Channels, Fall 2018

Page 78 Schwall • 21 st Century Javelin Catchers White House COS, pioneered by Sherman Adams, has been a permanent fixture in White House organization since 1953. Since its inception, the position has undergone considerable growth and evolution into the relatively stable institution that it is today. At the same time, each COS has considerable flux about his role in relation to the president whom he serves. A COS is the overseer and coordinator of the president's staff and is often described as primarily responsible for the success or failure of an organization whose purpose is to extend the power and reach of the presidency (Cohen, 2005). Clearly, the power inherent in this position is obvious. As manager of the decision-making system that is the presidency, the COS is in the best position to know what is happening across the entire executive branch, if not the entire government as a whole, more than any other individual. This paper examines the major models of White House organization and its impact on the ability of the COS to perform his major roles. I seek to explain the way that White House organization evolved to meet the needs of the institutional presidency and focus on the individuals who served at the head of the White House organizational structure as COS. The office of COS is clearly a linchpin of the institutional presidency, but the individuals who inhabit it differ considerably in their talents, interests, backgrounds, and limitations to their work. This delicate balance requires a "structured agency" approach, situating the office of COS within "existing structures of organizational combat, institutions, and policy" (Jacobs and King, 2012). Literature Review Every president since Richard Nixon has relied on a chief of staff. The office of COS is burdened with the job of managing "the whole institution of the White House" by serving as a "systems manager: boss of none but overseer of everything" (Patterson, 2001). There is widespread scholarly consensus on the need for a chief of staff to manage the massive organizational operation in the modern White House. Given the time demands placed on the president, as well as increasing responsibilities placed on the White House post-New Deal, World War II, and Cold War, a COS is indispensable to the functioning of the White House (Pfiffner, 1996; Walcott, Warshaw, and Wayne, 2001; Cohen, 2002). Role of COS Cohen and Hult (2012) argue that the COS is critical to the overall success of the administration. The apparent need for a COS has led many scholars to study the roles of the position in an attempt to better understand the type of COS best suited to a presidency (Neustadt, 1987; Hess 1988; Buchanan, 1990; Ellis, 1994; Hart, 1995; Pfiffner, 1996; Burke, 2000; Sullivan, 2004). Cohen (2002) defines four main roles of COS: administrator, advisor, guardian, and proxy. These four roles are not exhaustive or mutually exclusive but tend to encompass the main responsibilities of the position (Cohen, Hult, and Walcott, 2016). Administrator. The most basic responsibility of the COS is to act as an administrator or coordinator of the White House (Kernell and Popkin, 1986; Buchanan, 1990; Pfiffner, 1993; Cohen 1997; Walcott, Warshaw, and Wayne, 2001; Cohen, 2002). They are responsible for coordinating the entire White House and are often blamed if things go awry (Cohen and Hult, 2012). Coordination is defined by Kernell and Popkin (1986) as: "providing the