performance

DHS: Young, Flawed and Hobbled By Congress

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has faced a great deal of scrutiny, both from the public and from Congressional leaders since its creation in 2003. Some have accused it of being dysfunctional, ineffective, and mismanaged, going so far as to call for the dissolution of the Department. While we should ask a great deal of the agency designated to protect us against terrorism and other threats, much of this criticism is misguided, as are recommendations to close the department.

We must face the reality that working to improve DHS is our only option. From a purely practical perspective, DHS is unlikely to be disestablished. We have no track record of closing cabinet departments, and it is unreasonable to expect Congress to assume the political risk associated with pursuing the elimination of the organization designed to protect the homeland. Most importantly, we must acknowledge that, strategically, DHS is too vital to simply do away with. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 7, 2011 at 8:56 AM

Homeland Security Department: ‘Colossal, Inefficient Boondoggle’

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This article is the first of several commentaries appearing courtesy of Breaking Defense this week examining what America’s leaders should do next to secure our national security, 10 years after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

 /  Published September 6, 2011 at 11:05 AM

Perfecting Customer Service: Quality Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

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Being “good” at providing a high quality service to our customers – everyone we encounter everyday – is a given. We all understand the importance of making great impressions although our reasons could be different in different situations.

We may be trying to serve more people in the same amount of time, prevent people from getting upset and frustrated, calm someone who is upset and frustrated, seek repeat business, or foster our general belief that the noblest motive is in fact the public good. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 31, 2011 at 7:01 AM

9/11: Four Management Lessons For the Future

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Along with the obvious turmoil and political strife caused by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the historic tragedy set in motion the most significant government reorganizations in decades in the homeland defense and intelligence communities.

The effects of the reorganizations continue to reverberate today. For that reason, the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton released a report Tuesday detailing lessons from those efforts that may guide the Obama Administration in government reform and reorganization efforts currently under way. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 29, 2011 at 5:00 PM

The Best And Worst Federal Workplaces For Innovation

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While many government leaders might give lip service to the merits of creativity and innovation in the public sector, few actually put the idea into practice, according to a recent survey and ranking of innovation in federal workplaces.

Beyond that, the survey might actually offer some motivation. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 17, 2011 at 1:01 PM

How Emotional Intelligence Works And Why Government Leaders Should Care

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Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is the ability to understand and use emotions in a positive and constructive way to manage your emotions and the emotions of others. It is gaining traction as a crucial tool in corporate and government offices around the globe, and as a required workplace skill for government leaders, supervisors and managers.

This movement is supported by numerous studies by workplace and efficiency experts who note an important value of EQ: though intellect is static, EQ can be learned and developed, accelerating productivity and advancing career paths for those who master this valuable skill. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 11, 2011 at 7:00 AM

DHS Pushes Partnerships, But Management Concerns Linger

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Since the failed response to hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security has been fighting a pitched battle to restore the American people’s faith and confidence that it can prepare for, manage and respond to disasters and terrorist attacks like an integrated, effective, well-managed enterprise.

The department’s latest effort came on Aug. 3 when it brought out Secretary Janet Napolitano, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge for a round of keynote speeches promoting public-private partnerships at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 9, 2011 at 2:00 PM

How Emotional Intelligence Can Improve Government Employee Morale

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It was standing-room only for an Emotional Intelligence presentation for government leadership development professionals at the recent American Society of Training Developers (ASTD) conference in Orlando.

When asked about the interest in this topic, many government leaders noted the reason it’s becoming such a hot topic in corporate America: there is more stress in government offices today, with significant budget cuts, more long-term knowledge workers retiring, and more work to be done with fewer resources. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 5, 2011 at 2:30 PM

Tackling The Video Explosion In Government

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We’ve all heard the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.” But suppose we speak those 1,000 words at a moderate pace and demonstrate what we are talking about in a five to seven-minute video? According to both common sense and numerous studies, the learning opportunity and communications impact of video are clearly superior.

But until recently, video was costly to produce and cumbersome to distribute, making it impractical for all but the most “canned” applications. All that has changed with Enterprise IP Video tools to capture, record, manage, distribute, and access all video content across an organization’s existing network infrastructure. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 25, 2011 at 10:01 AM

Shutting Down Duplicative Data Centers

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Just as our cell phones and computers have gotten progressively more efficient over the past decade, so too have data servers. However, the government has not taken advantage of the increasing efficiency of data storage. Rather than follow the private sector’s lead of shrinking the size and number of the facilities used to house the computers that store their data, agencies have gone in the opposite direction.

Between 1998 and 2010, the Federal government quadrupled the number of data centers we operate. Moreover, on average these centers have been using only 27 percent of their computer power even though taxpayers are footing the bill for the entire infrastructure, real estate and energy costs. The need for backup power supplies, environmental controls (air conditioning, fire suppression, etc.) and special security devices mean that data centers can consume 200 times as much electricity as standard office spaces. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 21, 2011 at 9:01 AM
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