Are Civil Servants Too Old and Selfish for Government 2.0?

Comment

Comment by Gary Berg-Cross on April 24, 2010 at 8:12pm

One follow on to Henry's observation that "in the process we inevitably give in to 'the demands of psychopolitics.' That is, we let all the interpersonal stuff get in the way of real execution."

There is quite a bit of psychologiocal reasons to use social media.Doug Firebaugh discuused 7 of them in "Social Media Marketing-The Psychology of Social Media-The 7 A’s"
http://socialmediablogster.com/?p=284

We may all be subject to them but things like social status and connectedness may influence how much. Senior managers may not need acclaim or achknowledgement as junior staff. They have already been noticed (personality differences aside).

But we all want to be included in things- something that is happening that is bigger than we are. If this is where the action is, we want to be a part. Of course this is a chicken and egg issue since older civil servants may not believe this is where the real action is, but if they did and got engaged it might become the action point for change.
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Comment by Henry Brown on April 12, 2010 at 4:52am

Since this blog posting has taken several turns, one of which is moderating comments thought I would share this article from April 12 New York Times which MIGHT mean that this blog MIGHT give a whole new meaning to "Most Commented blogs"

Comment by Sheryl Grant on April 9, 2010 at 7:57pm

@Harlan I think that would be a good question to ask Stephen Dale who wrote the post about senior civil servants (who were first identified as Gen Xers, btw). Dale shifted the original observation to his own experience in the UK, which may/may not have an older demographic in senior positions than the US.

I took the post to refer to blocking access to social media, and I'm curious what others here think about current metrics for ROI for social media. There are endless analytical tools, but many are cringe-worthy.

Comment by Harlan Wax on April 9, 2010 at 7:08pm

If you want to collect some of the discussions to date, inlcude the ones as to why people think Government employees are lazy and inept, and the one about why are agencies incapable of fielding updated technology comensurate with industry and add this to your discssuon maybe we can make it a trifecta.

Andrew - you try to hide the fact that you do think so as you haven't provided a perspective from the "old fogeys." Let's look at the situation. Many of the organizations have antiquated systems and platforms, the planning, costs, and implementation of upgrades are dramatic. The existing IT communities thering are already challenged in addressing server issues, communciations links, software upgrades, hardware upgrades, maintenance, firewalls, operational continuity, disaster recovery, cyber security, and all the other things that I as a lay person doesn't have any familiarity. Some show me a business case - show me why, what, how, and the ROI. Then I'm certain we can put that right behind ERP, Cloud, etc.

I don't like to toot my own horn, and I think I grasp technology pretty quickly. There's got to be more than just "it's a good idea and let's people interact" to make it a worthwhile investment. While I'm not a 30 something, I'm not retiring any time soon (let me check that PowerBall number --- nope, not this week) so save your back-handed comments about retirees and bureaucrats and provide a real case.

Comment by Shelley McNellis on April 9, 2010 at 4:04pm

@Andrew - The moderation issue links with an interesting conversation in our employee discussion forum about trust in the workplace. My impression of the level of trust in my work environment is heavily influenced by the policies and rules that, perhaps unintentionally, send a message that employees aren't trustworthy. No Facebook at work, because we can't trust you to manage your time...that kind of thing. A moderated forum sends a similar message, I think. We talk a lot about employee engagement, and then we shoot ourselves in the foot by making decisions based on the assumption that our employees are immature and unprofessional.

Or maybe I'm just over-sensitive. :)

Comment by Andrew Krzmarzick on April 9, 2010 at 2:32pm

Hey @Jack!! Awesome to hear from you! I agree - the answer is a resounding NO! The title is meant to be provocative (vs. offensive ;-)...to highlight the reality that it's not about age; it's about attitude. See the full thread for @Bowen's introduction of pants (or lack thereof) into the conversation.

But individuals adapt to their surroundings, right? So the organization and it's leadership do play a major part in changing culture...individuals can try all they want...but it requires some macro-level might in an organization to move things in a new direction, eh?

Comment by John Peppard on April 9, 2010 at 10:53am

The simple answer no. Everyone is interested in good leadership, effective government, good communication, developmental opportunity. The question as posed somewhat offensive. Pants - dress code is not the question. Sharing, learning and being open starts with individuals, not with organizations.

Comment by Amanda Blount on April 9, 2010 at 10:20am

@Andy - If I were your neighbor, I would have a camera ready at all times! :-)

@Barry - See above! LOL :-) And yes, be careful of the ones who survived the 60s, it can get interesting in all generations.

@Henry - ":It's not an X or Y thing; it's a how thing. " - WELL SAID!!!

@Sheryl - great stuff to think about

@ Alex - Good luck in your run for office.

Comment by Alex Steed on April 8, 2010 at 9:47am

I just want to thank everyone involved here. This has been an EXTREMELY helpful conversation to be privy to.

Comment by Sheryl Grant on April 8, 2010 at 9:45am

David Ferriero (AotUS) wrote a blog recently that captures some of our discussion here.

"...optimism agreed to by the experts indicates their belief that the internet will prompt institutional change, but is contrasted with the same experts’ concerns that:

'Government agencies are cumbersome and resistant to change. The pace of progress towards openness and responsiveness will be slower than anyone would hope.'

In my first few months on the job, I’ve seen some resistance to change, but that has been outmatched by what I see as a wellspring of enthusiasm for changes to our agency."

Ferriero goes on to write, "We risk losing our memory as a country if we cannot meet the challenges of electronic records management. The fact is, without good records management, it is impossible for us to learn from the past and plan for the future. This concern is deeply American."

I think this comment could be adapted to anything Gov 2.0, no?

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