August 6, 2013
What to do with the 'Flo's' of Child Protection
If the work made passionate people act like Flo on the TV series "Alice," then the work can bring them back.
June 25, 2013
When Tragedy Strikes, Child Protections Hurt More Than Help
Agencies' tendency to add more rules (and thus work) every time something bad happens prevents child protection workers from doing everything they can to keep kids safe.
April 7, 2013
What Citizens Really Want
Above all else, citizens want results. When they don't get them, they morph into selfish people.
March 25, 2013
Remembering Tom Clements
The leader of Colorado’s prison system, who was killed last week, was a hero to communities that probably never knew his name.
March 11, 2013
It’s Not Rocket Science
IT isn’t the solution to all our problems, and it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see that NASA should postpone liftoff for its new procurement system.
February 22, 2013
Epic Technology Failures
There are many, but tracking software -- which various government agencies make use of every day -- is one of the biggest.
January 10, 2013
A TV-Inspired New Year's Resolution for Improving Government Services
Reality TV reveals the problems with government services, but how do we fix them?
September 20, 2012
Fear and Loathing in Chicago
Management lessons from the teachers' strike.
September 11, 2012
Management Fads in Government Come and Go
But black belts, "Lean" t-shirts and TQM posters are forever. Well, not really.
August 13, 2012
Putting Olympic Passion to Work
The Games may be over, but public workers must still find the drive to go for the gold.
August 2, 2012
Spam and Spam a Lot
The false hopes of unnecessary solutions can drown out meaningful conversation about how to fix government processes.
June 21, 2012
Governments and the Hail Mary Pass
Good management is a four-quarter commitment, not a last-ditch effort.
May 15, 2012
Government Scandals: Why We Shouldn't Overreact
Recent abuses in the GSA, the Secret Service and the ICE are reprehensible. But they're no reason to overhaul government policies.
April 11, 2012
Improving Government Management: Time to Get Radical
Stop thinking about the work involved in a given task, and start thinking about everything else.
March 26, 2012
'Bad Idea Jeans': Why Do Governments Keep Making the Same Management Mistakes?
States and localities keep trying on the same pair of pants and expecting them to fit differently.
February 14, 2012
The 'Paper Pipe' and the 'Practical Pipe'
Part 2 of the tale of the overworked social worker.
February 8, 2012
The People Aren't the Problem
A Case Study of One Public Employee
January 10, 2012
Unresolved
Resolutions were meant to be broken. Here are two that government needs to break this year.
December 8, 2011
Reevaluating Employee Evaluations
Annual employee appraisals are at best a waste of time -- and they could actually be keeping your agency from improving.
October 5, 2011
Fixing Government's People Problem: A Modest Proposal
Clearly, the worst part about the public sector is its employees.
September 14, 2011
Shame on Us: Part II
In government, good customer service means never having to call.
August 10, 2011
Is Social Media a Wise Investment?
A reader asks about the importance of diving into Facebook and Twitter.
July 13, 2011
It's Time For Reader Requests
Let's start a dialogue about change in the public sector.
June 30, 2011
Serving Customers in Government
In government, the customer may not always be right, but they're still always the customer.
June 13, 2011
Just How Important Is Customer Service?
In the public sector, great customer service is nice. But there's something else that matters more.
March 16, 2011
Shame on Us
We've made it so difficult to access certain government services that we've ended up spawning entirely unnecessary industries.
February 24, 2011
Fight the Urge to Reorganize
New government leaders will learn reorganizations have little to do with the work of their agencies.
February 9, 2011
From Super Bowl Ads, Some Management Wisdom
What this year's most popular commercials can teach us about government management.
December 15, 2010
New to Office? Better Call the Right Plays
Getting ready to take office is a lot like putting together a football team.
November 23, 2010
Worse, Slower, Cheaper, But...
Is there true cost savings in consolidation? Ken and Bill debate the merits and demerits of such proposals and actions.
November 10, 2010
Chip and a Chair
We can learn a lot about process improvement from poker. Well, from a poker movie, anyway.
October 25, 2010
The Scariest Four Words in Government
In the public sector, there's one phrase that's downright bone-chilling.
September 15, 2010
Government Inefficiency? Blame Division-of-Labor Pains.
The roots of the problems with government processes go all the way back to Adam Smith.
August 20, 2010
The Same Motivational Posters
In their travels, Bill Bott and Ken Miller have learned a simple truth: all government buildings are basically the same, right down to the motivational poster.
August 13, 2010
Ever Get That Sinking Feeling?
The closure of the Defense Department's Business Transformation Agency is unfortunate, but too often these things fall into a pattern as predictable as the end of "Titanic."
August 4, 2010
Why Pipes?
This month, the Public Great blog looks at why government processes are like a series of pipes, and why they're so clogged up.
July 2, 2010
What the American Revolution Can Teach Us About Government Management
It's the Fourth of July. Let's blow something up.
June 21, 2010
Don't Put All Your Eggs in the Technology Basket
Technology didn't create the flawed processes and overly complicated systems that make government inefficient. So why do so many people think tech upgrades will fix those problems?
May 3, 2010
'Lean' Me: Technology is not about Super Sizing Government
If you’re counting on technology to swoop in and save the day, you may be wasting a lot of hope, and a lot of money.
April 30, 2010
Consolidating? Bring Coffee, Snacks and a Cot
A personal take on the merits of IT consolidation in government.
April 29, 2010
A Personal Reader on Management, Change and Technology in Government
Here is the essential digest of articles that reflect my view of the world -- or at least that part of it that relates to government, technology and management. If Public Great is a buffet of new ideas, here is a sampler plate: