By Year:
Assuming Your Way to Transformation
Connie explains why today's leaders must make assumptions explicit, and turn assumptions "on their head." Doing so, argues Connie, will lead to breakthrough moments.
(June 2007)
Managing for Results in New York City
This month, Connie reviews PSG's recent transformational undertakings within the New York City Department of Finance. Since last fall, the organization has been moving from measurement to management of results.
(May 2007)
Peter Hutchinson is Back
Peter Hutchinson was on leave from The Public Strategies Group for 18 months running for Governor of Minnesota. Now he’s back. While he lost the election, he won the contest to help people imagine and expect better results from their government. Connie interviews Peter to share his story.
(April 2007)
Best Practice Use: The opportunity and threat to the public sector
Connie begins with the question, "How often are we seeing our clients being asked to identify and bring best practices to bear inside their work?" In answering the question, Connie investigates the many pitfalls and promises best practices have to offer.
(March 2007)
Memorable Mentoring: Lead with Strategy - A Story About Babak Armajani
This month, Connie Nelson recalls the memorable mentoring she received from PSG co-founder Babak Armajani. Connie recalls several snippets of coaching advice, such as: Over-prepare - and then throw away the notes, and the ever applicable Lead from Strategy!
(February 2007)
Clarity of Purpose - One Meeting At a Time
Connie offers her perspective on increasing the effectiveness of meetings and reminds us to achieve clarity of purpose.
(January 2007)
Designs for New Orleans
This month’s Connie’s Corner describes a service of love for the city of New Orleans by members of the PSG reinvention network. Prior to Katrina occurring, our company had planned to hold its nationwide network meeting in New Orleans in 2006. When Katrina hit, we debated – for an instant - about moving the conference elsewhere. We decided instead that we needed to hold our conference there more than ever.
(December 2006)
Voices from a Transformational Partnership
My partner Peter Beck agreed to write November's column. He recently participated in a learning event that explored the major learnings from PSG’s unique transformation partnership with the State of Iowa. In this edition, Peter reflects on the successes and shortcomings of our partnership as voiced by our partners in Iowa.
(November 2006)
A Myth-Challenging School in India
This month Connie writes about a school she encountered during a journey to Kolkata India in August 2006. It is a story that epitomizes transformation in action.
(October 2006)
If You Find Yourself in a Hole, Stop Digging
Whenever my Dad heard me complain about something more than once, he would mutter, “If you’re in a hole, stop digging.” I’m often reminded of Dad’s phrase when I think about the ‘outcomes’ we are - or more often aren’t - getting from our public investments.
(September 2006)
Banishing Bureaucracy in Bulgaria
This month, Connie Nelson offers a vignette from Bulgaria which reminds all of us how transformative - and energizing - work can be with a willing team over a challengingly short time frame. Connie reviews PSGer Camille Barnett's trip to Bulgaria working with the Foundation for Local Government Reform, a non-profit organization supported by USAID.
(August 2006)
Why Are We So Damn Good In Emergencies?
While on leave for the summer, Connie Nelson would like to highlight a previous column covering an increasingly relevant topic - learning from emergencies. In this column, originally published in 2001, Connie suggests that organizations can create a "culture of success" by using emergency response attributes in everyday work.
(July 2006 & March 2001)
Who Makes a Good Client?
Being human, we at PSG sometimes talk about our clients. We talk about what we’ve learned from them and about them. We also talk about attributes we look for in clients. I thought you might like to know what we’ve said.
(June 2006)
Wichita “Wins”
This month, Connie Nelson reflects on a recent engagement with Wichita, KS, and a new approach intended to demonstrate benefit early and often – an approach that was named the “Quick Wins” strategy.
(May 2006)
Intra-preneurship
When people hear the term employee rewards, they oftentimes leap to the conclusion that these rewards need to be monetary. Yet motivational research shows that, for most people, intrinsic rewards are the more powerful. This month’s column relates how one of our clients - Ecumen - has very successfully applied this idea.
(April 2006)
Improving Trust using a Management Review? Believe it!
We don’t pause often enough to reflect on the results of our work. This month’s Corner looks at work PSG supported in 2003 and what that work has meant for recovery of a school district after a bitter teacher strike. It contains results two years later, as viewed through the eyes of a member of the Issaquah Public School Board of Directors.
(March 2006)
We're Good - Let's Take On More
In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, the author discusses "the Super Bowl barrier," and tackles the issue of improving upon greatness.
(January, February 2006)
Iowans Innovate - Using Zoom for Change
Connie highlights the Zoom for Change process examination approach that helped the State of Iowa reinvent key service systems in this month's installment of Connie's Corner.
(December 2005)
Iowans Innovate --- Using Kaizen
Government innovators in Iowa are using a unique approach to fostering change to improve their regulatory processes. Read about the "kaizen" process in this month's Connie's Corner.
(November 2005)
Katrina's Lesson: Recreation Leading Re-Creation
Louisiana's results-based approach to rebuild its tourism and cultural industries in the wake of Hurricane Katrina are highlighted in this month's installment of Connie's Corner.
(October 2005)
Can Do!
