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That's a wrap for live blogging Excellence in Government 2006 -- highlights from many of the best sessions can be found in the blog entries that follow. Please feel free to add your comments and perspective.

And please let us know what you think of the EIG Blog. Was it a worthy experiment? Any suggestions for next year? Would you be interested in blog coverage of other Government Executive events?

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Posted by Scott Karp at 08:53 AM | Comments (1)

Change Leaders Share Lessons of Resiliency

This Capstone session, the very last of the two-day 2006 Excellence in Government conference, featured five senior government executives who were catalysts for change at their respective organizations. They shared lessons learned on how to overcome bureaucratic inertia, make change sustainable over the long haul, and improve organizational performance. In summary, these change leaders agreed that the right investment over the long-term yield tangible results.

The panel featured Admiral James Loy, former Deputy Secretary of DHS and head of the TSA, now at the Cohen Group; Dave Mader, former Assistant Deputy Commissioner of IRS who is currently a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton; Thomas Modly, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Financial Management at the DOD; Jacqueline Myers, Associate Deputy Chief of Business Operations at the Forest Service; and Ronald Sanders, chief human capital officer for the Director of National Intelligence.

Here’s Dave Mader on his experience at the IRS:

The IRS’s transformation began with the formation of a Congressional committee to study the restructuring of the IRS. The concern was that the IRS had lost touch with its customers – the citizen taxpayers. In other words, the IRS had become overly concerned with a sole performance metric: revenue dollars.

Continue reading "Change Leaders Share Lessons of Resiliency"

Posted by Scott Karp at 08:29 PM | Comments (1)

Brilliant Careers of Three Public Servants

This session profiled the careers of three young, exceptionally accomplished government leaders, each of whom in the past have been nominated for a Service to America Medal for exceptional public service (each in different categories). They are:

- Tobin Bradley, Foreign Service Officer at the State Department, who served as a political advisor in Southern Iraq and organized 15 local elections there. Bradley is on his way to Princeton to receive a Masters Degree in Public Policy (as part of his professional development).

- Subhashree Madhavan of the Rembrandt Project Team at the NIH, who helped create a database for aiding cancer research and new treatment product development.

- Nicole Nelsen-Jean of the Department of Energy, who helped lead US negotiations with Russia over better securing nuclear materials and weapons which led to the creation of a service and training center for nuclear security in Murmansk, Russia.

The session opened with a glossily-produced video feature on the three professionals. Then Bradley, Madhavan, and Nelsen-Jean talked about their careers and how they got to where they are today.

Continue reading "Brilliant Careers of Three Public Servants"

Posted by Scott Karp at 08:25 PM | Comments (0)

Global Perspectives on Results-Based Management

Results-based management was the theme of this session that featured a panel of international experts, including Ray Rist of the World Bank, Frederic Sautet of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and Michael Garrett of the Regional Municipality of York, Canada.

Performance-based public management is about moving from a procedural focus to an emphasis on results. That means trading in the control and command system of government for government by contract.

These concepts present a number of challenges for governments around the world. Methodological challenges include:

- Internal pricing problems – what is the value of various outputs and outcomes?
- Data collection – the more you refine your outputs, the more problematic it becomes to obtain data (in particular, regular data flows).
- Indicator selection – be very careful with these. Changing indicators is a source of tremendous frustration among staff and program managers.
- Attribution and allocation of back-office costs – how does payroll relate to waste management in terms of outcomes and measurements?
- Capital – accounting for capital.
- Trusting data – In developing countries especially, there is often minimal trust in data, which makes performance indicators ineffective.

Continue reading "Global Perspectives on Results-Based Management"

Posted by Scott Karp at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)

Program Managers and Program Examiners on the PART

Program managers from the Defense Department and Environmental Protection Agency and program examiners from OMB and the Department of Health and Human Services came together to discuss the benefits and challenges posed by the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). The PART is a framework for assessing program performance which provides a consistent approach for developing program goals, strategies, and budget.

The essence of the PART is the performance measures – determining a program’s desired outcomes and how to measure them. But the PART is not standardized – not nearly much as it may appear – because it is employed in very different contexts, from evaluating outcomes of radiation prevention to R&D. This creates a number of challenges:

- Existence and availability of external, independent reviews of programs.
- Measuring results for prevention or research programs. How do you measure readiness or preparedness?
- Finding a comparable program for reference and comparison. When you are PARTed, it is worthwhile to see what other programs have submitted and how you relate. But the EPA’s indoor environments program found it difficult to find a comparable program.

