Leading Public-Sector Change

Schools systems that aren’t performing effectively harm children for the rest of their lives. Countries that can’t change to accommodate the opportunities of economic growth and globalization doom their citizens to lower standards of living. Nation’s that fail to maintain cultural values so they guide and complement the forces of technology, run the risk of disintegration.

The inability of public officials, elected or appointed, to successfully bring about major policy changes may be one of the most dangerous realities to confront public governance. We are dedicated to helping public officials learn how to work with one another peacefully and effectively to Lead Public-Sector Change....

What do Social Security solvency, the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S., and “immigration reform” have in common? They are divisive, expensive, well-covered -- by traditional media plus bloggers -- and little understood by the average voter.

On issue after issue, because no collective definition of the problem has taken place, no one can put forth a solution that is trusted by a majority of the electorate. So we end up with a firestorm of “debate” -- except it isn’t really debate, because neither side is HEARING the other, and the “audience” -- voters -- either turns off or tunes out.

Rather than bore into pension reform, DHS, or similar struggles (stalled United Nations reform, the low-level chaos from rebuilding New Orleans), this web display clarifies the repeating patterns. Our contention is that, whether it’s unplanned or intentional, “change” is a journey that can be mapped.

And the target markets for this document are:

• Elected leaders who intend a profound legacy;
• Public-sector managers who work with elected or appointed executives to implement change; and
• Overseas innovators who refuse to put up with any more national or systemic failures.

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Leading Public-Sector Change FAQs

Why is “public-sector change” so important today?

Contrast 2006 with 10 or 15 years ago. From Indonesia to Morocco to the United States, government “matters” again. Electorates have rising expectations -- for competence as well as promptness -- when it comes to dealing with terrorism, navigating natural disasters, and a few other core needs.

Bottom line: Any governmental leader who thinks that good intentions and empathy are enough is in for an unpleasant surprise.

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Change-Management from A to Z

This A to Z layout -- a mix of pertinence and impertinence; bottom line plus breeziness -- briefly conveys the ideas you’ll find elsewhere on this site

ADVOCATES intend to achieve change, but -- even in those high-visibility groups who drive media coverage -- they lack the formal power to deliver it. Recommendations to redesign policy, save money or boost effectiveness can go nowhere when those who are enthusiastic for an idea lack the skills to gain support from the Sponsors.