In an article that originally appeared in July of 2001, Connie calls on reinventors to adopt a "take charge" attitude to get their efforts moving forward.
(September 2005)
Fostering Curiosity
PSG partner Connie Nelson examines the importance of promoting curiosity as a means of empowering organizations to change in this month's installment of Connie's Corner.
Are We Seeing a Transformation in Legislative Bodies?
In the July installment of Connie's Corner, PSGer Connie Nelson senses a budget transformation in legislatures across the country as the Budgeting for Outcomes approach takes hold.
(July 2005)
Vitality = Form and Spirit Alignment
In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, Connie Nelson finds inspiration for renewal in a book by fellow PSG partners Mary and Chuck Lofy that aims to help leaders tap into to their organization's Vitality.
(June 2005)
"Driving" the Dashboard Home
PSG partner Connie Nelson examines the benefits of using performance "dashboards" to keep track of key indicators in May's installment of Connie's Corner.
(May 2005)
"Tool Time" for Teams
Connie discusses the ways in which PSG's "Team Toolkit" helps organizations develop and support work teams in April's installment of Connie's Corner.
(April 2005)
Getting There: Cause-and-Effect Insights on Mobility
In the March installment of Connie's Corner, PSG Partner Connie Nelson explores the mapping approaches used by a city, a county and a state to tease out the real cause and effect relationships affecting mobility in their jurisdictions.
(March 2005)
Unchallenged Assumptions = The "Ties" that Bind
In February's installment of Connie's Corner, Connie Nelson challenges public administrators to identify and question the assumptions that keep their organizations bound by "the way we do things around here."
(February 2005)
A New Year's Challenge to Step Up and Change the Course of History
PSG Partner Bev Stein issues a challenge to public servants to change their approach to priority setting in this month's installment of Connie's Corner.
(January 2005)
Making Internal Services Work for You or
Is it possible to love your print shop?
In this month's article, Connie takes a look at reinventing internal services based on the work done by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services in cooperation Iowa Reinvention Partnership.
(December 2004)
"Gotcha" Doesn't "Getcha" Accountability! What Does?
Accountability has become a watchword with policymakers and citizens as government attempts to improve its performance in today's resource-strapped environment. In this month's edition of Connie's Corner, PSGer Connie Nelson describes process used by Multnomah County, Oregon, to reinvent the way it holds itself accountable for its operations.
(November 2004)
Celebrating Iowa's Charter Agencies
In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, PSGer Connie Nelson celebrates the way Iowa's Charter Agencies have used their freedom to provide better, more efficient services to the state's citizens.
(October 2004)
Time Out!
In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, Guest Columnist Laurie Ohmann reflects on lessons learned in her reinvention experiences as she sifts through the keychains, slinkys and dustbunnies on her desk.
(August 2004)
The Boomers Are Still Coming!
As the Baby Boomers age this enormous demographic group will increasingly stress the public sector's ability to provide services. In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, PSG Partner Connie Nelson renews her call to begin taking this important group into account as governments make their plans for the future.
(July 2004)
From Door Bell to School Bell - The County's Contribution to Education
In this installment of Connie's Corner , PSGer Connie Nelson applauds the efforts of government innovators to go beyond their traditional areas of interest in the budgeting proces. County governments in particular have been improving services by thinking more broadly about how they influence the lives of their citizens.
(June 2004)
Changing the Deal on Economic Development
PSG recently worked with a coalition of non-profits in the Midwestern state to analyze research into creating livable wage jobs in smaller metropolitan areas. In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, Connie Nelson shares some of the results of this work.
(May 2004)
Azusa's Citizen Budget
In this month's article, Connie highlights a municipality using the ideas contained in Budgeting for Outcomes to identify results that citizens value most.
(April 2004)
Freedom Communities
A recent initiative in Iowa seeks to spur innovation by providing local governments with freedom from state mandates in exchange for commitments to improve specific results. Connie provides an update on this "Freedom Communities" movement in this month's installment of Connie's Corner.
(March 2004)
Don't Do Performance Audits. Find Out What Works!
In this month's installment of Connie's Corner, Connie discusses how viewing performance audits in a different way can help identify savings and increase efficiency.
(February 2004)
Out with the Old - In with the New
Connie welcomes the new year by discussing the reinvention effort of Iowa's Department of Human Services, where the old adage "out with the old, in with the new" is being applied to child protection and juvenile justice services.
(January 2004)
'Tis the Season for Sharing - Services, That Is
Sharing services among governments is a great way to increase efficiency in providing services to citizens. In this month's column, Connie describes a method developed by some of her PSG partners to identify and assess opportunities for collaboration between and among governments.
(December 2003)
Electrifying Haikus
The haiku has been used for years by Buddhist monks to crystallize the lessons of the day. In this month's installment, Connie discusses the way in which her PSG partners used haikus to "electrify" a large provincial agency in Canada.
(November 2003)
What on Earth Are Boards Here For?
Connie's Corner for October focuses on "Governing with Purpose."
