1019appb

NIST Administrative Manual, Subchapter 10.19
Transmittal Date - 8/25/03

APPENDIX B

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MEDAL AWARDS
(GOLD, SILVER, AND BRONZE MEDAL AWARDS)

Note: To supplement the information contained in this appendix regarding Department of Commerce Medal Awards, access the following website: http://hr.commerce.gov/index.htm. At this website, click on Policies and then on Honor Awards.

Gold Medal

The highest honorary award granted by the Secretary. A Gold Medal is defined as distinguished performance characterized by extraordinary, notable or prestigious contributions that impact the mission of the Department and/or one operating unit and which reflect favorably on the Department. To warrant a Gold Medal, a contribution must focus on qualitative and quantitative performance measures reflected in the Department's Strategic Plan and be identified in one of the following areas: leadership, personal and professional excellence, scientific/engineering achievement, organizational development, customer service, administrative/technical support or heroism.

Silver Medal

The second highest honorary award granted by the Secretary. A Silver Medal is defined as exceptional performance characterized by noteworthy or superlative contributions which have a direct and lasting impact within the Department. To warrant a Silver Medal, a contribution must focus on qualitative and quantitative performance measures reflected in the Department's Strategic Plan and be identified in one of the following areas: leadership, personal and professional excellence, scientific/engineering achievement, organizational development, customer service, administrative/technical support or heroism.

Bronze Medal

The highest honorary award granted by a head of an operating unit or Secretarial Officer or equivalent. A Bronze Medal is defined as superior performance characterized by outstanding or significant contributions which have increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the operating unit. To warrant a Bronze Medal, a contribution must focus on qualitative and quantitative performance measures reflected in the Department's Strategic Plan and be identified in one of the following areas: leadership, personal and professional excellence, scientific/engineering achievement, organizational development, customer service, administrative/technical support or heroism.

Categories

Leadership

Recognizes personal leadership and management of an organization that produces substantial, innovative achievements, resulting in high quality service to the agency.

In addition, this area recognizes:

• creativity and innovation

• external awareness

• flexibility

• resilience

• motivation

• strategic thinking

• vision

Achievements may include, but are not limited to:

• significant improvements in program effectiveness,

• efficient use of resources,

• sensitive and difficult assignments of major importance achieved through great personal initiative, commitment, effort, and competence,

• improvement in labor-management partnership relations,

• leadership which encourages employee freedom to make decisions and to maximize the scope for individual initiative within a given job,

• acumen in developing breakthrough strategies or concepts in finding new and effective ways of accomplishing the agency's mission,

• leadership in the productive use of teams that cross organizational and agency boundaries, or

• leadership which models and rewards behaviors conducive to the effective management of diversity.

Personal and Professional Excellence

Recognizes those who demonstrate an outstanding level of accomplishment in furthering the agency's mission.

Achievements are to be derived from all occupations and functional areas of the Department, including, but not limited to:

• administration,

• information technology,

• labor-management partnership,

• legal, or

• trade.

Scientific/Engineering Achievement

Recognizes scientific/engineering or technological breakthroughs that:

• resolve longstanding problems,

• radically advance the state-of-the-art,

• significantly impact Commerce or the economy, or

• significantly advance the understanding, knowledge, or mastery of a given discipline.

Achievements may include, but are not limited to:

• authorship or editorship that affects the primary principles of the discipline involved,

• opening up new fields of inquiry,

• redefining major issues of investigation, or

• contributions to the body of knowledge in a given field.

Organizational Development

Recognizes those whose accomplishments contribute to creating an organization culture that is constantly learning and growing; one which maximizes employee potential and fosters high ethical standards.

Achievements may include, but are not limited to:

• designing and implementing successful organization-wide programs which facilitate meeting management/supervisory responsibilities for mentoring and coaching,

• being widely recognized as an individual whose capabilities and relationships have had a direct and positive impact on the career development of a significant number of others, or

• creating an environment in which teamwork thrives, one which reflects knowledge sharing, trust, pride, commitment, self-direction, and group identity, and one in which teams have produced extraordinary results.

Customer Service

Recognizes those who provide or foster a culture which nurtures world-class customer service.

Achievements in customer service may include, but are not limited to:

• activities related to establishing measurements and standards for improving service, or

• implementing and continuously assessing performance against standards for improvements.

Accomplishments are expressed in measurable terms, such as:

• cycle time,

• cost reduction,

• increased courtesy, and/or

• quality to customers.

Administrative/Technical Support

Recognizes those who demonstrate an outstanding level of accomplishment in providing administrative and technical support.

Achievements reflect dedication and hard work which enable or assist the work of their fellow employees and may include, but are not limited to:

• advancing the goals of the team, office, division, operating unit or Department through outstanding performance,

• creative or innovative problem solving, or

• developing new systems, methods or procedures.

Heroism

Recognizes a special one-time service or act of heroism by an employee or group of employees that is in the public interest or connected with or related to official employment. Heroism is defined as exhibiting courage, daring, and self-sacrifice.

Achievements may include, but are not limited to:

• voluntarily risking one's own life, knowingly, while saving or attempting to save the life of another person;

• displaying extraordinary skill or resourcefulness in assisting law enforcement officers, firefighters, or search and rescue professionals in saving or attempting to save the life of another person; or

• demonstrating courage in risking one's own life to protect or preserve government or private property.

Honor Awards - Types of Awards and Recognition

TYPES OF AWARDS	RECOGNITION
Individual	Individual Award
One and only one individual.	The individual receives a framed certificate and medal.
Group*	Group Award
A group consists of up to ten individuals working together, where each person makes a specific substantive contribution to the achievement being recognized.	Each group member receives a framed certificate and medal.
Organization	Organizational Award
An organization may be either an office, division, or subunit which is formally recognized as a separate entity, as in organization orders or charts or an adhoc organization assembled for the purpose of working on a specific project. There are two types of organizations:	There are two types of organizational awards:
Single Organization - one office, division, subunit or ad hoc organization, in which all or most of the people in the organization work together to complete the specific project being recognized.	Single Organizational Award - the organization receives a framed certificate and medal. If the employees are from different operating units, each team receives a framed certificate and medal.
Joint Organization - two or three* offices, divisions or subunits who work together to produce an achievement for which they are substantially responsible for the outcome and in which each participated fully in the achievement being recognized.	Joint Organizational Award - each organization receives a framed certificate and medal.
(*) Requests for an exception to the group or joint organization limitation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.