Amid Austerity Measures, Innovation Opportunities lie with Gen X and Y’ers

Without a doubt, the federal government will be facing austerity measures in coming years. On top of these measures,
federal government is being restructured, which reshapes the way government needs to operate. NextGen 2012 speaker and chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners as well as the Morino Institute, Mario Morino, spoke with the DorobekINSIDER’s Chris Dorobek about how it’s time to try new things and how the next generation of leaders in government can help bring the changes to fruition.

People are currently looking for a high-level of change in government. The election of Barack Obama exemplifies this, as his platform was all about bringing change to politics and government. Now is the time to finally begin really trying new things, even as the culture in government can make true change difficult. Generation X&Y makes this changes possible because they are more tech-savvy and willing to adapt to new technologies to address austerity measures than previous generations. Gen X&Y is also more likely to prefer public service, as many are looking to make a positive difference.

Leadership in government is becoming more horizontal and there is plenty of room for generation X&Y to take on leadership roles, even without the corner office. The generation is much less tolerant of a command and control environment, and for better or worse, feels they have a right to have a say in what’s going on. This point of view should be built upon rather than crushed from the top; it can make managing gen X&Y’ers more difficult, but also leaves room for rewards in innovation. The old guard in government can also help by becoming mentors to the next generation of government leaders.

If you would like to hear Mario speak in-person, check out the Next Generation of Government Training Summit. To listen to Mario Morino’s entire interview, you can catch the full radio show at 
GovLoop Insights or you can
 subscribe to our iTunes channel.

If you’d like to obtain a free copy of Mario’s book, Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes In an Era of Scarcity, fill out the form on this page. A book will be mailed to you; be sure to read it before NextGen!