Here are some observations on the relationship between the OMB program examiner and program manager:

Continue reading "Program Managers and Program Examiners on the PART"

Posted by Scott Karp at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)

Working Effectively with Congress

This panel on working effectively with Congress had a deeply knowledgeable veteran lineup: Neal Denton, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy, American Red Cross; The Honorable Martin Frost, Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center; John McNulty III, Chief, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service; Moderator: Kenneth Gold, Director, Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University

Kenneth Gold kicked off the session with some sobering statistics:

Hill Staffers
1980: 8,000
Now: 20-22K

Registered Lobbyists
1982: >1000
2006: 15-35K (120K+ individuals working in lobbying)

Congressional approval rating: 23% approval rating of

Congressional incumbent return rate in 2004 election: 99%

Email + postal mail received in Congressional offices in 2005: 200 million+

Earmarks in Transportation bill
1982: 10
2005: 6000+

Here are some highlights from the conversation:

Continue reading "Working Effectively with Congress"

Posted by Scott Karp at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)

How DHS Is Preparing for the Next Emergency

Under Secretary for Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security George Foresman talked about how the federal government is gearing up for the next disaster and the progress DHS has made on key preparedness documents, such as the national response plan and national preparedness goal. Foresman emphasized the importance of the fact that the DoD, DHS, and state and local governments are using the same planning documents.

Foresman argued that homeland security is not the sole responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. It is also the responsibility of the state, local, and federal governments – DHS’s job is to coordinate and orchestrate all those pieces.

There remain major challenges for the nation’s emergency preparedness, including:

Continue reading "How DHS Is Preparing for the Next Emergency"

Posted by Scott Karp at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)

Congressional and Political Effects on Federal Managers

Federal agencies are facing a massive budget crunch and the chances of resolving these resource issues in the near future appear to be slim. Working with Congress is critical since the legislative branch appropriates federal government resources. Here’s an overview of Congressional campaign season from The Hotline’s John Mercurio:

- Nomination battles: Conventional wisdom is that this is the year for Democrats.
- However, both republicans and democrats have seen very divisive primaries and nominations, often letting the “less than best” candidate get the nomination for both parties. The result is that many races have both sides being less competitive than expected.
- International factors to consider: Iraq, Iran, North Korea, gas prices.
- Indictment factor: Tom Delay, Conrad Burns, Enron – the Democrats are pushing a “culture of corruption” campaign on the Hill. But many people believe the corruption is on both sides of the aisle.
- Immigration debate: Can a compromise be reached?

Continue reading "Congressional and Political Effects on Federal Managers"

Posted by Scott Karp at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)

How Blogging is Transforming the Defense Department

Lt. Col. Mark Tribus discussed the role blogs are playing in sharing knowledge and in transforming the Armed Forces. CompanyCommander.com is helping the Army become a more flexible institution that can share information easily, in and out of the field and across borders, without the bureaucracy slowing it down. Perhaps most remarkable of all, the blog was conceived and developed in an institution that is famously rigid, hierarchical, and not open to sharing information.

Company Commander.com is the most dynamic blog the Army is using today, according to Tribus:
- CompanyCommander.com is an ongoing electronic discussion forum in which company commanders share information, enhance the way they learn, transmit experiences, identify the learning curve. It is an Integrated Learning Model.
- The site enhances the speed at which knowledge is transmitted. Commanders now have a medium for disseminating knowledge without having to go through a 12-month chain of command process.
- The forum is self-policing. If someone posts unsound advice or inaccurate information, other people correct it.

CompanyCommander.com has taken off in a new security and institutional environment:

Continue reading "How Blogging is Transforming the Defense Department"

Posted by Scott Karp at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)

The Importance of Networking

The session on networking explored interactions between political appointees and career civil servants, the role of the office of the inspector general in this environment, and the rise of informal versus formal networks. Panelists Phyllis Fong of the Department of Agriculture, Joseph Ferrara of Georgetown University, and Barry White of the Council for Excellence in Government generally agreed that networking is a key tool that political appointees (PAs), career civil servants (CSSs) and Inspector Generals (IGs) must use to resolve difficult issues and complete missions.

The panel kicked off with some general rules of Washington networks:

-All administrations change, and nothing is permanent. That extends to political control, and Republican and Democratic preeminence is always time-limited, even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time.
-Everyone comes back to Washington—and the next time they’ll be a bit more experienced than last time. For example, in 1992 the new Clinton team was the Carter team with more grey hair.
-Networking has always been extremely important. Everyone is so focused on their respective jobs that there is a real need to be able to branch out to other “specialists” in the government to get a very important job done. This reality becomes more pronounced the farther up in the ranks you go.

