DOCUMENT RESUME

07923 - C34886013

Development of a National Productivity ClearinghouseFGNSD-79-4; B-163762. December 12, 1978. 8 pp. + appendix (4pp. ).

Report to James T. McIntyre, Jr., Director, Office of anagementand Budget; by D. L. Scantlebury, irector, Financial andGeneral anaqement Studies Div.

Issue Area: National Productivity: Evaluation of actions ofNational Center for Productivity and Quality of Working Lifeunder Public Law 94-136 (2003).

Contact: Financial and General anagement Studies Div.Budget Function: General Government: Other General Goverruent

(8061.Organization Concerned: Department of Cmaerce; National Center

for Productivity and Quality of Working Life.Authority: P.L. 94-136.

One of the major recommendations in a recent report onnational productivity was the establishment of a productivityclearinghouse to provide national and international data andknowledge on various aspects of productivity. This would includeeffective ethods, their costs, and how long it takes to provideresults. It would benefit all sectors of the economy.Findings/Conclusions: Currently, no unified system exists forthe collect3 n, processing, analysis, and disseminaticn ofinformation, documents, or materials in the field ofproductivity. Although the National Center for Productivity andQuality of Working Life established a clearinghouse, it was noteffective in reaching wide audiences. A clearinghouse should beequipped to provide the following: copies of reports andpublications from its own or outside collections, informationabout new findings and events, special information analysis,general publications on various aspects of the field, specialhandbooks nd guides, responses to telephone or mail requestsfor actual statistics or information, and assistance in locatinginformation outside the clearinghouse. The clearinghouse shouldalso: set standards for communications within the field; review,index, and abstract its collection; and monitor currentresearch, produce state-of-the-art reports, and researchreviews. Recommendations: The Director of the Office ofManagement and Budget, in his capacity as Chairman of theNational Prodctivity Council, should assign responsibility forthe development and operation of a productivity clearinghouse.Adequate funding should be provided to the organization givenresponsibility for the development and implementation of theclearinghouse. (RRS)

REPORT BY THE U S.

General Accounting Office

Development Of A NationalProductivity Clearinghouse

There is a need for a national prod,-tivity clearinghouse to provide informationto ail sectors of the economy on variousaspects of productivity.

A Federal productivity clearinghouseshould be mandated to play an active rolein helping to improve national produc-tivity. To be effective, it must be adequate-ly funded and must go beyond simplymaintaining and distributing information.

The establishment of a clearinghousewould help provide decisionmakers withthe necessary tools to improve the pro-ductivity of their organizations.

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Cou FGMSD-79-4SCOUS DECEMBER 12, 1978

UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICEWASHINGTON, D.C. 20548

DIVISION OF FINANCIAL ANDGENIRAL MANAGEMENT STUDIE

B-163762

The Honorable James T. McIntyre, Jr.Director, Office of

Management and Budget

Dear Mr. McIntyre:

In our recent report, The Federal Role in ImprovingNational Productivity--Is the National Center for Produc-tivity and Quality of Working Life the Pper Mechanism?"(FGMSD-78-26, May 23, 1978), we stated that the Federal Gov-ernment must provide the framework and incentives for improv-ing private sector productivity through a concensus amongbusiness, labor, and government regarding the best policiesand procedures to be pursued. We emphasized that regardlessof where the productivity improvement effort is located, itmust be undertaken in prtnership with the private sector.

As we stated in our report, we believe the Federal focusfor the private sector productivity effort should be limitedto five functions.

--Develop periodic needs assessments to determine thenature and extent f private sector productivityproblems, and refer identified labor-management andregulatory problems to the proper agencies forconsideration.

--Promote a better understanding of all the factorsaffecting productivity, including human resources,quality of working life, capital, technology, re-search and development, transformation of knowledgeinto practical terms, and the importance of produc-tivity to our national economy.

--Interact with the Joint Economic Committee of theCongress, the Council of Economic Advisers to thePresident, and the Federal Reserve Board to assessthe productivity effect of fiscal, monetary, tax, andregulatory policies on the private sector.

B-163762

-- Act as a facilitator in bringing together variousgroups on neutral ground to discuss widespreadindustry productivity problems.

--Operate a productivity clearinghouse to providenational and international data and knowledge onvarious aspects of productivity--effective methods,their costs, how long they take to provide results,etc. This would benefit all sectors of the economy.

