Organizational Resilience in Public Workforce Transitions: A Case Study of Continuity and Change under the DOGE Reforms

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines how a federal field detachment sustained operational continuity during the initial implementation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) workforce reforms. Centered on the loss of a clearance-restricted Security Officer, the study draws on interviews, surveys, and organizational artifacts to examine how responsibilities were redistributed under constrained staffing conditions. Findings indicate that mission-essential operations were maintained through task redistribution, knowledge capture, leadership, and informal coordination; however, these adaptive responses also increased workload concentration, exposed dependence on undocumented institutional knowledge, and heightened reliance on individual effort. The study distinguishes operational continuity from organizational resilience by demonstrating that sustained mission performance can mask underlying degradation in organizational capacity. The findings extend beyond the DOGE reforms and offer practical lessons for workforce restructuring, continuity planning, succession management, and organizational resilience across public and private organizations.