Announcing the Accela App Challenge

At Accela, we’re committed to finding ways to leverage the talents and ideas of civic entrepreneurs and open data hackers to benefit the governments we serve. That’s why we’re excited to announce the Accela App Challenge. The App Challenge offers a total of $25,000 in cash prizes to developers that build a new civic appRead… Read more »

Don’t run your R&D Program in a Vacuum: Establishing a stakeholder input process

[This is the 3rd blog in the series on ‘Exploring Government R&D Program Fundamentals’. Visit Blog 1: Keys to a Successful R&D Program and Blog 2: Setting R&D Program Goals & Principles] Want to know a sure-fire way of shooting your R&D program in the proverbial foot? Fail to engage stakeholders creatively and consistently. It’sRead… Read more »

5 Tips for Reducing Employee Job Insecurity

There’s a school of thought that contends when workers feel they have job security, they can become complacent and less productive. On the other hand, with an ax hanging over their heads, workers start to stress, act cautiously, make mistakes, or become resentful of superiors or motivated to leave your employ. In some cases, jobRead… Read more »

Taking a Good Look: Workplace Environment and Women’s Empowerment

Our Office of Performance Management under City of Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) City Manager Troy Schulte has managed an employee surveys over several years to identify where there are opportunities for internal service improvement. In an analysis of the responses to the open-ended questions, however, they have identified a few common issues that do notRead… Read more »

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It): TransparencyCamp Event

It’s almost summertime, and that means families around the country are preparing for one of the season’s greatest offerings: summer camp. While kids gallivant around, play games or go fishing, there’s much more to camp than meets the eye. One of the greatest benefits of camp I’ve experienced is community. Summer camp brings together kidsRead… Read more »

Want Good Content Strategy? Get Out of the Office

“High-quality web content that’s useful, usable, and enjoyable is one of the greatest competitive advantages you can create for yourself online.” ― Kristina Halvorson, Content Strategy for the Web Government agencies rely on websites and other online tools with the view of informing, educating and engaging citizens. But how do we know if we’re actuallyRead… Read more »

Open Government and Data: Beyond Our Nation’s Borders

Governments around the world are utilizing big data analytics more and more. While data can make governments run more efficiently and aid policy decisions, it also raises many concerns. Citizens and civil society groups advocate for openness, making data available and accessible to all. In line with these calls to action, President Obama made aRead… Read more »

Spotting Top Talent

A veteran corporate executive search recruiter says experience and competencies aren’t as important as “potential” when hiring or promoting people to the top job. How would this approach play when picking leaders to head government agencies? Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a veteran corporate executive search recruiter, shares his approach for talent spotting for senior executives in anRead… Read more »

Leaders as Architects: Integrative Thinking Part Two

In part one of this two-part blog series, I described integrative thinking as simultaneously embracing two differing views or ideas, and considering multiple options while solving a seemingly “either/or” dilemma. This key leadership skill allows teams to break conventional “We have always done it this way” or “Let’s just go with the easy answer,” thoughtRead… Read more »

Before We Turn to Big Data, Have We Made the Most of Small Data?

It seems like everywhere we look, we see big data calling our name. The profession of “data scientist” has been deemed the next hot job. Big data promises to solve all kinds of problems, from business logistics to tracking and treating diseases. These promises seem to have cropped up almost overnight. Think back to fiveRead… Read more »