The Public Manager articles from March 2003

The Public Manager archives from March 2003

Homeland security. (The Manager's Musings).
March 22, 2003... AS WE PREPARE the Spring issue for publication, it appears the conflict in Iraq is well on its way to being resolved and that the United States and other members of the international community will be assisting the Iraqi people with the...

Collaborative networks. (The Manager's Mustings).
March 22, 2003... And on the theme of collaboration, our series on state and municipal government includes a case study from Washington DC in which Lisa Feldman writes about citizen engagement in community corrections strategies. Similarly from beyond the...

Management improvement. (The Manager's Musings).
March 22, 2003... In a new series on acquisition management contributed by the federal Procurement Executive Council, Bernard Piper relates how the US Department of State supports its contracting officers through organizational excellence, Web technology, and...

Reflections and remembrances. (The Manager's Musings).
March 22, 2003... John Palguta, formerly with the US Merit Systems Protection Board and now with the Partnership for Public Service, has culled diverse views on the recent report from the National Commission for Public Service. Al Hyde pitches in with The Public...

Getting to green. (Management Fad of the Year).
March 22, 2003... Announcement of the President's Management Agenda in 2001, followed by a series of Executive Branch Scorecards which grade major federal agencies, led to The Public Manager's Management Fad of the Year 2002. The President's Management...

Revitalizing the Federal Government for the 21st Century: Presenting differing perspectives on the report of the National Commission on the Public Service (Volcker II). (Opinion Roundtable: Volcker II).
March 22, 2003... In January 2003, the National Commission on the Public Service (popularly referred to as "The Second Volcker Commission" in honor of its chairman, Paul A Volcker) issued its eagerly anticipated report on the public service. Titled, "Urgent...

The commission calls for fundamental reform.
March 22, 2003... More than a few people were surprised when the National Commission on the Public Service led its recommendations with a call for reorganization of the federal government. When former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul A. Volcker announced the...

The commission failed to address the core problems.
March 22, 2003... While the National Commission on Public Service has offered a number of recommendations its members believe will improve the organization and management of the federal government, it fails to address the core problems affecting the delivery of...

Commission's recommendations could go farther.
March 22, 2003... The Report of the National Commission on Public Service has presented an agenda for the civil service that, if adopted, will go far in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our government. The Professional Managers Association (PMA) is...

Will the report matter?
March 22, 2003... Will this be the year? Like the Red Sox, whose eternal hope of beating the Yankees is reborn each year, many practitioners and concerned observers hope that the Volcker Commission report will finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back of...

The other homeland security threat: Bureaucratic haggling; as homeland security and intelligence agencies attempt monumental change, can management theory offer any new approaches? (Article).
March 22, 2003... Reading the policy proposals and reorganization plans for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quickly leads one to recognize that the scale of change is extensive. No organizational change of this magnitude has taken place in the federal...

Homeland security: A challenging environment; The meaning of homeland security, its intent, and the key issues officials will encounter in addressing its policy and management challenges. (Article).
March 22, 2003... Officials at all levels of government with responsibility for homeland security since the September 11 terrorist attacks have been busy crafting de tailed homeland security goals and objectives, strategies to meet those expectations, key...

Obstacles to empowerment in the federal service: An experienced federal practitioner provides culture climate recommendations to enhance achievement of the Bush administration's management reform objectives. (Article).
March 22, 2003... The current administration has proposed an impressive array of initiatives to streamline federal operations including the adaptation of corporate best practices. A series of "scorecard" models are in place or under development to ensure that...

Managing for excellence in overseas contracting: The Department of State supports its contracting officers through organizational excellence, Web technology, and simplicity of source selection techniques. (Acquisition Management).
March 22, 2003... The Department of State (State) has the most geographically diverse acquisition operation of any federal agency. Managing in this complex environment is a daunting challenge. Through effective leadership, State has been able to excel in areas...

