In the course of examining data from the current Australian Public ServiceState of the Service of the Service Report the previous report. It contains an interesting chart showing employee satisfaction or engagement by length of service in the APS (see at the end of this post). What is interesting is the reduction in engagement overRead… Read more »
Government and Frustration go together like “F” and “G” in the alphabet. They are inseparable. Although this relationship is often blamed for crushing morale, high blood pressure, and attrition; it can be (and has been) transformed into fuel for action. In the right hands, frustration can be a powerful ally. Frustration with government is oftenRead… Read more »
Here are the highlights from the First Annual Signature Development Organizational Development Roundtable discussion on Managing Organizational Change. Below you will find the major questions clients asked during the discussion as well as some of the best practices CHENEGA, U.S. Department of Energy and other client organizations are implementing to manage organizational change. Challenges: CreatingRead… Read more »
In times of government restraint it is rare that we get 20% of our time to “think out of the box”, as suggested in the “80/20 rule”, so let’s just face facts, but consider an alternative, so we don’t stifle innovation! Instead why not, in the spirit of government lingo, develop another more viable idea:Read… Read more »
I know I’ve heard the talk around government of shutdown culture and how last minute CRs are just becoming normal. Heck I think it’s even been talked about on GovLoop. It was two days ago when I got an e-mail asking if we were covering the shutdown here on GovLoop. I remember I read theRead… Read more »
Change is never easy. Change is a bumpy process. But why is change so hard? Change is hard because it is an emotional experience for most. An emotional experience, particularly an experience one often has little choice in being part of, creates resistance. Resistance is a natural emotion, though an emotion that can make changeRead… Read more »
Can an entrenched bureaucracy, encumbered by a rigid culture and public records compliance adapt open source ways to collaborate more effectively? Is it like pulling teeth just to get people to share ideas? Is that devil’s advocate bringing your team down? If you want results, try something different. Use open communications and transparency with yourRead… Read more »
From the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. “Executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, the first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and thenRead… Read more »
OK. It’s good to get back into Govloop. I recently spoke at the Smart Government Conference held in Canberra, Australia. I also chaired the first day – tiring, but fun. Not all the conference papers are available just yet, but I want to do is share my account of day 1 of the conference withRead… Read more »
The second in my series of articles on the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps – an example of government at its best, preparing youth for the future. Year after year we tell park staff – the Youth Conservation Corps crew will get more done than you expect. Even parks that have had crews yearRead… Read more »