I am in a federal office that places a high value on innovation, yet there are so many bureaucratic obstacles to being innovative. Are there any good models you can recommend where federal programs have been both innovative and produced valuable results? -Federal Supervisor (GS-14), Department of Homeland Security I can share plenty of examplesRead… Read more »
Moving to the bureaucracy from the world of NGOs, for me, meant serious growing pains. I really, really wanted a job in the public service. I would have eaten glass in sharp, jagged pieces to make my casual position a permanent job — if my manager would’ve asked. I did whatever I was told, evenRead… Read more »
Here is another tale from Confessions of a Government Man about what can happen when people insist on doing things exactly by the book (“Where you sit is where you stand.”). Remember, while these stories I have been posting are based on real events, I am passing them along for their entertainment value. * *Read… Read more »
Government bureaucracy and red tape stand in the way of IT companies trying to deliver efficient services… By: Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, IT Editor, Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON), There are two stories in the press in the last month that are apparently unconnected, but should be of interest to those focused on IT outsourcing. First,Read… Read more »
Wikileaks does it again, publishing material that was meant to be classified and protected. People have called it treasonous and recommended legal action. Others have suggested a cloak-and-dagger approach to punish the guilty. President Obama has called for agencies to review their procedures for handling sensitive material. The general consensus among those in Government andRead… Read more »
I’m a bureaucrat. I appreciate bureaucracy for its strengths and weaknesses. There are reasons bureaucracies have existed for thousands of years. A few — they help leaders retain their power; they keep processes alive; they provide stability; and they provide jobs. Depending on your POV, these reasons can be good or bad. I can tellRead… Read more »
We released Datasets, we launched the Site. Now here comes the Plan. This morning we posted the draft USDA Open Gov Plan. Our Open Gov Steering Committee has been working hard to pull together information from our 17 agencies and a large volume of ideas and comments submitted by you. I was thrilled to seeRead… Read more »
[Note this is a cross post from my blog, the original can be found here.] Bureaucratic culture is akin to a slow-moving train. There are those who have forged ahead and laid track to the destination. They have scouted, planned the route, carved through forests and cut through mountains. Their work is often hard, thankless,Read… Read more »
True Confession: Yes, I’m bureaucrat. I prefer the term, civil servant — though that implies work is civil, doesn’t it? Au contraire. If I could give you one visual image to describe my experience in the government, it would be this one of Catherine Zeta-Jones from the 1999 movie “Entrapment”: No. I don’t look atRead… Read more »
Originally posted on my blog, Talking Salmons. Sometimes in the office, I have to leave the room. My boss-ish (I have three), and his boss often go back and forth about the evils and pitfalls of social media. I’m never invited to the conversation–big people talk and all of that, but I hear every word.Read… Read more »