New Programs in "Old" Agencies

Abstract

The phenomenon of organizational adaptation to new goals is studied in the context of HEW's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Scholars who have studied this subject have generally observed a reluctance by bureaucracies to assign high priorities to new responsibilities, particularly when the agency given a new task does not receive a commmensurate staff increase. As OCR acquired a series of new responsibilities that outstrip its staff increases, changes were required in OCR's substantive responsibilities as well as in its operating procedures. OCR adaptation to these changes is determined by analyzing workload data reported in various congressional appropriations hearings, recent agency annual operating plans, and interviews with 28 professional employees in 4 of the /0 regional offices. Analyses of these data indicate that OCR has generally made substantive and procedural reallocations in line with the new policy directives. Thus, earlier emphases have been replaced by new priorities. The article concludes with an analysis of propositions that may account for OCR's adaptability to new responsibilities.