Definitions of innovation abound. And while we all live with variety and even ambiguity, it helps when people trying to innovate are on the same page about what it means. Dictionary.com defines innovation as “something new or different introduced.” Peter Drucker described it as the effort to create purposeful, systematic change in an enterprise’s economicRead… Read more »
Think about the computing power within your pocket: you can find the closest jumbo slice, order an Uber ride home and…track and target diseases? That’s right. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – the same technology that powers maps on your smartphone – can be used to help medical providers map the spread of diseases like EbolaRead… Read more »
I don’t drink coffee, but I take my coffee breaks seriously. Coffee fueled an important span of breakthroughs in human thought, according to Steven Johnson in a popular TED talk. Johnson posits that English coffeehouses provided the necessary space and stimulant to drive a sustained era of innovations that began in the mid 17th centuryRead… Read more »
How many hours per day to you spend dealing with paper? One hour? Two hours? For many in state and local government, it can actually be upwards of six hours a day! That’s too much time dedicated to printing, filing and searching for information when you could be doing more important, mission-critical tasks. Fortunately, emerging technologyRead… Read more »
A new report, “A Guide for Making Innovation Offices Work,” details the models, methods, and metrics of how government agencies are incorporating innovation into their bureaucracies. Innovation offices are being established by many governments—including cities (Austin, Philadelphia, Chicago), states (Maryland, Colorado, and Pennsylvania), and federal agencies (NARA, HHS, State Department). But not all offices areRead… Read more »
Innovation means doing something different to get a better result, to produce more value for a customer. Innovation solves problems that have eluded solutions. It can unleash commitment and change organizational cultures. So if innovation is all that, why not innovate? Government innovates every day. Legislation starts with a problem and ends with a solution. Then agenciesRead… Read more »
Hey there. I’m Christopher Dorobek — the DorobekINSIDER — and welcome GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER… where we focus on six words: Helping government do its job better. On GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER: Living in a Mobile World – lessons learned from ACT-IAC’s mobile apps fair: Some of the big takeaways from the app fair, emphasizing how government organizations areRead… Read more »
The average four-year-old girl asks 390 questions per day, mostly to her mother. Yep, you read that right. Three hundred ninety. Sorry, Mom. Warren Berger, our keynote speaker at GovLoop’s State and Local Innovators Virtual Summit and author of A More Beautiful Question, said this number isn’t all that surprising. At that young age, childrenRead… Read more »
Halloween is right around the corner and this is the time of year many of you will be working hard to complete your IDP for FY15. But this is also an opportunity to take stock of where you are in your career and whether or not you’re gaining the experience, expertise and insight you need.Read… Read more »
Innovation in government only sounds like an oxymoron to people who haven’t kept up with the work of government employees at all levels. The distinct challenge of nurturing innovative ideas in the public sector made my job description so interesting when I applied. Last month, I celebrated two years as a government contractor and communication lead —Read… Read more »