A key element of networking in the federal government is the interactions between political appointees (PA) and Career Civil Servants (CCS):

Continue reading "The Importance of Networking"

Posted by Scott Karp at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)

Daniel Pink on the Right Brain Imperative

Noted author and former chief speechwriter to Al Gore Daniel Pink’s keynote address examined three economic factors changing the workforce and how government professionals can take advantage of their skills to achieve success in this rapidly shifting environment.

Pink used the human brain as a metaphor for his central argument that today’s economy puts a premium on different skills and abilities than yesterday’s economy:

Yesterday = Left side of the brain
Today and Tomorrow = Right side of the brain

Abilities that are characteristic of left side of the brain—logic and analysis, spreadsheet and SAT talents, remain absolutely necessary for today’s workers. But those skills are no longer sufficient. All of us in the workplace now need skills associated with the right side of the brain—artistry, empathy, and big-picture thinking.

Pink cited three trends as support for his thesis (which all happen to start with the letter “A”):

Continue reading "Daniel Pink on the Right Brain Imperative"

Posted by Scott Karp at 07:58 PM | Comments (1)

Larry Wilkerson on Balancing the Power of Human Capital

Larry Wilkerson gave a spirited presentation on leadership and management in the session on "Balancing the Power of Human Capital.” Wilkerson, an Army Colonel who served as Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff at the State Department, focused on the challenges faced by career government professionals under the regimes of political appointees, the trials and tribulations at the State Department.

Wilkerson, who is now Visiting Professor of Government at William & Mary, had this to say about the contributions of government professionals:

- In the history books, you will find that the politicos accomplish really very little. And the accomplishments are made by you, the government bureaucrats, who build teams. In essence, you are keeping the country running while the politicos are doing other things.

The centerpiece of Wilkerson’s argument was that there are two main models for agency leadership styles and for assuming the leadership post (for a principal, i.e. Secretary):

- The Baker model, named for former Secretary of State Jim Baker, in which the principal comes in and pays scant attention to the professionals (in the State example, foreign service officers, civil service officers, etc.), while bringing in a coterie of political appointees. In the Baker model the “building” is ignored, and it runs on autopilot for as long as the political appointee is around.

- The Powell model (also pioneered by former Secretary of State George Shultz): In this model, the Principal has examined the department well in advance of the assumption of duties. He/she decides that they are going to be the CEO of the agency, not only the President’s principal foreign policy advisor.

Continue reading "Larry Wilkerson on Balancing the Power of Human Capital"

Posted by Scott Karp at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)

Leading a Multi-Sector Workforce: Challenges, Competence and Conversation

At the Knowledge Café, Hannah Sistare, a vice president at the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and Barbara Smith, principal at the Council for Excellence in Government, convened a group to discuss the multi-sector workforce. The knowledge café offered a new format for Excellence in Government --
rather than a panel discussion, we were seated at tables of 4-10 people, and we rotated around the room twice.

Barbara encouraged us to write or doodle ideas, questions, etc on the table before us, which was covered with paper.

At each table we were given a question to discuss. Here’s one of the questions from the session: “As a government leader of a project, organization, or team, what major challenges do you face or anticipate as a leader of a multi-sector workforce?

Here’s another: “Leaders, by the nature of their role and positions, are responsible for getting results through people. What important talents, skills, attitudes and knowledge do we keep to make us effective in leading a multi-sector workforce?”

There was a great deal of talk about the relationship between contractors and career government professionals, as well as between military and civilian personnel. Different work rules, security clearances, pay and benefits.

Continue reading "Leading a Multi-Sector Workforce: Challenges, Competence and Conversation"

Posted by Scott Karp at 06:20 PM | Comments (1)

The Realities of Military Personnel Transformation

A distinguished panel of military leaders engaged in a frank discussion of the challenges that the military faces with personnel transformation: Lt. Gen. John Bradley, Chief, Air Force Reserve, U.S. Air Force; Dr. David Chu, Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), U.S. Department of Defense; Vice Adm. John Harvey, Chief of Naval Personnel, U.S. Navy; Dan Denning, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Training, Readiness and Mobilization.

