On Friday at Sydney Hall it was all about ideas worth spreading. TED, the usually very exclusive (and expensive) premium event was coming to DC for not only affordable prices but also for an audience that is willing to make a difference. Now, you might wonder how does that differ from any of the otherRead… Read more »
Voters have signaled that they aren’t happy with the role of government. Surveys also say they are upset with government employees and don’t trust government. Yet research shows that citizens base their perceptions on their personal experiences. So would improving customer service help? In the 1990s, the Clinton-Gore Reinventing Government effort thought the answer wasRead… Read more »
From the Government Info Pro: Thanks to Ellen Ensel, Director of Knowledge Management and Library Services, U. S. Institute of Peace, for the this article: Strategic Planning and the Value of Libraries. This article was originally published in the 2010 Best Practices for Government Librarians: The New Face of Value. Best Practices is a collaborativeRead… Read more »
If you are a leader working in an organization, you know what I’m talking about. You are constantly having to ride the competition-cooperation see-saw. You must cooperate (to get and keep clients/get work done) and compete (for internal resources) simultaneously. Leaders who struggle with the competition-cooperation see-saw face constant anxiety, frustration and career ending jobs.Read… Read more »
Sweeping election gains for Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections will shape how Gov 2.0 initiatives and open government move ahead in the next two years at the state and federal level. At the state level, limited resources will mean other states may follow in California’s footsteps, where budget woes meant connecting citizens to e-servicesRead… Read more »
I recently ran across a post card advertisement for GovLoop that reads “Calling all Gov’t Rockstars; Bureaucrats need not apply.” Are we not bureaucrats? Why has bureaucrat become a dirty word? Max Weber defined a bureaucrat as the following: He/she is personally free and appointed to his/her position on the basis of conduct He/she exercisesRead… Read more »
These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of travel and conferences. I’ve enjoyed several typical byproducts of those types of events (networking, learning, etc…) but also a few things that are much rarer: inspiration and re-energized passion. This is largely thanks to my most recent stop: NASA’s Education Innovation Summit, held in Orlando, FLRead… Read more »
From The Acquisition Corner According to recent reporting by Federal Times on the state of federal information technology (IT) acquisition and program management, the Government is ill prepared to purchase and manage large scale IT programs due to poorly trained staff, and poor collaboration with industry. Certainly contributing factors, but the issues are much moreRead… Read more »
I just recently set up a second Twitter (@S_Horv) account for strictly professional reasons so that I could tweet work-related information, updates, social media happenings, etc. The first account I established was a personal account. However, over time, the personal account turned into more tweeting about things related specifically to my area of expertise thanRead… Read more »
Social Justice: Bringing Light to Our Darkness Ron Manderscheid, PhD Executive Director, NACBHDD As our nights lengthen into fall, darkness has also descended upon our country’s dialogue on National Health Reform. Positions have hardened, and the gulf has widened among our points of view. In this period of uncertainty, it is useful to revisit theRead… Read more »