A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog arguing that everyone designs. In that post, I talked about how those of us with little to no design experience are still designers (just little “d” designers), as we work to improve situations and experiences around us. Big “D” Designers, on the other hand, are those individualsRead… Read more »
It’s no new news. Employee engagement and employee morale in government are at an all time low. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report quantifies a drop in what is known as the employee engagement index (EEI). According to the report, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM’s) index dropped from 67 percent in 2011 toRead… Read more »
If you’ve used the Internet even once in your life, you’re probably familiar with scams. From the more obvious pop-up viruses to the well-disguised phishing emails, scams are an ever-present nuisance in our lives in the digital age. While you have likely encountered fraud attempts online before, what about over the phone? In the wakeRead… Read more »
You have probably heard the concept of human-centered design (HCD) thrown around, but you may be wondering what it’s all about. If you’re like me, you’ve probably searched for ‘human-centered design’ on the internet to learn more. In doing so, you were most likely confronted with a number of results that link to different HCDRead… Read more »
When news first broke of the OPM hack back in June, few understood the massive scale of the attack. Originally thought to have affected 4 million federal employees, estimates quickly rose to over 22 million impacted. Since that time, government agencies have scrambled to shore up their cyberdefenses and OPM has worked to provide identityRead… Read more »
There has been quite a bit of conversation about empathy over the past few years. Studies show its benefits in improving relationships, team dynamics and the social development of our children. At the same time, a body of research reveals that empathy often fails when needed most, like after large scale disasters and with peopleRead… Read more »
We all heard about the recent and disastrous cyber breaches in federal government. In April, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) discovered that the personnel data of 4.2 million current and former Federal government employees had been stolen. Birthdays, home addresses, and Social Security numbers all were affected. One of the biggest problems that BethRead… Read more »
Before beginning my detail here at the beginning of July, I had visions of what it would be like working at the Innovation Lab at the Office of Personnel Management (also known as the Lab at OPM). I had been to its ‘Introduction to Human-Centered Design’ training, and I had reveled in the couches, whiteRead… Read more »
A manager might need temporary talent on a project and doesn’t have it on his/her team. Energetic employees in other parts of the agency may have those skills and would like to share them as a way of broadening his/her professional experience. How can they connect? GovConnect is an initiative sponsored by the Office ofRead… Read more »
In the wake of Katherine Archuleta’s departure as Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), it’s natural to think back on other high-profile federal leadership resignations. Some resigned from government because they did something wrong or poorly handled a key situation. Others left because, ultimately, they were the ones in charge. As Steve Huffman, co-founder and new CEORead… Read more »