Posts Tagged: transformation

Key ingredients make IT transformation a recipe for success

In a recent post I wrote about a pair of innovative plans that will shape the future of federal IT. Cloud First and Share First have the potential to truly transform government IT. As with most innovations, the hard work begins soon after the “wow factor” wears off. So how do you successfully execute aRead… Read more »

How to sweat the small stuff without ending up stinky

Small steps can be just as important as the big ones Business process re-engineering doesn’t have to be a boil the ocean approach to transforming your business. I don’t have any scientific evidence to support this but I believe that the most missed opportunities to improve are the little ones we have in front ofRead… Read more »

How federal agencies save money by running IT like a business

The Federal CIO’s 25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT Management mandated that federal agencies complete progress reports and plans for data center consolidation. As a result, fiscal year 2011 brought the closure of more than 81 data centers, with more than 900 scheduled to shutter by FY2015, for a cost savings of nearly $5Read… Read more »

Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approach

This is the second video in the MB&A Executive Series. It is part two of an interview with Major General Dale Meyerrose on a top-down vs. bottom-up approach to organizational transformation. Below is the transcript of this video: Josh: Thanks for being here Dale. When managing change you often hear about a top down approachRead… Read more »

Think Big

If you think big and start small, you can move mountains I had a great opportunity recently to interview Major General Meyerrose (USAF-RET) on the subject of organizational transformation. Major General Dale Meyerrose is the first Senate confirmed President appointed Chief Information Officer for the intelligence community. The video and transcript of that interview willRead… Read more »

The Office Borg

“We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us.” – From Star Trek, First Contact As a teleworking manager looking in on a traditional office environment, the dangers of the office often seem frighteningly similarRead… Read more »

Culture is…? How to Create a High Performing Culture

According to our marketing partner –Preactive Marketing – the phrase “culture is…” generates roughly 20 million global hits. This indicates it is quite a popular topic and that people are interested in what culture is – and why having a high performance one is important. We’ll share our thoughts, though we also prefer to hearRead… Read more »

Creating Culture Change That Sticks

How does a leader change the culture of an organization that is resistant to change? Start by working with the existing culture, says business writers in a recent Harvard Business Review article. In this way, the culture can be an accelerator of change, not an impediment. Business writers Jon Katzenbach, Ilona Steffen, and Caroline KronleyRead… Read more »

Should Government Reorganize Itself? (Part VI)

Are there legislative options beyond (or in addition to) presidential reorganization authority that could encourage collaboration and not just move boxes? Typically, the cultural, administrative, and legal barriers to working together collaboratively inside the federal government are too high and they discourage efforts to collaborate (more on this in a future post). The Obama AdministrationRead… Read more »

Should Government Reorganize Itself? (Part V)

Should government use Legos to inspire its reorganization approach? Structural reorganization initiatives – like the creation of the Department of Homeland Security — are slow, take an enormous amount of effort, and require years to become effective. Ultimately, the new structure becomes rigid and needs to be revisited. Many observers advocate creating more adaptable approachesRead… Read more »