The People to People program was founded during the Cold War with the philosophy that the best way to promote peace was to engender personal connections between individuals from different countries. Today, Google is using the same philosophy to end human rights abuse. Instead of personal connections between citizens, Google is uniting people in differentRead… Read more »
Recently, I shared a story about public and private sector partnerships that are delivering innovation and service. Unfortunately, the media tends to focus on the problems that can occur with public-private partnerships, instead of the incredible potential. With that in mind, I came across this story on National Public Radio about a struggling D.C.-based charitableRead… Read more »
On one of my favorite shows, Mad Men, the executives of a 1960s advertising firm spend hours trying to get into the mind of their clients’ customers to come up with the perfect pitch. Just imagine what Don, Peggy, and Megan could have done with big data. Of course, data alone is not enough forRead… Read more »
One of my history professors in college used to always say “Do not condescend to the people of the past.” This is a hard rule to follow, especially when learning about how our ancestors perceived technological changes. It is difficult to take seriously historical fears that the advent of the telephone would tear apart theRead… Read more »
After owning my laptop for 5 years, strange things started happening. My nightly ritual of watching The Daily Show on Hulu ended when flash player stopped working. As new technology grew incompatible with my 5-year-old operating system, every item I had downloaded stopped working. The solution was clear, it was time to buy a newRead… Read more »
“It is no longer a question of if to do the cloud. The decision has been made. Now it’s a question of how to use cloud effectively.” – Kevin Jackson, Vice President and General Manager, NJVC In the past 10 years, we have seen government agencies transformed by previously unimaginable technologies, such as mobile, GIS,Read… Read more »
“Data analytics should be a core competency taught to all college students.” –Adrian Gardner, Chief Information Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency Only 15% of government agencies rely on analytics to meet agency goals, even though nearly 85% of agencies acknowledge analytics can bring increased efficiency and productivity to their agencies, according to GovLoop’s most recentRead… Read more »
As GovLoop has reported, customer service is essential to the agency of the future. Fortunately, advances in technology are allowing agencies to excel in delivering customer service. For example, social media allows customers to engage directly with organizations while analytics allows companies to learn how to serve their clients. In public and private agencies realRead… Read more »
Moving from paper-based systems to digital solutions can improve productivity, increase efficiency of employees and reduce waste and error. Despite these benefits, a shift to digital done incorrectly can have detrimental impacts on the environment. Elements of virtualization such as data centers, processors, and globalized supply chain transportation systems can create a large carbon footprintRead… Read more »
This blog post is the first in a series adapted from the resources of Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Better Business Writing. As I make my way through this guide, I will post the tips and suggestions I find the most helpful. If you have tips of your own to add, I welcome your additionsRead… Read more »