Overview and Strategy

Our Mission
Building a better government and a stronger democracy.

Our Vision
We envision a dynamic and innovative federal government that effectively serves our diverse nation.

At the Partnership for Public Service, we believe that our future and our democracy depend on our ability to solve big problems—and that we need an effective federal government to do so.

For more than 20 years, we have helped make this vision a reality, helping our government—the public institution most fundamental to our democracy—address the challenges of the moment and those to come.

Today, as we strive toward a better government and a stronger democracy, we are resolved in our commitment to nonpartisanship. While others may debate whether government should be bigger or smaller, we focus on making it better. We do this by taking bold action to develop effective leaders and address critical talent gaps, increase employee engagement and recognize excellence in the federal workforce, promote innovation and collaboration, and strengthen Congress and improve the presidential transition process.

These issues are not partisan in nature, and we remain steadfast in pursuing meaningful change and advocating for both the federal government and the millions of public servants who comprise it, no matter the political environment. Moving forward, we will continue to serve as a bridge between administrations, across the political aisle and from the public to the private sector to develop forward-thinking solutions that improve the way our government works.

Fulfilling our mission also means embracing diverse voices, perspectives and discourse within and outside of our organization. We believe that to build a better government and a stronger democracy, we must uphold the nonpartisan values of fairness and equity—values rooted in our representative democracy.

We are proud of this ongoing work and we remain fueled by the possibilities to do more.

Our Values

Passion

Passion for public service and our work toward a more effective government. 

Promise

Promise to be trustworthy, nonpartisan and fiscally responsible. 

Persistence

Persistence to drive change, take strategic risks and deliver results. 

People

People who promote a culture of learning, leadership, collaboration, inclusion and respect. 

Our Approach

Five main operational principles guide our work to build a better government and a stronger democracy:

Constructive

We act as a force for positive change and seek to not only find problems, but to identify possible solutions.

Continuity

We serve as a bridge between administrations, across the political aisle and between government and the private sector.   

Credible

We are nonpartisan, and our work is evidence-based and rooted in experience. 

Connector

We have created a robust community of leaders, practitioners and thinkers within and beyond government. 

Catalyzer

We help our partners take meaningful action to create a better government and a stronger democracy—and we help government do its job better rather than doing the job of government.  

 

Our Strategies for a Better Government

Since our founding in 2001, the Partnership has sought to generate solutions and performance measures that help government address critical management and workforce challenges, track progress, and work more productively and effectively.

We bring our expertise and experience to bear on this important challenge by working across several priority areas:     

Congress 

We offer key insights, data and legislative recommendations to help Congress improve government performance, strengthen the federal civil service and become more responsive to the diverse needs of our nation.

Customer Experience 

To bolster how agencies interact with customers, we share knowledge and leading practices through research, events, papers and reports; advocate for removing policy and legislative barriers; convene people who oversee the customer experience at their organizations; and hold agencies accountable by publishing annual insights on their interactions with the public.

Employee Engagement  

Our training sessions and custom employee engagement offerings help agencies better support the federal workforce, and our Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings offer the most comprehensive assessment of how federal employees view their jobs and workplaces.

Innovation and Technology 

We help agencies find new ways to address critical challenges, more effectively use emerging technologies to improve government performance, and develop strategies to recruit and hire qualified technology experts.

Leadership and Collaboration 

We help federal employees become more effective leaders by offering continual leadership development opportunities and creating new spaces to collaborate and network within government and across sectors.

Presidential Transition 

Our Center for Presidential Transition®—the nation’s premier nonpartisan resource for presidential candidates and their teams as they prepare for a new administration or a president’s second term—works with federal agencies, Congress and the White House to help ensure smooth and effective transfers of power.

Recognition 

We celebrate, honor and recognize exceptional public servants to reignite public trust in government, highlight the critical role it plays in our democracy and inspire people to join the federal workforce. 

Workforce 

We help agencies design and implement new recruitment and retention strategies, we develop internship, fellowship and talent exchange programs that create new pathways to public service, and we advocate for policies that improve the hiring process.

Performance Measures

We generate and review performance data to measure progress across government and help agencies and Congress work more effectively. We track nominations of political appointees, synthesize and highlight federal customer experience data, summarize the health of federal agencies using up-to-date data sources, assess the employee experience across government and more.