Jonathan Walters

Jonathan Walters' report chronicles the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) efforts to realign and centralize its information technology activities. Describing it as an "ambitious, audacious and arduous crusade," Walters makes it very clear that this is still very much a work in progress. There are significant hurdles ahead and certain significant adjustments will no doubt need to be made for this ambitious undertaking to be ultimately implemented and sustained by the VA.

The authors present an honest description of the transformation of the GAO. The report openly discusses challenges faced and overcome, mistakes made, and lessons learned. It challenges the reader to think broadly about human capital management as a driver for organizational transformation and what it can mean for the public sector as a whole. Like the Government Accountability Office, other public and private organizations have also successfully used human capital management to transform their organizations. Three keys appear to be essential to such transformation.

As with the federal government, states and local governments are examining alternatives to the traditional civil service system. This report examines civil service reform programs in Texas, Georgia, and Florida. Human Capital Management

Public sector innovation may be considered an oxymoron, but for 15 years the Ford Foundation and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University have been identifying innovative public sector programs at the state, local, federal and tribal government levels through the Innovations in American Government Awards program, funded by Ford and administered by the Kennedy School.