When Work Is Disrupted by Digital Progress
As technology-driven job displacement accelerates, governments have a big role to play in managing its impact.
Authors
Jerry Mechling, an independent consultant, is a former faculty member of the Harvard Kennedy School, where from 1983 to 2011 he taught degree-program courses on information management and founded Strategic Computing in the Public Sector, a research and executive-education program. He also is a former research vice president at Gartner Inc.
A fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and four-time winner of the Federal 100 Award, he was formerly a fellow of the Institute of Politics; an aide to the mayor of New York City and assistant administrator of the New York City Environmental Protection Administration; and director of Boston's Office of Management and Budget.
He received his B.A. in physical sciences from Harvard College and his M.P.A. and Ph.D. in economics and public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
The Job-Transition Engines We Need
As automation disrupts the workforce, we can look to places as diverse as Sweden and Singapore for better ways to cope with it.
Technology and the Difficult Issues of Governance
In setting digital priorities, public leaders need to think about productivity, equity and trust.
Getting the Most Out of Government’s Learning Loop
The digital tools are getting better all the time. It's a critical opportunity to improve judgment and decision-making.
Transformative Technology’s Challenges for Government
Accelerating digital disruption requires new approaches to governance and leadership.
Digital Tools and the Need for Better Governance
Delegating IT to the techies isn't the way for governments to get the most out of today's increasingly powerful technology.
How Smaller Communities Can Survive in an Age of Disruption
As one Georgia city has shown, it's about getting the right people to address the right issues.
A Real Opportunity for Cross-Boundary Digital Government
Our state, local and federal governments need to ramp up the sharing of technology and data beyond their enterprises.
How Government Can Mine the Value of IT
We should use technology to improve what the institution does, building societal value and public support.
Lessons from the Feds on Managing IT (Really!)
A new federal law aims to balance innovation and efficiency. It could serve as a guide for other levels of government.
How Governments — and the People Who Run Them — Can Learn and Improve
Digital technology has given us tools that make a methodical approach to institutional learning more useful and powerful than ever.
Government's Slow Takeoff into the Cloud
There are hurdles that are keeping governments at all levels from realizing the full benefits of cloud computing. To overcome them, we will need new kinds of collaboration.
Getting the Strategic Value Out of IT
Technology can solve problems and contribute to solutions. The key is getting IT people into the process at the start.
How to Think About Technology in the Work of Government
The key to performance is information that makes work accountable, provides guidance, coordinates over distance and seeks out innovation.
Technology Fiascoes and the Failure of Analysis
There are too many IT project failures in government. Getting the upfront analysis right could prevent a lot of them.
Technology's Real Value for Government
IT investments bring their own direct productivity improvements, but the big payoff is in the much larger productivity boost that digital tools can give to government services.
The Governance Trinity, and How Information Can Power It
Governments are getting much quicker and clearer feedback than ever before. It’s data that could be better used to solve problems.
The Gathering Momentum to Collaborate Across Boundaries
Global forces are pushing governments to work together as never before, and especially to take advantage of IT-enabled economies. There is much to be gained.
IT and the Perils of Hunkering Down
Now — not after the November elections — is the time to prepare to leverage technology to improve productivity across government.
Technology and the Productivity Promise
IT is the most important tool for improving government output. Budget directors need to be ready to answer some important questions.