The Public Manager articles from September 2006

The Public Manager archives from September 2006

The manager's musings.(resiliency psychology)
September 22, 2006... Resiliency Writing this segment on September 11, 2006--in the shadow of Manhattan's skyscrapers, five years after a deadly blow was dealt a city (and country) just beginning its workday--I can't help but reflect on how people bounce back...

Strengthening workforce resiliency in the public sector: by following practical guidelines from the new field of resiliency psychology, public managers can navigate through rough periods of change and bounce back from setbabcks.
September 22, 2006... In today's world of nonstop change, public managers need a highly resilient workforce. In the past, government managers ran stable, efficient organizations, which operated for decades without much change. Public-sector workers did what their...

Sustainable development and resilience in public agencies: sustainability planning--in Cape Cod, Alberta, and other regions--helps organizations meet their goals and benefit the surrounding systems.
September 22, 2006... Public agencies create and follow sustainable development plans to manage scarce environmental resources, environmental impact, and organizational efficiency. In Massachusetts, Governor Mitt Romney has mandated that all state agencies initiate...

Communication: the key to sustainable government transformation: a recent study shows that use of specific communications best practices improves employee commitment, morale, and behavior and, as a consequence, directly and measurably influences organizational performance.
September 22, 2006... From pay for performance to the Pentagon's National Security Personnel System to The President's Management Agenda, transformation is at the heart of every major human capital initiative underway in the federal government today. But how, in...

Leadership lessons from world-class coaches: Mike Krzyewski of Duke University and Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee demonstrate how a philosophy of practice can generate team resilience and exceptional results.
September 22, 2006... "I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball."--Mike Krzyzewski Each college basketball season draws millions of Americans into a compelling drama that culminates in March...

Today's leadership challenge--engaging citizens: agency managers at a champions of participation retreat describe how the federal government is breaking new ground in nationwide citizen engagement.
September 22, 2006... Democracy in America is flagging. By most accounts, we are spending our democratic inheritance--the stores of social and political capital built upon great eras of public policy--faster than we are creating and saving it for the future....

Improving public policy communication in Belgium: government managers can better inform citizens of proposed policies by ensuring their information is complete, timely, and accurate.
September 22, 2006... This article discusses practical aspects of external public policy communication on matters that government has considered or partially approved, but that a higher body--such as the executive or legislative branch--has not yet approved. Despite...

New civil society developments in Siberia: the mayor of Ulan-Ude in Buryatia, Russia, discusses why and how non-governmental organizations are partnering with government officials to reach out to the public and achieve positive social outcomes for all segments of society.
September 22, 2006... In a true civil society, there should be collaboration of citizens and authorities. Also, effective and successful development of a country depends on a dialogue among civil organizations, governmental structures, and the private sector. The...

Disaster planning in Rural America: a local emergency manager with Colorado's Office of Emergency Management shares the unique challenges of planning for and responding to disasters in Cheyenne and Kit Carson Counties.
September 22, 2006... Colorado emergency management incidents encompass a multiplicity of situations. Colorado local emergency managers operate under the authority of the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), Division of Emergency Management. Supporting federal...

Telework and federal employee dependent care: a recent government study takes a comprehensive look at the use of federal employee telework to help manage care-giving duties.
September 22, 2006... Public- and private-sector employers are adopting telework, which is moving into the mainstream of workplace management. A 2005 study by the International Telework Advisory Council (ITAC) estimated that 45.1 million Americans telework from...

Corporate and government computers hacked by juveniles: your government computer is being targeted for a hack right now. The hackers are teenagers. They'll never be caught, and they know it.
September 22, 2006... Imagine a teenager in his pajamas on the computer in his bedroom at 3:00 a.m., absorbed by the challenge of hacking into the Pentagon. And then, finally, he comes across a list of thousands of e-mails from top military brass with cool subjects...

The new beat: the Washington Metropolitan Police Department's Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit is transforming law enforcement and redefining the concept of "community" policing.
September 22, 2006... Earlier this year, Sgt. Brett Parson of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had a problem most hiring managers in government would love to have: nearly 30 qualified and experienced police officers from within the MPD...

Back to school: rethinking federal recruiting on college campuses.(Image of Public Service)
September 22, 2006... Any effort to strengthen our federal civil service must tap into the energy, creativity, and idealism of young Americans. Twenty-somethings have proven their potential by driving the record economic expansion that began in the early 1990s. The...

A public servant who really delivers: Postmaster General John Potter's "letter-perfect" Public Service Recognition Week speech delivers on the value of public service.(image of public service, recognizing public employees)
September 22, 2006... It was fitting that John E. "Jack" Potter, the nation's seventy-second Postmaster General, was asked to deliver the 2006 Public Service Recognition Week keynote address in Washington, DC on May 4: no other government agency has a more direct...

Mid-term blues.(elections trends and forecast)
September 22, 2006... As the old B.B. King blues song goes, "No one loves you but your mother, and she may be jivin' you, too." By the time you read this, the election may well be over. For some there will be elation, but for some very prominent folks in the public...

The culture of prisoner safety.(Letter to the editor)
September 22, 2006... The recent article by Larry Hubbell and Scott Abbott regarding cultural change at the Wyoming State Penitentiary (WSP) refers to a lawsuit filed against WSP by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). I am the lead attorney in that lawsuit. I...