In this report, we address the last of these functions--the development and operation of a productivity clearinghouseto serve both the private and public sectors. We will discuss(1) the need for a national productivity clearinghouse, (2) adescription of the functions we believe such clearinghouseshould perform, (3) an operational concept of a national pro-ductivity clearinghouse, and () conclus.ons. A strategy forthe development of a clearinghouse is provided as appendix I.

NEED FOR A NATIONALPRODUCTIVITY CLEARINGHOGSE

Currently no unified system exists for the collection,processing, analysis, and dissemination of information, docu-ments, and materials in the field of productivity. Althoughthe National Center for Productivity and Quality o WorkingLife established a lear.nghouse, it was not effective inreaching wide audiences.

Federal agency and department officials with whom wehave discussed the operation of the Center's clearinghousefelt that it was not meeting the needs of the public andprivate sectors of the economy in adequately providing pro-ductivity information. They believed that the reason forthis was that the clearinghouse lacked resources, infra-structure, and sufficient authority to carry out the missioncalled for in Public Law 94-136.

Further, the Center did not attempt to take advantageof the other sources of productivity informatio- inside andoutside of government. These sources could ha been used todevelop a productivity information network.

Now, especially with the Center's termination Septem-ber 30, 1978, there remains a need for an effective produc-tivity clearinghouse.

B-163762

This need for a clearinghouse was documented in thequestionnaires, surveys, and interviews conducted during ouroverall evaluation of the Center. Sixty-three percent of therespondents to our private sector survey stated that poten-tial exists for improving productivity through the effortsof a clearinghouse. Ninety-seven percent of the respondentsto our State and local government survey stated a Federalproductivity clearinghouse would be useful. Finally, 80 per-cent of the labor unions responding to our questionnairestated that the Federal Government should serve as an infor-mation clearinghouse for information on the quality of work-ing life and its relation to productivity.

FUNCTIONS OF ACLEARINGHOUSE

A clearinghouse is a complex information facility thatcan serve a wide audience of users with many special needs.Based on our surveys, questionnaires, and interviews withofficials from the public and private sectors, as well asvisits to existing clearinghouses such as the NationalClearinghouse for the Aging, the National echnical Informa-tion Service, and the Education Research Information Center,we believe a clearinghouse should be equipped to provide thefollowing:

-- Copies of reports and other publications from its ownor outside collections to users who have requestedthem.

-- Information about new findings and events. This iscalled "current awareness services" and may includejournals or newsletters which contain brief abstractsof all recent publications in an area. Normally thedocument will be divided by sub-area which allowsindividuals to keep abreast of areas of specialinterests.

-- Special information analysis. For example, when anindividual needs to determine what information hasbeen published in an area, a clearinghouse can providean up-to-date, yet inexpensive, annotated bibliography.

-- General publications on various aspects of the field.

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-- Special handbooks and guides. A clearinghouse is notlimited to published reports. It can include data onavailable resources, profiles of operating serviceprograms, and descriptions of program models.

--Responses to telephone or mail requests for actualstatistics 6r information. These responses supplyfacts rather than the documents containing the infor-mation. This is just one way in which a clearing-house can give advice and consultation on problemsthat libraries cannot handle.

-- Assistance in locating documents, collections, andother sources of information outside the clearinghouse.

--Data on ongoing research, demonstration, and modelprojects, as well as information on completed research.

In addition, we believe a clearinghouse should:

--Set standards for communications within the field.For example, a clearinghouse may develop a thesaurusof terms--an organized, interrelated network of con-cepts which cover all the available topics of researchand investigation. The thesaurus is an aid in theconsistent organization of individual collections inthe field. The clearinghouse could also organizeformal interagency panels to assist in the mainte-nance of Federal level communications.

-- Review, index, and abstract its collection. Normallya clearinghouse reviews each item in its collectionupon receipt and determine- if it is appropriate forthe collection, indexes it, and prepares an abstract.

--Monitor current research, produce state-of-the-artreports, and research reviews. This is made possibleby maintaining a file on all research (historic andcurrent). The clearinghouse is thus an invaluableresource for supplying the latest and best knowledgein the field, and informing people of where suchknowledge is available.

As the above list indicates, clearinghouses (unlikelibraries) are designed to supply much of their informationby mail or phone. Their activity also includes evaluationof the completeness of knowledge in their field so that new

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research can be undertaken to fill gaps. Clearinghouses alsoserve as the focal point for people interested in the fieldand, as such, may sponsor conferences and meetings betweenresearchers.