Admiral Harvey gave a striking example of the challenge at hand, comparing naval platforms of the past, present, and future:

Qunicy CA-71
Commissioned: Dec 1943
Crew: 1142
Sensor Range: 60 miles
Weapon Range: 18 miles
Battlespace Awareness: 60 miles

- Small cadre of highly skilled crewmembers
- Much of crew was effectively cannon fodder
- 1000 young white men – all others were limited to cooking and cleaning

Cape St Geogere (CG71)
Commissioned: June 1993
Crew: 380
Sensor Range: 256 miles
Weapon Range: 800 miles
Battlespace Awareness: Theater wide

- Much more highly trained crew, but still possible to operate fully without 10%
- Reflects diversity of nation, but still heavily white and male

CG (X) 71
Commissioned: In development
Crew: 150
Sensor Range: 500+ miles
Weapons Range: 1000+ miles
Battlespace Awareness: Global GIG

- Dramatic increase in capabilities requires dramatic increase in crew capabilities, and every crewmember is absolutely essential.

Here are some other key comments from the panel:

Continue reading "The Realities of Military Personnel Transformation"

Posted by Scott Karp at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)

Get Ready for Retirement

The estimable Tammy Flanagan of the National Institute for Transition Planning weighed in this morning with a lively, informative session on the subject of “Retirement: Are You Ready?” Tammy, regular readers of GovExec.com will know, writes our weekly Retirement Planning column. She and Raymond Kirk of the Office of Personnel Management addressed a standing-room only crowd of folks who clearly had the title of the session’s overall track—Life After Government—on their minds.

Kirk noted that there are now four recognized career stages: school/training; job; a high-activity life after retiring from a primary career; and full retirement. OPM surveys show that 60 percent of state, federal and local government employees work after initial retirement, he said.

Under orders from Congress to improve retirement financial literacy, OPM is pushing a three-part model involving wealth planning, networking and social engagement (that is, what you’re going to do with your life after retirement), and overall health. Kirk handed out print copies of OPM’s Retirement Readiness Questionnaire, which he said would be available in online form starting late this fall.

Tammy focused on three tips in her segment:

Continue reading "Get Ready for Retirement"

Posted by Tom Shoop at 01:39 PM | Comments (7)

Deepwater Takes on Performance-Based Contracting and Public/Private Partnership

Rear Adm. Gary Blore, Executive Office of the Deepwater Program, U.S. Coast Guard, Leo Mackay, President of Integrated Coast Guard Systems and James Edwin Kee, Professor at the GW School of Public Policy and Public Administration took a hard look at the challenges of performance-based contracting and public private partnership in the Coast Guard's Deepwater program.

A big challenge in the public/private partnership between the Coast Guard and ICGS is shifting responsibility for systems integration to industry while the Coast Guard remains the keeper of deep "Concept of Operations" knowledge. Industry needs to tap into the Coast Guard understanding of its operational imperatives in order to design systems that meet those objectives.

A pitfall of performance-based contracting that grows out of this new mode of acquisition occurs when the government specifies a requirement, and the government knows what it means, but the industry partner isn't quite speaking the same language. For example, when the Coast Guard says it needs a cutter that can operate in 12-foot seas, it means that it needs a cutter than can perform all mission critical operations in 12-foots seas, not just operate under limited capabilities until it reaches 10-foot seas.

Continue reading "Deepwater Takes on Performance-Based Contracting and Public/Private Partnership"

Posted by Scott Karp at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)

Admiral Thad Allen on the Tyranny of the Present

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad W. Allen gave a stirring breakfast keynote on what he termed "The Tyranny the of Present" -- all of the decisions that we make in the pressure of the moment that have serious, long-term consequences. Admiral Allen said that government needs to operate with "strategic intent," where short-term decisions are evaluated for the long term consequences. As he pointed out, the absence of a deliberate strategy is still a de facto strategy.

Here are some additional highlights from Admiral Allen's keynote:

Continue reading "Admiral Thad Allen on the Tyranny of the Present"

Posted by Scott Karp at 01:09 PM | Comments (0)

"Live Blogging" Excellence in Government 2006

Not able to attend EIG this year? Don't want to miss out on the learning from sessions you weren't able to see? Wish you had been able to catch one of the keynote speeches?

Not to worry -- EIG Blog is live and on the scene.

Government Executive will be "live blogging" the Excellence in Government conference, bringing you highlights and insights from EIG track sessions.

And we want to hear from you -- each of the blog entries welcomes your thoughts and comments on the big issues being discussed at EIG.

Check in with EIG Blog throughout the day on Monday, July 10 and Tuesday, July 11 to find out what's happening at Excellence in Government and sharing in the learning.

After the conference, EIG Blog will stand as a permanent record of insights from Excellence in Government 2006.

See you at EIG!

Posted by Scott Karp at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)