The Public Manager: The New Bureaucrat articles from March 1999

The Public Manager: The New Bureaucrat archives from March 1999

What's so special? An introduction.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(members' experience within the Federal Executive Institute)
March 22, 1999... Sooner or later the question comes up: "What is so special about the 'FEI experience?'" The answer always comes back, "If you've been there you don't have to ask. If you haven't been there, it can't be explained." That may not be a very...

The alumni: an indispensable partner.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association)
March 22, 1999... As long-time FEI faculty member Pat Conklin tells the story, the idea for an association came about in the back seat of his then-new 1968 Oldsmobile. Driving back to FEI from a 1969 Washington field trip, a group of session participants and Pat...

Letter from an American farmer: actually, from one who lives in farm country, unless the taking of many divots be considered farming these days.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(retired director of the Federal Executive Institute)
March 22, 1999... It is appropriate and good of The Public Manager to devote this mini-forum to the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in recognition of its 30 years of service to the civil servants who run the nation's programs, and I am pleased to contribute my...

FEI: a new director and renewed directions.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(Federal Executive Institute)
March 22, 1999... As "the new kid" on this particularly unique block of federal real estate, I arrived in January with many more questions than answers, and more expectations than doubts. But one doubt: that I never entertained was whether FEI could face the...

Leadership education for a democratic society: FEI's core program turns 30.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(Federal Executive Institute)
March 22, 1999... Imagine you are asked to lead an organization that the National Journal has just called "the most reviled agency" in government. Now imagine you are Joe Dear, who actually accepted this job as head of the Occupational Safety and Health...

The FEI: a transatlantic view.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(Federal Executive Institute)
March 22, 1999... Probably easiest to undervalue is the dropping of participants for four weeks in a supportive environment. I first set eyes on the Federal Executive Institute on the clear, sunny, snowy morning of Sunday January 3, 1999. I was almost a day...

This too is FEI: the Center for Executive Leadership story.(Mini-Forum: Federal Executive Institute at 30)(Federal Executive Institute)
March 22, 1999... Custom-designed programs are developed collaboratively and tailored to meet the specific learning needs of the agency. Leaders from the Defense Intelligence Agency huddle around computer stations practicing new virtual team collaboration...

Contingent staffing: lessons from Census.(Census Bureau)
March 22, 1999... The authors describe lessons learned from the Census Bureau's experience using temporary employees. Series Editor's Note This article follows Ray Sumser's two-part presentation on the contingent workforce. It provides a real-life...

Four realities of IT innovation in government.(information technology)
March 22, 1999... Analysis indicates that successful transformations share four common realities. IT is a powerful means of effecting change, but it is up to public managers and the people they serve to define the changes they want and the ways they want to...

Legislative-executive branch communication on the Results Act: a success story with important implications.(Government Performance and Results Act)
March 22, 1999... The Government Performance and Results Act has produced an added side benefit: Congress and the agencies are working more closely together. The relations between the legislative and executive branches have not always been smooth sailing -...

Update: interview with John Koskinen.(chairperson of the President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion)(Interview)
March 22, 1999... In the second in a series, the chair of the President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion, shares his views with the editor of The Public Manager. The Public Manager (hereafter TPM): Mr. Koskinen, would you please describe briefly what...

Ready for the millennium: GSA's federal technology service hard at work.(General Services Administration)
March 22, 1999... GSA's efforts to assist its customers in meeting the year 2000 challenge. Technology plays a key role in the lives of today's federal managers. They use communications networks to exchange information with others in their own agencies,...

The outsourcing option: more attractive than ever.
March 22, 1999... The author describes the success of Computer Sciences Corporation's bid to acquire both outsourced work and outsourced federal employees. Federal executives and managers operate in an environment today that differs in significant ways from...

New bright spots in acquisition reform.(government procurement)
March 22, 1999... "An enterprise, whether a business or any other institution, that does not innovate and does not engage in entrepreneurship will not long survive." Because he feels that's where the action will be, management guru Peter Drucker (Forbes,...

Democracy and public administration reform linked.
March 22, 1999... The author participated in a public administration reform project in the Republic of Macedonia and discusses the inextricable link between public administration reform and democracy. The promotion of democracy is one of the primary...

Realizing the benefits of diversity: a wake-up call.
March 22, 1999... To gain the full benefit of diversity, management must foster understanding, value differences, and demonstrate commitment to employee development. Even though the US has one of the most diverse workforces in the world, American...

The Washington Monument syndrome: ramblin'.(comments on scandals affecting government officials)
March 22, 1999... Every once in a while so much stuff accumulates that there is not one topic or installment of The Washington Monument Syndrome that can rightfully contain it. And so a ramblin' we will go. First and foremost, may we have a moment of silence...

Getting ready for the public sector quality wars: cost and quality of service are equally important in comparing the public and private sectors.
March 22, 1999... Two interesting trends are gathering momentum in the arena of government service quality. One current is the deepening emphasis on service quality planning for public sector agencies. A good example is the passage last November in San Francisco...

Customer service and the Internet: city governments offer Web sites that provide excellent customer service.
March 22, 1999... In the private sector, where developing a customer base is equivalent to survival, focusing on improving customer service is critical. However, the need to be close to customers translates unevenly in government. But one area of government is...

Inside OMB: Politics and Process in the President's Budget Office.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Tomkin, Shelley Lynne, paperback, 1998. Shelley Lynne Tomkin has filled a significant vacuum for both students and practitioners with her recent book, Inside OMB: Politics and Process in the President's Budget Office. The last significant...

How to 2000.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Raytheon, IDG Books: Foster City, CA, 1997, 589 pages. Raytheon Corporation's How to 2000 claims to provide a "proven comprehensive methodology" for senior managers daunted by the task of bringing a large organization into year 2000 (Y2K)...

Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Brown, Shona L. and Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, Harvard Business School Press: 1998, 298 pages. One might ask why a book on strategies for managing a competitive edge in high-tech industries would interest a manager in the public sector. What...