The other day, a coworker and I had a discussion about how it’s nearly impossible to create something completely “original.” As a designer, this should make me want to close my laptop, go grab a bite and call it a day. But alas, if you dig a little deeper, even the most innovative artists’ magnificentRead… Read more »
As an executive that is looking to transform his organization it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of a particular methodology, technology or performance improvement initiative. There is a often a sense of exhilaration as the possibility of applying the methodology you’ve been reading about, hearing about or training on to transformRead… Read more »
I’m sure this isn’t scientific, but I came across this leadership style quiz and had a go: http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl-leadershipquiz.htm My results: Your results indicate that your leadership style is predominately: Delegative Delegative Leadership Delegative leaders allow group members to make decisions. This style is best used in situations where the leader needs to rely on qualifiedRead… Read more »
All too often, the public assumes that government, when going toe-to-toe with the private sector, always loses. Even when we trumpet major successes of government (e.g. moon shot, arpanet), the public snickers and points to the private sector government contractors who supported these initiatives. Now for the ask! Nineteen organizations have been identified as finalistsRead… Read more »
Be honest. You have heard us all talking/worrying/complaining about the potential for sequestration since August of 2011, but do you actually know how it would work? I, for one, only had a loose understanding of the process. Todd Harrison is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He gave Chris DorobekRead… Read more »
Yesterday, the third session of Howto.gov’s (managed by GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies and the Federal Web Managers Council) 8-part series on APIs aired. These free, online discussions aim to inform and inspire agencies nationwide to get their data online and develop APIs to make life easier internally and externally. This sessionRead… Read more »
The Balanced Scorecard Institute is a well-respected organization that has a popular method for measuring organizational effectiveness. I’m going to work on building its lessons into my office. The basic idea behind the Balanced Scorecard comes from its creators, Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” AccordingRead… Read more »
Craig Thomler’s post about redesigning government got me thinking about the other ways that legacies from the Industrial Revolution are no longer serving us well. The language could use some updating. So could the ways we think about how best to structure work. One of my recent favorite non-fiction books is “Shop Class as SoulRead… Read more »
Finance managers across government are looking at ways to reduce the cost of Finance and government operations in response to flat or reduced budgets for the foreseeable future. The initial rounds of budget cuts are being achieved though quick, short-term actions, e.g., reduced travel, training, and contracted services. What I see less of are longerRead… Read more »
Take advantage of FREE knowledge and register for Digital Government University’s webinar airing today (Wednesday, the 19th) from 2:30-3:30 on some awesome case studies on how API’s are used to improve government. If this sounds intimidating, don’t fret. You can start from the beginning with Dig Gov U and learn what exactly an API isRead… Read more »