The Public Manager articles from December 2003

The Public Manager archives from December 2003

The manager's musings.
December 22, 2003... In memoriam: Thomas W. Novotny As this issue of The Public Manager was being pulled together, the journal's long-time publisher and formative editor, Thomas W. Novotny, took ill and later died of cancer on April 7 at the age of 75. Tom,...

Building innovative bureaucracies: change, structure, and the science of ideas; A new series on innovation in bureaucracy lays down a foundation and explores the mechanics of innovating in the public sector--maturing from an organization that is change averse, to change cognizant, to change capable, and finally to change centric.(Innovation)
December 22, 2003... Does innovation have meaning for today's public manager? If so, what is that meaning and how does it translate into a practical lever for making government better? This article is the introductory frame for an "Innovative Bureaucracies" series...

Making performance-based contracting (and relationships) work: learn how the federal government's Transportation Safety Administration has used non-traditional procurement methods to establish an information technology (IT) infrastructure with nothing less than the safety and freedom of the traveling public at stake.(Acquisition Management)
December 22, 2003... The Transportation Safety Administration's (TSA) IT management services (ITMS) contract is a performance-based managed services contract. Think: seat management raised to the 10th order of magnitude. Unique at the time of award, ITMS is now a...

Fact-finding in state and local government: using a municipal finance expert in collective bargaining; Learn how the State of Idaho uses innovative financial analysis techniques to help highlight the true economic condition of local government to resolve disputes with municipal firefighters.(State and Municipal Management)
December 22, 2003... State and local governments face an ongoing problem of defending their allocation of taxpayer money for public expenditures. Some taxpayers argue that most public expenditures are unproductive. However, these views are often the result of their...

New approaches to human resource forecasting in the public sector: learn more about what government agencies are exploring in the way of innovations in retirement, telecommuting, security, and training to recognize and use older workers as a resource.(Article)
December 22, 2003... Early retirement and a graying workforce have created concerns for public sector human resource managers. Increased longevity and wellness have combined with the lifelong learning process to create a workforce that is available to contribute...

Communities of practice in government: leveraging knowledge for performance; Learn how this evolving tool for cross-organizational collaboration currently is being used in a variety of public sector settings and how it can help you cultivate improved performance outcomes in your backyard.(Performance Management)
December 22, 2003... It is well known that breakthroughs in government policies and programs are held back when colleagues within an agency are unable to connect the dots between their work--much less with practitioners in other agencies or at the local level. The...

Synergy: an unleashed community power; Learn how a newly established nonprofit organization, Urban Synergy, uses a seven-step process to create a synergistic environment among local agencies that fosters improved collaboration and increased educational outreach for children in Washington, DC.(Nonprofit Management)
December 22, 2003... Synergy is the simultaneous action of separate agencies which, together, have greater total effect than the sum of their individual effects; a combined or cooperative action or force. This is part of the answer to an effective community...

Federal workforce downsizing during the 1990s: a human capital disaster; How downsizing has led to significant skill imbalances, a loss of institutional memory, and other adverse consequences at specific federal agencies and within the government-wide procurement workforce.(Human Resources Management)
December 22, 2003... Downsizing was the fashionable management strategy for American business and government organizations during the 1990s. Why did these organizations downsize their workforces? For the same general reason: to reduce costs. Businesses may reduce...

Saving energy (and much more) in Vermont: how an innovative nonprofit, Efficiency Vermont, the nation's first statewide provider of energy efficiency services, is helping businesses and households save money, reduce energy use, and protect the environment.(Image of Public Service)
December 22, 2003... Vermont has a lot of barns, among them a particular 140-year-old structure in Fairfax, in the state's northwest, that houses about 90 dairy cows. Back in the 1990s, its interior was lit by several 100-watt bulbs and there also was a hot water...

Leadership in the crucible: the paradox of character and power; A servant leader explores three "courses" essential to learning to lead--reflective work that results in a guiding life purpose or mission; learning from the life and experiences of mentors; and being part of a community of practice that learns together and holds each other accountable.(Culture of Bureaucracy)(Column)
December 22, 2003... Nearly all men can stand the test of adversity, but if you really want to test a man's character, give him power --Abraham Lincoln Lincoln was no stranger to adversity; nearly all biographies and illustrations concerning the...

The Pacific Leadership Academy: how this unique interagency leadership development center is transforming training.(Article)(Pacific Leadership Academy )
December 22, 2003... The Spring 2003 issue of The Public Manager reported that the Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board (FEB) Interagency Workforce Shaping Initiative had received the Federal Personnel Management Institute (FPMI) 2002 Human Resources and Equal...

Policy evaluation in the Government of Japan: the former first secretary of the Japanese embassy in Washington, DC compares his country's 2002 Government Policy Evaluation Act with the US government's 1993 Government Performance and Results Act.(Article)(Government Policy Evaluation Act)
December 22, 2003... Like the United States, the Government of Japan has devoted substantial effort in recent years to developing relevant performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of its ministries in meeting the needs of Japanese citizens. In the US,...

Leading and lighting the way for the federal service: learn about the Service to America Medals program, or SAMMIES, and the impact three outstanding public servants have had on the people and areas they serve.(Image of Public Service)
December 22, 2003... Every day, behind the scenes, civil servants are shattering the harmful stereotype that federal workers are a mediocre bunch. But few public servants ever find themselves earning kudos, despite devoting their lives to bettering the nation. ...

And the race is on!! Perspectives you will not likely see anywhere else in print on (some of) the opposition party's candidates for this year's presidential election.(The Uncivil Service)(Column)
December 22, 2003... We are now entering Grimaldi's favorite time. The presidential election is still almost six months away (or eight months if hanging chads have their way). But it is now the time when the free swinging and the dropping out begin in earnest. ...

In memoriam: Thomas W. Novotny.(Eulogy)(Obituary)
December 22, 2003... Let me tell you about the Tom Novotny that I knew... He never talked about himself. He never complained about himself. He was a modest man, who would rather talk about improving the public service. He had a sense of humor, which wasn't...

Aligning processes with time.(New Ideas for Management)
December 22, 2003... Processes are what make an enterprise work. They connect the cornerstones of strategy and organization to create a solid foundation for success. Over time strategies change and reorganizations occur. Processes need to be aligned to return to a...

Beyond Budgeting: a concept in two parts.(New Ideas for Management)
December 22, 2003... Pay for Performance Few issues promise to be more divisive in the public sector in this decade than the debate over "performance for pay"--or providing financial incentives to individuals. The October 2003 public meeting of the senior...

What is benefit realization?(New Ideas for Management)
December 22, 2003... Benefit realization entails establishing a process and guidelines to measure actual financial and non-financial benefits of a program or project. Benefit realization is an old concept that has resurfaced in a time when stakeholders are...

Should the federal government be viewed as one employer or many employers?(Fedland)
December 22, 2003... Over the past two decades the federal government has changed dramatically both its recruitment and selection processes. For example, until the early 1980s, the government did most of its hiring for entry-level positions using a centralized...

Mainstream but with a twist of the postmodern ...(The Public Administration Theory Primer)(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... The Public Administration Theory Primer, H. George Frederickson and Kevin B. Smith, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2003 ($28.00 pb, $90.00 hc). Political commentators have be gun to suggest that in a post-9/11, post-Enron environment, we may...

The Public Manager salutes: Thomas W. Novotny.(A Champion of Public Service)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
December 22, 2003... Under Tom Novotny's stewardship for the last two decades, The Public Manager has not been an esoteric publication for academics, but rather a practical, nuts-and-bolts guide for practitioners in public service. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...