Communications

“Complicated” vs. “Complex”

Someone asked for comment, I offered it. The background: A gentleman who makes a living “reducing complexity” for IT systems keeps running into some of us on Twitter who study complexity. You can imagine the entertaining exchanges, which led to his posting these observations on his LinkedIn group. The ask: There is a group ofRead… Read more »

Checking in on the States – Big IT developments in 2013

The end of the year means two things: setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and endless retrospectives. While we can’t force you to put down the cake and pick up a carrot, we can help you do your job better by highlighting some of the biggest and best innovations to come out of government in theRead… Read more »

The Power of the Message – Why It’s Important to Tell Stories

How can your communications engage stakeholders to take action and drive mission value? This was the big question addressed at FCG and GovDelivery’s Annual Digital Communications event: The Power of the Message. The event brought together government leaders at all levels to discuss the importance of effective communication and the power of your message. KeynoteRead… Read more »

Why local councils ought to be getting social

This article was originally written for the SLCC‘s ‘Clerk’ magazine. It’s almost impossible to turn on the television or open a newspaper these days without seeing reference to online networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The impact of these technologies in the last decade has been huge, transforming the way people communicate, work andRead… Read more »

Women in government – A year in review, Plus your weekend reads!

The end of the year means two things: setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and endless retrospectives. While we can’t force you to put down the cake and pick up a carrot, we can help you do your job better by highlighting some of the biggest and best innovations to come out of government in theRead… Read more »

Certainty

A popular quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin is: Nothing is certain but death and taxes. True – however, the timing of one and the amount of the other are not certain. Leaders face certainty and uncertainty when painting their vision – e.g., revenue must cover expenses for an organization to be viable, but the timingRead… Read more »

Have citizen expectations REALLY changed? Maybe…

For years now, governments around the globe have been working to bring services online. And this trend has generally resulted in easier access to services for most constituents, which is a good thing. However, when asked, government officials will, more often than not, cite the driving factor to be that of economics, it’s simply cheaperRead… Read more »

Failure to Launch: How to Fix Government IT Problems

We all know that there is no shortage of transformational ideas or exceptional public servants in government, working to improve how agencies operate. IT holds unbelievable promise to streamline processes and change the business of government. Although this potential is clear, we have seen agencies struggle to completely leverage IT. Instead of a gateway toRead… Read more »