SES

On May 27, the IBM Center for The Business of Government and the Partnership for Public Service co-hosted a Roundtable to discuss how effective leaders can help drive successful outcomes for the next Presidential term. An exceptional group of current and former senior officials from Administrations of both parties, leaders from Capitol Hill, as well as experts from academia and the private and non-profit sectors participated in a robust discussion.

Try Before You Buy. In a Government Executive column, Shelley Metzenbaum writes: “Well-designed small-scale testing can help government achieve greater impact not only at a lower cost but also in more fair, understandable ways. Government should embrace “test marketing” as a business-as-usual management practice, not an exceptional event.” Mid-Level Rotations.

New SES Onboarding Guidance.  Federal Times reports that the Office of Personnel Management has issued a new guide to agencies.

On November 8, the President-elect will begin the next phase of the transition to power that culminates with Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017.  The next Administration will have a tremendous opportunity to drive change that improves mission performance across government, in ways that can positively impact millions of lives across the Nation across a broad range of mission areas – including health care for citizens, stewardship of natural resources, and delivery of benefits with financial integrity.

John Kamensky

Warner Letter re: DATA Act. Federal News Radio reports: “Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) sent letters to 24 chief financial officer agencies on Friday, urging leadership to “prioritize efforts” to comply with the Digital Accountability and Transparency (DATA) Act. . . . Warner, an original backer of the DATA Act, asked five questions to agency leaders about their progress toward the May 2017 implementation deadline.”

Good News: Acquisition Reform Works. Steve Kelman writes in FCW: “cost growth in the development of new weapons systems has slowed.”  He explored “why” and concluded that the acquisition reforms over the past decade has finally made a difference.

In a 2016 review of more than 82,000 work units across 230 organizations covering nearly 2 million employees, the Gallup Organization found: “The relationship between engagement and performance at the business/work unit level is substantial and highly generalizable across organizations.” So, it is no wonder that the Office of Personnel Management, in its annual survey of federal employees, assesses the extent of employee engagement, as well.  In 

Guest blogger: Tim Stitely, IBM Vice President for Federal Healthcare

As the Former Chief Information Officer for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a civil servant for over 20 years from the level of clerk typist through the Senior Executive Service, I have seen many "Modernization" initiatives to optimize and otherwise change Government. Sometimes this is process-oriented or people-driven, and usually lands a lot on technology. The initiatives have come under many names, including Reinventing Government and the President’s Management Agenda.

Note:  The IBM Center recently released Seven Drivers Transforming Government, a series of essays exploring key drivers of change in government. It is based on our research and numerous insights shared by current and former government officials.  This blog is the fifth in a series of excerpts from each of the seven essays.

John Kamensky

Disaster Response: Brings Out the Best in Feds. Government Executive covered the SES Rank Awards ceremony.  Both SBA Administrator Linda McMahon and Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke praised the dedication and response of thousands of career civil servants to the three major hurricanes in recent months.