Assessing the Past and Promise of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey for Public Management Research: A Research Synthesis

TLDR

Since 2002, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has used the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) to monitor federal agencies’ human‑capital management, and public‑management researchers have produced dozens of peer‑reviewed studies, yet the field has lacked a critical assessment of the survey’s use. The authors aim to evaluate the strengths of the FEVS, propose recommendations for refining its design and implementation, and foster dialogue between researchers and the Office of Personnel Management. They propose specific recommendations to refine the survey’s design and implementation to enhance data quality and value.

Abstract

Abstract Since 2002, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has used the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey ( FEVS ) to monitor efforts by federal executive agencies to manage human capital. Public management researchers have used FEVS data to produce dozens of peer‐reviewed publications on a range of topics of interest to policy makers, practitioners, and academics. Despite the proliferation of these empirical studies, the field of public management until now has lacked a critical assessment of the FEVS and of how researchers have used the data. In this article, the authors discuss the strengths of the FEVS and the opportunities this survey has created for public management researchers. Despite important contributions made to the literature using the data, there are weaknesses in the content, design, and implementation of the FEVS . The authors offer a set of recommendations for refining the survey and its implementation with the aim of improving the quality and value of the data. In doing so, they hope to foster a dialogue between public management researchers and the Office of Personnel Management on the future of the FEVS and to forge a stronger link between these two communities.