The extent and nature of the activities in which aclearinghouse must involve itself necessitates that it beadministered by individuals who not only maintain a collec-tion, but who are also technically proficient in the subjectarea. Its staff should make it their business to know theimportant issues and sources of information in a field, andthey must have the facilities to obtain and subsequently makethe information quickly available to people who need it.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONALPRODUCTIVITY CLEARINGHOUSE

In order to insure that the clearinghouse will providethe information and materials most useful to users, it shouldbe developed under the guidance of a National ProductivityCouncil, such as we recommended in our report on the NationalCenter, consisting of representatives of selected Federalagencies having productivity related mnissions. An externaladvisory group made up of representatives of industry, labor,and the general public shculd also Lt established to recom-mend to the Council specific issues for the clearinghouse to,Adress. The Council, with input from the advisory group,should develop a plan for the clearinghouse based upon

--a survey of user needs,

-- the development of specifications for alternativeclearinghouse structures, and

-- cost-benefit analyses of the alternative structures.

This approach will provide decisionmakers in the execu-tive and legislative branches of government with the abilityto make sound and prudent fiscal and technical decisions onthe development of the clearinghouse with a minimum initialinvestment of time and money.

Use of existing sources ofproductivity information

The former National Center for Productivity and Qualityof Working Life was not the sole repository of productivity

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information. Other Federal agencies have staffs whichaddress various aspects of productivity. In addition tothese, many private and quasi-public organizations addressproductivity from a particular viewpoint or for a particularclientele or interest group. Some of these organizationshave launched major efforts in productivity and have clear-inghouse information activities. Some of the more prominentorganizations are as follows:

The Work In America Provides information onInstitute human resources and

working life perspectiveof productivity.

The American Assists industry in im-Productivity proving productivity.Center

U. S. Civil Service Maintains an interest inCommission the human resources

aspect of productivity.

International City Works at helping citiesManagement to improve their produc-Association tivity.

National Technical Maintains job and in-Information Service dustrial related

productivity studies--primarily technical innature.

A national productivity clearinghouse should make useof these existing sources of productivity information andcould tie its operations to those of an existing informationsystem, such as the National Technical Information System ofthe Department of Commerce (see app. I for a suggested opera-tional concept). Such a clearinghouse would be able to drawfrom a comprehensive information base and minimize bothstart-up and operating costs. In addition, by charging forservices, the productivity clearinghouse could easily becomeself-sufficient.

CONCLUSION

It is important that a productivity clearinghouse beestablished and equipped to play an active role to help

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improve national productivity. It would not be sufficientfor the clearinghouse to simply maintair a collection ofproductivity information. To be effective, the clearinghouseshould conduct user needs assessments, review and analyze itscollection, and publicize the services it can provide users.

The experience of other Federal clearinghouses suggeststhat a productivity clearinghouse need not be costly and,after initial funding, can become self-sufficient by chargingfor services.

Feedback we received during our review of the NationalCenter suggests that public and private sector organizationswill take advantage of the services provided by a clearing-house.

The establishm t of a productivity clearinghouse, suchas we have described, would go a long way toward providingdecisionmakers with necessary tools to improve the produc-tivity of their organizations and, consequently, the produc-tivity of the Nation.

RECOMMENDATIONS

We recommend that you, in your capacity as Chairman ofthe National Productivity Council, assign responsibility forthe development and operation of a productivity clearing-house. We believe a logic&l oroanization for assuming thisresponsibility is the Department of Commerce. The clearing-house should provide national and international data andknowledge on various aspects of productivity to all sectorsof the economy.

We also recommend that adequate funding be provided tothe organization given responsibility for the developmentand implementation of the clearinghouse.

As you know, sectior 236 of the Legislati.e eorganiza-tion Act of 1970 requires the head of a Federal agency cosubmit a written statement on actions taken on our recon-mendations to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairsand the House Committee on Government Operations not aterthan 60 days after the date of the report and to the Houseand Senate Committees on Appropriationis with the agency'sfirst request for appropriations made more than 60 days afterthe date of the report. We would appreciate receiving a copyof those statements.

B-163762

A copy of this report has been ent to the Secretary ofCommerce since her Department would be a likely candidate tooperate a productivity clearinghouse. Copies are also beingsent to the Chairmen, Senate Committee on Governmental Af-fairs, House Committee on Government Operations, and Houseand Senate Committees on Appropriations.