Securing the homeland across jurisdictional boundaries. (Regional Governance).
March 22, 2003... The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' unprecedented efforts in regional communication and coordination after the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. September 11, 2001 would become a day of transformation throughout America. For the...

Citizen engagement in managing offender reentry: The case for community correctional facilities. (State and Municipal Management).
March 22, 2003... How public managers can play an integral role in ensuring public safety and that returning residents have the resources and programs available to help them excel. Over the last 10 years, there has been a fundamental transformation in the...

Fundamentals of earned-value management: Government projects: Learn how to use an earned-value management system to help integrate budget and performance, a key goal of the President's Management Agenda.
March 22, 2003... Earned-value management is not a new concept, but for many government managers, the newly revised Office of Management and Budget (0MB) Circular A-11, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget, is their first encounter with it....

Interagency workforce shaping initiative. (Beyond the Beltway).
March 22, 2003... How the Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board brought together a variety of civilian and military agencies in a unique way to address critical human capital issues in the region. The Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board (FEB) leads...

The role of internships in attracting quality talent to the public sector. (Young Professionals' Arena).
March 22, 2003... The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars profiles four diverse young professionals who launched their careers in public service as interns. The threat of a human capital crisis looms ominously over the federal community....

In memoriam: Irving Fagin, civil servant 1914-2003. (Image of Public Service).
March 22, 2003... He was the first born of immigrant parents whose port of entry was Galveston, TX. They settled first in Tyler, TX, but later relocated to New York City to be near family that had preceded them on their trek. His father was a steelworker turned...

Outings and outrages. (The Uncivil Servant).
March 22, 2003... Well, we have now been through the first midterm election in modem history in which the incumbent party gained in both houses of Congress. This is in addition to local gains in gubernatorial races and state legislatures. To listen to the...

Building a Department of Homeland Security: The management theory. (Views You Can Use).
March 22, 2003... From a management standpoint, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could turn into one of the Bush administration's most important acts, with desirable, lasting, and permanent results. With this step, the administration...

Building a bigger bureaucracy: what the Department of Homeland Security won't do. (Views You Can Use).
March 22, 2003... Since the announcement that a massive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be created by combining 22 agencies and 179,000 employees, one has to be dismayed by the lack of conversation on the most basic question, "Why do we feel that we...

A-digital: what if? (Views You Can Use).
March 22, 2003... Headline: IRS Joins Autodesk, Inc., on List of "Most Admired" Ring. Ring. "Hello." "Hello, Mr. Mortlock, this is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), we noticed that you've just completed your tax return. How was your experience and...

New ideas, old challenges: the federal manager in the 21st century. (Reviews).
March 22, 2003... Report of the National Academy of Public Administration: "The 21st Century Federal Manager: A Study of Changing Roles and Competencies," July 2002. Technology is running rampant. Organizational hierarchies are crumbling. Budgets are leaner...

And federal pay in the 21st century. (Reviews).
March 22, 2003... Report by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) "A Fresh Start for Federal Pay: The Case for Modernization," White Paper-- 2002. And while we are on the topic of a new kind of federal manager (or leader) for the future, wouldn't it be...

You say "tomato". (Reviews).
March 22, 2003... Two Early 21st Century Management Book Reviews What Management Is, Joan Magretta and Nan Stone, Free Press, May 2002. After reading the preface of What Management Is, by Joan Magretta, with assistance from Nan Stone, my first thought...

I say "tomato". (Reviews).
March 22, 2003... The Company of the Future, Francis Cairn cross, Harvard Business School Press, 2002. Part of the premise of most management books is to recognize the impact of management as a form of revolution, following the Industrial Revolution that...

FEIAA's Executive of the Year. (Executive Forum).
March 22, 2003... The Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA) sponsored its 18th annual Executive Forum in February in cooperation with the Federal Executive Institute (FEI). The theme was "Diversifying Your Executive Portfolio." The FEIAA...