(October 2003)
Competing Successfully: The Federal A-76 Process Retooled
Guest columnist Anne Spray Kinney describes the recent revisions to the federal competitive sourcing guidelines in this month's column. The new guidelines are an ally in earning and maintaining public confidence by encouraging efficiency through competition among public sector bodies and with the private sector.
(September 2003)
Advice From the Trenches: A View From Inside the POG
Instead of writing about cool ideas inside client engagements, this month Connie brings you reflections directly from a client.
(July-August 2003)
Those Aha Moments
Finding the "aha" moments during a redesign process is the key to innovative reinvention. Connie discusses some examples of such creative leaps in some PSG projects.
(June 2003)
Making Accounting Count
Connie Nelson wants to know if your accounting system knows your organization's strategy!
(May 2003)
Results Mapping - Keeping the End in Sight
Connie gives an example from Washington state in which using images to represent causal factors (results mapping) helped build understanding and encourage change.
(April 2003)
Politics of Reform
An exploration of ways to engage citizens as reformers as a way to supplement traditional methods of political engagement. Connie draws on recent PSG efforts for examples.
(March 2003)
Opportunity Comes Knocking
Looking at existing services from a different vantage point can cause previously unseen opportunities to appear.
(January 2003)
Living With Ends - and Within Our Means
In these tight fiscal times, governments will be called upon to find ways to maintain services with less money. Connie uses a recent PSG example of helping a client find a new way to look at their budgets by examining them from a result-based perspective.
(December 2002)
Feedback - The Breakfast of Champions
Feedback provides the grist on which an organization or individual can choose to take self-corrective action.
(November 2002)
Situational Compliance - What's That?
Rather than treating compliers with a “one size fits all” approach, some compliance functions are working to treat their compliers differently - depending on their situation.
(October 2002)
Best Bang for our Bucks
Partner Anna Schmalzbauer discusses how PSG works with governments to transform the way they do business - including procurement - by challenging the basic ‘rules' that underlie activities.
(September 2002)
The Titanic's Deck Chairs
Connie looks at the use alternate transformation tools to reorganize your organization.
(August 2002)
Face Your Competition - and Win
Explore your competition and fearlessly face it in order to bring your customer improved services.
(June 2002)
E-Government - From In-Line to On-Line
The challenge for government to become e-government is to increase services provided on-line. Connie offers serveral cool ideas to learn from and expand.
(May 2002)
Courage - Facing Fear and Acting for a Purpose
Courage is choosing to face fear and to act for a purpose. It is not considered a feeling; it is considered an action. More precisely, courage is taking action when scared to death because of a belief in some greater good.
(April 2002)
Time as the New Bottom Line
As leaders, we're all used to thinking about these four kinds of resources - money, people, information, and physical infrastructure. Connie proposes adding “time” as a fifth resource whose bottom line must be managed and leveraged for transformational change.
(March 2002)
Achieving Compliance When You Can't Compel It
Organizations charged with compliance can decrease their reliance on direct enforcement tools, such as fines, penalties, or licensure removal. Connie gives an example of success in compliance leadership from a PSG client.
(February 2002)
It's Your Future - Be There
Visualize your organization five years in the future. Use concrete images and ideas to create a future you would like to be part of.
(January 2002)
Big Ideas and Shrinking Budgets
Connie's advice on preserving "Big Ideas" during tight economic times.
(December 2001)
Trustworthy Government
Trust in government is currently at a 30 year high. In this article Connie asks "will it last and is it deserved?"
(November 2001)
Charter for Success
Defining success is essential to effectively implementing any reinvention project. In this article, Connie describes a method that can be used to define how and why a project will be considered a success before work effort and resources are expended.
(October 2001)
Our New World
Connie encourages all organizations to take the opportunity to discuss what the events of September 11th meant for each of your employees, for your customers, for your organization, for our government.
(September 2001)
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Help your employees to take on a task for which their prior experience does not adequately prepare them by designing "practice fields" in your workplace.
(September 2001)
Bureaucracy - Out!
Become a part of the larger bureaucracy busting movement by creatively eliminating unnecesary elements of bureacracy in your workplace.
(August 2001)
Can Do!
Take a moment to whine about why you can't do it. Move from that to a can do attitude.
(July 2001)
Graduating from Active Case Status
Rather than "case closure," create a system were Graduation is the intended goal of services.
(June 2001)
Remember the Magic!
Through training and introduction to your culture, large-scale cultural interventions are possible in your organization.
(May 2001)
Making Performance Mean Something
Every public organization must be crystal clear about what constitutes success and frequently measure how it is doing. Something needs to happen as a result of this assessment, whether performance is deemed great, so-so, or lousy.
(April 2001)
Why Are We So Damn Good In Emergencies?
Organizations can create a "culture of success" by using emergency response attributes in everyday work.
(March 2001)
The Boomers Are Coming!
It is more important than ever to position public and community services ahead of the Baby Boomers reaching retirement.
(February 2001)
The Brain Drain
In January 2001, the GAO issued their assessment of the federal government's risk position as it enters the 21st century. GAO warns that a lack of people “dramatically undermines agencies' abilities to efficiently and effectively serve the American people.”
(January 2001) |
