MOC – GSA Head Speaks about Effective Change

So I’m in Philly at Management of Change and Martha Johnson, head of GSA spoke about one cool example of affecting change.

When she came in, she met with Casey Coleman, CIO of GSA to discuss IT Modernization – it was a long plan with end dates of 2011.

They decided to push and try to get something done by end of summer this year. To do this they launched the SLMA techniquie. Got all players together. Closed door – offsite. Goal is make a solution. Get 70 people in room, casual dress, let’s get it done. Lawyers, HR, unions, everywhere working on problem

Using this framework, Martha Johnson discussed 5 keys for government change and collaboration.

1 – Need leadership alignment
2 – Need a goal
3 – Fearsome priorities – consider everything important in gov’t. But needs to be stronger about what is
“A” work…Big, hairy, and audacious goals.
-start by getting rid of biggest rocks…next big rock appears. Fearsome priority
4 – Velocity – Need to pulse our systems
5 – Group Hug

Further, when talking about Obama’s three focuses of transparency, participation, and collaboration, she said:

Transparency – About democracy – that neeed data, data interpreted,
information, information interpreted, information available. Government needs it so they can work
better. Also about gov’t worker

Participation – Divergent event.
Voting and ranking .
Important to GSA – using tools to brainstorm and rank ideas

Collaboration – The serious challenge for us. Moves beyond simple participation. Converging events. Converging on a solution.

GSA has complex customers
-Executive branch
-Legisltative branch
-Judiciary
-State
-Local
-Foreign Govt
-Former Presidents

They need to work with their customers. They need new tools to collaborate online quickly with their customers

Technology needs to show editors, wisdom of crowds, panels of experts

Collaboration – Inspired by open source work
-Clear leader
-Clear goals and priorities
-governance
-crowd supplied expertise

Collaboration – It’s hard, it’s new, it’s not in our comfort zone
Converge on solutions

Why bother collaborating? We have
a huge role to play to create products around green

Zero environmental footprint for the government is GSA’s new goal

Cradle to cradle…help us learn about collaborating

Community sophistication required. Not jsust put tools up.

Rehearsal collaboration inside GSA…Trying a lot of things and what rises to top