Transforming Government Like Disney?

Should the federal government be more like Disney when delivering its customer service experiences? Greg Godbout, the chief technology officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, suggests as much when he keynoted an AFCEA roundtable in Bethesda a couple weeks ago.  According to Federal Times, he told the audience how Walt Disney World delivers a seamlessRead… Read more »

Can LinkedIn Groups be Saved?

Almost six years ago, practically on a whim, I created a LinkedIn group. My vaguely-defined goal was to create a community of people who shared my interest in the applications and implications of social technologies in organizations. Throughout the remainder of 2009, in addition to growing my own group, I was also an active participantRead… Read more »

5 Actions to Rise Above the Typical Government Worker Stereotype

A quick search in Google images for ‘government worker jokes’ sheds light on an unfortunate reality. The general stereotype is that government policies promote workers that produce mediocre work and workers; they work 9-5 and not a second more, they do their job and not an iota outside their job description, and they are contentRead… Read more »

Stopping the Mega Problem of Micromanaging

This post is a follow-up to an unanswered question from GovLoop’s recent training, Critical Conversations. Want more topics and information like this? Make sure to register for our upcoming training summit in July, the Next Generation of Government Training Summit. Read the following statements and decide if you agree or disagree with each: Most of my time isRead… Read more »

Is Your Website Security at Risk?

OmniStudio is often asked if WordPress sites are more vulnerable to security breaches than other content management platforms. With all websites, even those run by Fortune 500 companies, the threat of hacking is ever present, regardless of the platform it’s built within. Professional website design and development firms who use open source platforms, like WordPress orRead… Read more »

Cereal, Soda, Cigarettes and the Annual Federal Performance Review – Hope for Humanity!

If we can get smarter about what we devour, we should be able to do the same with the disdained annual performance review. Thankfully, we are. Perhaps nothing in the HR field is under as much attack these days as the annual performance review, an event typically loathed equally by both employee and manager. As… Read more »

For Love or Money?

The other day, while I was thinking about what to write for this week’s post, I got to thinking about the rise of reality television. I was pretty young when it started…but it has become a pretty big part of popular culture. One of the more peculiar reality shows I remember was one that wasRead… Read more »

How To Find Your Priorities (and Stop Working Overtime)

The hour hand is creeping towards 5pm, but your to-do list is only a little over halfway done. The day’s been one never-ending chaos train as emails, impromptu meetings, and emergency tasks are thrown at you. Some of it can wait until tomorrow, but there’s still that one – let’s face it, two – major tasksRead… Read more »

“Bureaucracy” – Iron Cage to Social Network

I hate word “bureaucracy” because it degrades public sector workers at all levels. For many reasons, countless pejorative metaphors, theories, and political actions about public sector workers have decorated the iron cage. Public sector staff can weave webs supporting real collaboration, see contacts outside the hierarchy and rules; they seek out connections with people who… Read more »