Strategic foresight is not futuristic forecasting. Foresight is about being able to perceive the significance and nature of events before they have occurred. It is about having the imagination to be prepared for what may come, regardless of which scenario occurs – it’s a mindset, not a process. It is about going beyond the tyranny of the present and preparing the best you can for the uncertainty of the future
The Gulf BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has spawned more than oil. There are all sorts of efforts to track what is going on, from the Coast Guard, to NASA, to the Weather Service. These efforts are from the beaches to the skies to under the ocean.
Collaboration is one of the key elements of President Obama’s signature Open Government Initiative. However, federal agencies’ Open Government Plans don’t seem to address it very well. But collaboration expert Russ Linden says “collaboration is vital, difficult, and learnable.” And he’s written a book that makes all three of these points.
“Where is Obama’s big-bang reform of government?” laments an insightful article by University of Maryland public administration dean, Donald Kettl, in a forum on President Obama’s management initiatives in the current issue of The Public Manager. He says that President Obama is quietly reshaping the way government works and dubs it a "stealth revolution."
The Center is pleased to announce the publication of its Fall/Winter 2009 issue of The Business of Government magazine. This issue focuses on a range of public management issues facing us today. Whether it’s the federal government’s response to the recent financial crisis, the H1N1 flu, or its movement towards greater transparency and accountability, we’ve gathered thoughtful perspectives from some of the leading practitioners and academics in the field.
It is important to emphasize that the authors have not attempted to assess or evaluate the transition or Project Deepwater itself. Instead, the report focuses on providing lessons learned from the transition and offers three recommendations for contract management staff, agency executives, and congressional and executive-level policy makers.