Sincerely yours,

D. L. ScantleburyDirector

Enclosure

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APPENDIX I APPENDIX I

A SUGGESTED OPERA'IONAL CONCEPT FOR A

NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY CLEARINGHOUSE

Figure 1 depicts a national productivity clearinghouseand its attendant information network. This illustrationrepresents our view on ow a national productivity clearing-house might be designed, developed, and implemented.

FIGURE INATIONAL _-pJC"'r 'lr CLEARINOHOUIE OPERATIONAL CONCEPT

NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITYPRODUCTIVITY SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL CLEARINGHOUIE &..rllp~O~VlNT PROGRAM INOfiMATION CENTERS DIPOlTORYV IR

FEDERAL, STATE & FEDERAL STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT L WCAI; SATE &PROJECTS INFOAMATION17[W

RCENTERS

PROJECTS INFORMATION NAI INA NCENT E

RS / PRWSINESNRODUCTIVIT VOLUNTEER ORC.

UL RY K CNTFRSEI|CLEARINGHOU&E -

TECHNICAL

UNIVERSITY SERVICE INTISi EMIC INTITU

PROJECTS TECHNICALINFORMATION LtOUICENTERS A BOTER T

F G ORGANIZATIOSAL

GOVERNMENT TEH C LEGISLATuREPROJECTS TECHNICALINFOPM.ATIONCENVERS FOREIGN GOvT

_ PRODUCTIVITYORGANIZATIONS

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APPENDIX I APPENDIX I

The clearinghouse would function as follows:

Expand and increase funding The clearinghouse would beof clearinghouse developed to operate as en-

visioned in Public Law 94-136with adequate resources au-thorized and appropriated by theCongress.

Operated by small central It would be operated by a smallstaff and contractual highly capable professionalagreements staff who would perform the

following functions:

--Fund, monitor, and set theoperating policy for allsegments of clearinghouseoperations and its attendantinformation network.

--Operate through a series ofcontractual agreements withthe Department of Commerce'sNational Technical Informa-tion Service and SpecializedTechnical Information Centersin the major subject areas asdepicted in Figure 1.

--Manage clearinghouseoperations overall.

National Technical The National Technical Informa-Information Service tion Service under contract to

the clearinghouse could act asits processing facility, de-pository, and disseminationvehicle for productivity in-formation.

Under this arrangement it wouldmaintain an automated (computer-ized) means of storing and re-trieving the abstracted andindexed information and docu-ments collected and preparedby the other components of thenetwork.

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APPENDIX I APPENDIX I

National Technical The Service would be respon-Information Service sible for the publication and(continued) distribution of clearinghouse

products.

Specialized technical A network of specialized tech-information centers nical information centers wouldfunctions be established under contract

to the clearinghouse. Onecenter would be established foreach major subject area in thefield of productivity. Many ofthe other existing sources ofproductivity information couldbe utilized as specializedtechnical information centerschosen for their reliabilityand the strength of theircollection in a major subjectarea, e.g., the American Pro-ductivity Center for privatesector productivity.

The center would (1) beresponsible for collecting,indexing, abstracting, andanalyzing all documents in amajor subject area, (2) performspecial information analysisupon request from the clearing-house, (3) provide a customabstract service to productivityusers utilizing the NationalTechnical Information Servicecomputer and its own capabili-ties, and (4) prepare state-of-the-art reviews and disseminatethem.

Each center would producea thesaurus by subject area andprovide for the consistentorganization of individualcollections in the field.

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APPENDIX I APPENDIX I

Additional clearinghouseservices

In addition to the above services, the clearinghouse,utilizing the National Technical Information Service and thespecialized technical information centers, would supply theusers illustrated'in figure with the following:

--Current Awareness Service - including journals ornewsletters which contain brief abstracts of allrecent publications by subject area.

-- Special Information Analysis Bulletins - providingwhat information has been published in a subject areawith an up-to-date inexpensive annotated bibliography.

-- General Publications - on various aspects in the fieldof productivity.

-- Special Handbooks and Guides - providing listings ofr cognized experts or centers of expertise in specificfields including funding, resources, profiles of oper-ating service programs, and designation of programmodels.

.--Review, Indexing, and Abstracting - allowing for auto-mated searches for information of specific relevance.

--Monitoring of Current Research.

--Assistance in Locating Document Collection - for usein referring individuals and organizations to knownsources of information outside of the clearinghouse.

-- Telephone or Mail Responses to Requests for Statisticsor Information.

Adoption of the operational concept (as shown infigure 1) and its description would, in our opinion, providean operational, full-scale national productivity clearing-house which meets a national need.

(91049)

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