Emeritus Fellow, IBM Center for The Business of Government
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Articles by John Kamensky
OMB’s Latest Workplace Guidance Goes Beyond Asking Agencies to Cut Back Telework
The post-pandemic world has arrived and the Office of Management and Budget sees this as the right time to hit the “reset” button on how federal agencies should create and manage their new workplaces. It recently directed agencies to update their work environment plans created during the pandemic that deal with telework and work schedules. But the directive went much further.
OMB’s Latest Workplace Guidance Goes Beyond Asking Agencies to Cut Back Telework
The post-pandemic world has arrived and the Office of Management and Budget sees this as the right time to hit the “reset” button on how federal agencies should create and manage their new workplaces. It recently directed agencies to update their work environment plans created during the pandemic that deal with telework and work schedules. But the directive went much further.
Government Reform Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Changed.
The year 2023 marks several anniversaries in the recent history of large-scale government reform. It is the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act, the 30th anniversary of the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act, and the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Clinton-Gore Reinventing Government initiative.
Agencies Really Are Missing an Opportunity by Downplaying Performance Information
Shelley Metzenbaum’s recent article for Government Executive, “A Missed Opportunity,” highlights a conundrum facing government improvement geeks for nearly three decades. She laments that federal agencies’ quarterly performance updates for their priority goals “deserve more attention.” She says this lack of attention is a “missed opportunity” to engage the allies and advocates for these priority goals, help agencies learn how to improve and inform the public.
Can we fix government so it solves public problems?
What is it about? There is a steady drumbeat of articles highlighting surveys describing a growing public desire for major changes in government. How can it be fixed? A new book by technologist Beth Simone Noveck, Solving Public Problems, is a practical guide to fixing government by creating a cadre of “public problem solvers” inside and outside government.
A Quick Take on the President’s Management Priorities
When President Biden’s fiscal 2023 budget request was released in late March, media headlines focused on agency spending levels and new initiatives proposed. But there is another set of stories surrounding the budget release that tends to get less attention. The administration also released details on its management agenda–how it’s going to deliver on its budget promises.
Can Biden Deliver Better ‘Customer Experience’ for Americans Than His Predecessors?
By John Kamensky, Emeritus Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government The Biden Administration has announced a new “Customer Experience and Service Delivery” initiative, promising some pretty specific and measurable actions, not just high-minded rhetoric. For example, it includes 36 customer experience commitments across 17 federal agencies focused on “the moments that matter most in people’s lives” such as retiring, travelling, and paying for college.
Can Biden Deliver Better ‘Customer Experience’ for Americans Than His Predecessors?
The Biden Administration has announced a new “Customer Experience and Service Delivery” initiative, promising some pretty specific and measurable actions, not just high-minded rhetoric. For example, it includes 36 customer experience commitments across 17 federal agencies focused on “the moments that matter most in people’s lives” such as retiring, travelling, and paying for college.
Restoring Trust in Government One Customer at a Time
Public trust in government—especially the federal government—has plummeted in recent years. This has ominous overtones for democracy, which is founded on trust. No wonder a recent survey of corporate CEOs shows the nation’s top business executives believe restoring public trust needs to be at the top of the national agenda. This steady loss of trust over the years has led to a flurry of efforts in government and in the nonprofit sector to find ways to reverse it. And in some cases, it has worked.
There’s a Better Way to Manage Federal Grants, a New Report Shows
The federal grant system is vast. In fiscal year 2019, agencies spent $765 billion on grants to states, localities, research institutions, non-profits, and others—that’s more than the Pentagon’s annual budget. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, grant spending surged to $921 billion last year.
Lessons From 30 Years of Government Reform Efforts
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How to Address the Question Every Program Manager Should Answer: Does It Work?
In 2017, Congress gave tax breaks for investors in designated Opportunity Zones around the country. The idea was that this would generate substantial private sector investments in more than 8,700 lower-income census tracts. Did it work as intended? This is one of many questions raised by the Housing and Urban Development Department in its most recent research agenda, which is required by law. HUD has pioneered the use of economic- and housing-related research and evaluation agendas since 2013.
It’s ‘Back to the Future’ to Improve Agency Management Practices
Columnist Fareed Zakaria, in a new book on lessons from the pandemic, observes that the endless debates over the size of government faded during the pandemic and “what seems to have mattered the most in this crisis was the quality of government.” But what does “quality government” look like? How can public leaders and employees know—or show—that their organizations are high quality? After all, what is quality? Can it be measured? Why does it matter?
IBM's John Kamensky on Four Recommendations to Advance Sharing of Intergovernmental Data
John Kamensky, a senior fellow with the IBM Center for the Business of Government, wrote in an article published Thursday on Nextgov that agencies should go beyond the Federal Data Strategy by taking into consideration four recommendations to promote intergovernmental data sharing. These recommendations were offered and discussed by Jane Wiseman, Innovations in American Government Fellow at Harvard University's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, in a report for the IBM center.
Looking Beyond the Federal Data Strategy
There were quiet celebrations a year ago as the long-awaited Federal Data Strategy and a 2020 action plan came to fruition. It involved hundreds of dedicated people across the government and the action plan covered 20 specific elements. But the federal data strategy is just a foundation for a potentially broader vision.
Why It’s Time to Get Serious About Intergovernmental Data Sharing
The continuing problems with COVID-19 data illustrate why we need to do a better job. Initiatives by some states and local governments are showing how to make that happen and derive greater value. John M.
Disasters Are Inevitable; Government’s Inadequate Response Is Not
By John Kamensky, Senior Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government Connecting state and local government leaders In 2018, the small, picturesque town of Ellicott City, MD was devastated by a one-in-1,000-year flash flood. This happened just two years after it was similarly devastated by what was also characterized as a one-in-1,000-year flash flood. But this isn’t an anomaly.
