VIEWPOINTS

Spring 2008 — Volume 37, Number 1

The Manager’s Musings

Warren Master

Synaptic Bureaucracy

In his 2002 book, Synaptic Self, Joseph LeDoux explains how unlike other cells in the human organism, neurons—the cellular tissue of the brain—have nerve endings that communicate instantaneously with other brain cells to achieve a common, integrative outcome. Wow! Can you imagine how much more responsive and successful public bureaucracies would be if they had synapse-like mechanisms that could send and receive messages in such a dynamic and egalitarian way?

It occurs to me that many of the “core values” that appear on most of today’s government agency Web sites (transparency, inclusiveness, agility, citizen-centeredness, etc.) would be much better served by this kind of machinery than by the cumbersome, secretive, stovepiped, and hierarchical arrangements most commonly identified with old-line public-sector bureaucracies. In fact, LeDoux offers a compliment to mammals—and Homo sapiens in particular—in comparing humankind to the more nonsynaptic vertebrates that preceded us. That would be—uh—dinosaurs and the like.

Wired Communication

Focusing on more effective ways for government to communicate, our feature article, by Frank DiGiammarino and Lena Trudeau of the National Academy of Public Administration, identifies many new opportunities presented by virtual networks. Such an approach, enabled by advances in Web 2.0, offers new tools to collect data, increase the availability of information, and connect with more diverse stakeholders to innovate and drive change. This is followed by an article by Carroll Thomas on an unusual partnership of government agencies and private businesses that communicate and collaborate to achieve mutually advantageous results. As strange as it may sound, the Interagency Network of Enterprise Assistance Providers is a network of federal (and some private and nonprofit) organizations, whose primary mission is to assist small businesses. Next, Earl Mathers, county administrator in Gallatin County, Montana, edifies us on how citizen engagement in the shadow of Yellowstone National Park involves talking about growth without bringing the decision-making process to a standstill. And Jerry Brito closes the loop in his piece on improving government transparency online. That is, spelling out what government must do to be more transparent by making data available electronically and more easily accessible.

Other Recommendations

In Part II of a two-part forum begun in the winter 2007–08 issue, Alan Balutis continues his exploration of the next President’s Management Agenda—with a special emphasis on how to go about implementing many of the changes suggested earlier. Articles include discussions on human resources and technology as well as acquisition and a focus on execution. Steve Benowitz gets us started by reflecting on government’s human capital—its most critical asset. Next up is Tom Hughes, who speculates on public organizations’ courage to change when challenged, including providing inexpensive high-speed broadband to the public to improve customer service. Then, Shirl Nelson lays out her thoughts on key challenges in acquisition, addressing the causes of recent acquisition failures. Allan Burman follows with his related article, which probes into the workability of our current conception of inherently governmental functions. And with respect to execution—what to keep and what to discard—Robert Tobias adds his views on how changing from outputs to outcomes and evaluating individuals and organizations on results will require significant cultural change and the leadership to drive it; Stephen O’Keeffe puts his oar in on shifting federal telework into drive. Moreover, Robert O’Neill Jr. and Elizabeth Kellar provide a hefty dose of what can be done to significantly increase intergovernmental collaboration—and with what effects; Mark Abramson and Alan Balutis close with their article on the challenge of managing across boundaries.

More Updates

On the human capital front, Bill Trahant brings us up to date on how federal agencies are recruiting and engaging employees, and Stan Kaczmarczyk gives us some insight into how telework is breaking new ground in this area as well. Also, after hearing a lot about post-Katrina fixes (and the lack thereof) over the past two issues, Rick Sylves adds his take on the nexus between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Katrina, and operations research. Next, with an eye toward the younger set of procurement officials, Daniel Hall provides an insider’s guide on contracting for food and refreshments. And finally, Grimaldi lightens the message board with his piece on this year’s national elections—Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!