The Public Manager: The New Bureaucrat articles from December 1996

The Public Manager: The New Bureaucrat archives from December 1996

Policy analysis and public debate.
December 22, 1996... If public ideas are so important now, why are policy analysts so depressed? Is analytical output of universities, think tanks, and governmental staff units still germane? Public ideas are considered important now. They, along with the...

Public interest groups and the public manager.
December 22, 1996... In addition to the growing complexity surrounding interest groups, their agendas, and political activities, their leadership and personnel parameters have changed. Public interest groups (PIGS) have been a part of the American political and...

Despising a splendid hate object. (bureaucracy)
December 22, 1996... Multiple and sometimes contradictory attacks on bureaucracy by candidates for public office, authors, and others come from different people's differing views on the world's problems. In April 1933, a month after Franklin Roosevelt's first...

Hollow government welcomes Clinton.
December 22, 1996... Federal workers need no reminder of the disdain in which they and government in general are held. The campaign never focused on the problems of government. Bill Clinton is in for a surprise. When this self-described policy wonk reaches for the...

Needed: better customer service, more proactive outreach.
December 22, 1996... We have to persuade the next generation that careers in government are exciting, rewarding, and important. In the world envisioned by George Orwell in 1984, Big Brother kept track of public opinion on government through omnipresent "thought...

We're all in this together. (public administration)
December 22, 1996... Less than two weeks after the 1986 general election, Oregon's new governor-elect strode into my office. "Barbara, I need you to chair a committee for me. Well, actually there are two committees and you can choose which one you'd prefer to chair."...

Status of the devolution revolution. (public administration)
December 22, 1996... Multi-faceted forces in system mean devolution process can be expected to take much longer and have less impact than the rhetoric would have us believe. Much of the discussion so far about the "devolution revolution" is sloganeering. The...

Changing roles for human resources professionals.
December 22, 1996... Personnel or human resources office: no matter what it is called, it must change. Personnelists as we have known them are becoming obsolete. Federal human resources (HR) professionals must prepare to meet the challenges and assume the roles...

Toward effective use of performance measurement in the federal government.
December 22, 1996... Only a joint effort across government will allow us to experience the responsible, responsive government that the proponents of GPRA have envisioned. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) differs from previous management...

Machiavelli's administrative advice to new executives. (Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli)
December 22, 1996... It may be true that fortune is the ruler of half our actions, but she allows the other half or thereabouts to be governed by us. I, NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI, offer to you my conclusions resulting from a review of the actions of great executives. In...

Planning and enjoying retirement - with spouse.
December 22, 1996... Of equal importance to planning is being open to the unexpected and to opportunities for new challenges. As an introduction to the subject of "retirement," I would like to start with an appropriate definition of "work." "Work is something you...

Retirement! Prepared, but not ready.
December 22, 1996... Career planning, or some preparation for big job changes, is (or should be) becoming routine for professionals. At age 57, I was not ready to retire from the District of Columbia government on October 1, 1991. With the change from a Barry to a...

The concept of managing diversity.
December 22, 1996... Adopting a "way of thinking" toward the objective of creating an environment that will enable all employees to reach their full potential in pursuit of organizational objectives. For the past seven years, I have served as president of The...

Leading the Customs Service.
December 22, 1996... Series Editor's Introduction One of the most important general skills for young professionals to develop and fully understand is "leadership." Whether they aspire to lead large organizations or simply work in small workgroups, knowing how to...

Creating civilian leaders: Air Force and learning institutions.
December 22, 1996... An Air Force program producing good managers and potential leaders can also contribute to personal growth. Organizations send managers to institutions of higher learning to improve their managerial skills and organizational knowledge in...

Previewing government in the year 2010.
December 22, 1996... Initiatives in 25 countries provide a preview of how the government of the year 2010 will provide services to the citizens and do business with industry. The 25 member countries of the International Council for Information Technology in...

Civil Service Reform: Building a Government That Works.
December 22, 1996... THIS BRIEF BOOK - fewer than 100 pages - is not a case study, nor a scholarly analysis, nor a detailed blueprint for a revised world. It is, rather, a manifesto, a call for action presented in simple, direct terms: "America's citizens deserve a...

The Best Kept Secrets in Government.
December 22, 1996... The secret is out. As a federal employee, I have seen many government reports over the years. When I saw a copy of The Best Kept Secrets in Government, the first thing I noticed, besides the intriguing title, was that it is not your everyday...