective but also resilient, carrying through changes in administration. For the incoming team, public servants (e.g., Chief Information Officers, Digital Service teams, Chief Customer Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Procurement Officers and Chief Human Capital Officers) can be instrumental in maintaining and expanding this customer experience commitment. By collaborating, understanding the current agency’s successes and priorities, career public servants and the new political appointees can have long-standing impacts on the lives of Americans and improve trust in government.
The Importance of Successful Presidential Transitions
The peaceful transition of power between presidential administrations is a defining feature of American democracy, and public servants play a pivotal role in its success. Professionalism and dedication form the backbone of an orderly handover, ensuring continuity in government functions and stability as new leadership steps in. As former President George W. Bush stated, "The peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country... it speaks to the strength of our Constitution and the trust of our people." This trust is honored by the commitment of career public servants who, regardless of political shifts, work tirelessly to support each administration’s mission to serve the American people. Through these efforts, the government remains resilient and responsive, prepared to meet the nation’s needs through every transition.
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