Florida's Senior Management System: Performance in a Decentralized Administrative Context

Abstract

This article examines Florida's Senior Management System (SMS) and outlines substantial shortcomings in its operations. Several of the system's problems resulted in the complete demise of the SMS. Recent efforts to reform the SMS have been initiated by the Florida legislature. However, the author argues that insufficient attention has been paid to the possible relationship between the SMS's deficiencies and the decentralized administrative context within which it must operate. The author recommends the development of bridging mechanisms between Florida's central personnel agency and the executive agencies if system-wide objectives are to be achieved.