In this busy holiday season many are looking to simplify their lives and give more meaningful gifts. With many of us pitching in to buy retirement gifts for our fellow govies who are taking early out offers and the continued salary freeze for government salaries, our gift-giving budgets are tight. So if you are lookingRead… Read more »
Abstract:The inverse relationship between time on the job and level of satisfaction is driven by the context of organizational decision making. Although Happiness is an inside job to be sure, there are things that can be done to improve organizational bonding and effectiveness. The importance and methods are known. 1) Recognize that the workplace isRead… Read more »
The following is the original version of a shorter post originally published on GPO’s Government BookTalk blog on October 11, 2011. On October 5, 2011, we lost one of America’s great geniuses of innovation, Apple’s founder and CEO, Steve Jobs. From the beginning, Steve Jobs seemed to “Think Different” than everyone else, which made Apple’sRead… Read more »
Statistically, there’s (almost) certainly a correlation between chandeliers and successful diplomacy. I might not be able to prove it, but over the years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has conducted its high-level business in high-ceilinged rooms, chandeliers all a-glitter above the men in suits. So the upcoming London Conference on Cyberspace is a very differentRead… Read more »
Office space isn’t what it used to be – many offices and most government agencies are tearing down the walls – literally – and placing workers in increasingly small, and less private, cube space. Is this the trend in your office? Do smaller offices make it easier to collaborate, or just make you more annoyedRead… Read more »
Occasionally, I’m asked to do presentations and discuss what the Foreign Office does, digitally speaking. The fact I never get asked twice by the same people is something I prefer to gloss over. What I try and get across in these explanations of strategy is that if we’re trying to communicate, we have to takeRead… Read more »
The Foreign Officehas been around for a long time, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Organisations that have survived for over 200 years (and there aren’t many of them) tend to create their own culture and language. In our case, those linguistic habits seem, to me at any rate, to be mostly initials and acronyms. I’veRead… Read more »
It’s not often that Joey Barton crops up in international diplomacy. For those who don’t know him, he’s a premiership footballer, currently with Newcastle United (though not for much longer). Talented, but bogged down with ‘anger management issues’, he’s in dispute with his employers for tweeting about internal issues. Transfer-listed and made to train onRead… Read more »
The use of dashboards in the federal government took off when President Obama released his Open Government initiative in early 2009. Here’s a snapshot of where they are today, and some lessons learned from the pioneers. Vivek Kundra is leaving the federal government after having served as its first chief information officer. Probably one ofRead… Read more »
When office politics and political savvy are mentioned, many think of selfish, deceitful, deceptive, sneaky, conniving individuals who are doing things like: — Snitching to management— Lying or covering the truth— Playing dishonest games, i.e. taking undue credit for others’ work — Discounting another’s opinion or idea— Back stabbing Yes, it is true, there areRead… Read more »