Disasters Are Inevitable; Government’s Inadequate Response Is Not
In 2018, the small, picturesque town of Ellicott City, MD was devastated by a one-in-1,000-year flash flood. This happened just two years after it was similarly devastated by what was also characterized as a one-in-1,000-year flash flood. But this isn’t an anomaly. In the case of weather-related natural disasters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that the past decade has been unprecedented in the number of billion-dollar disasters.
The Future of Work Post-Pandemic: We’re Not Going Back
By John Kamensky, Senior Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government Washington Post columnist David Ignatius opined recently that “there’s no question that we’ll be living in a different world post-pandemic.” He writes that more than half of Americans “believe their lives will remain changed in major ways.” Technology will allow people to work and live remotely, Ignatius writes, and they will continue the habits developed over the past seven months.
The Future of Work Post-Pandemic: We’re Not Going Back
By John Kamensky, Senior Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government Connecting state and local government leaders Washington Post columnist David Ignatius opined recently that “there’s no question that we’ll be living in a different world post-pandemic.” He writes that more than half of Americans “believe their lives will remain changed in major ways.” Technology will allow people to work and live remotely, Ignatius writes, and they will continue the habits developed over the past...
The Future of Work Post-Pandemic: We’re Not Going Back
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius opined recently that “there’s no question that we’ll be living in a different world post-pandemic.” He writes that more than half of Americans “believe their lives will remain changed in major ways.” Technology will allow people to work and live remotely, Ignatius writes, and they will continue the habits developed over the past seven months.
Saying ‘Thank You’ Matters
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget announced its annual “Gears of Government Award,” the latest incarnation of White House-level employee recognition over the past 30 years. This year’s awards recognize 225 individuals and/or teams that improved mission results, customer service or demonstrated accountable stewardship. Six were highlighted for the President’s Award.
Distance Work: A three generation perspective
COMMENTARY Distance Work: A three generation perspective By John M. Kamensky, MIchaela Drust, Sheri Fields Sep 14, 2020 There is a bipartisan legislative push to continue maximum telework at least through the end of the pandemic. However, a recent survey found that one-third of U.S. workers want to be able to permanently work remotely at least a couple days a week after the pandemic is over. So, what’s it been like for workers stranded at home the past five months?
Innovation In Government: What the Transition Teams Should Understand
Innovation isn’t something the public typically associates with government. However, there are more than a few scattered pockets of innovators across federal agencies who sometimes come up with startling changes to operating models, business processes, services, or management. Some of these initiatives are orchestrated from the top of an agency, but many happen organically on the front lines in response to a specific problem. How have federal approaches to innovation evolved over the past 30 years?
Too Many Americans Still Don’t Receive Acceptable Service from Federal Agencies
A 2016 Forester Research report found that the federal government had a “near monopoly on the worst experiences.” By 2019, the company’s Customer Experience Index survey showed that Americans’ experiences with federal services “remains weak and uneven,” even though the White House requires federal agencies to provide a “modern, streamlined, and responsive customer experience across government, comparable to leading private sector organizations.” There are positive signs though.
6 challenges managers of remote teams must master
COMMENTARY 6 challenges managers of remote teams must master By John M. Kamensky, MIchaela Drust Aug 27, 2020 Early in the pandemic, Congress appropriated $46 billion to agencies to support technology upgrades for cloud and telework capabilities. However, the challenges facing federal agency transitions to a distance work environment may not be technology driven. Managers have to learn new ways to lead.
Promoting Employee Engagement In a Time of Crisis
Instead of attempting major civil service reform, the Obama administration focused on employee interaction and workplace improvement rather than civil service reform. Those efforts offer lessons for today. When President Obama took office, it was the depth of the Great Recession and he froze pay and bonuses for the civil service to reflect the economic downturn across the country.
Empowering HR and Managers: Lessons from the Bush Administration
While the reinventing government effort in the 1990s sought to empower frontline workers, subsequent reform efforts sought to strengthen the role of human resources and managers. In early 2001, the Government Accountability Office designated “Strategic Human Capital” as one of the federal government’s high risks for potential failure. This issue is still on its list today, even though there have been concerted efforts by subsequent presidential administrations to address the issues raised by GAO.
Empowering the Federal Workforce to Get Results: An Enduring Problem
Moving to distance work arrangements have suddenly shifted from a “nice to have” to an agency’s “continuity of operations” survival in the age of coronavirus. But as IRS managers have found, this is an uncomfortable shift because it involves a culture change for managers. They have to trust their workers to do the right thing and empower them with the information, training, and tools to do it. This discomfort is not a new challenge.
The Mindsets of Innovators in Government
By John Kamensky, Senior Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government There is a governmentwide strategic push to support the development and use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and hybrid computing. The action is happening via cross-agency communities of practice and incubation hubs supported by the federal chief information officer and the General Services Administration.
The Mindsets of Innovators in Government
There is a governmentwide strategic push to support the development and use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and hybrid computing. The action is happening via cross-agency communities of practice and incubation hubs supported by the federal chief information officer and the General Services Administration. As these initiatives move forward, real innovation is happening on the front lines of government.
What does the dramatic shift to telework mean for GovCon's future?
INSIGHTS What does the dramatic shift to telework mean for GovCon's future? By John M. Kamensky, Emily Craig, MIchaela Drust Jul 20, 2020 Dave Garrett, with the Project Management Institute, says that 73 percent of American professionals believe their companies will update their telework policies based on their experience during the pandemic.
Telework's impact on the state & local market
COMMENTARY Telework's impact on the state & local market By John M. Kamensky, Emily Craig, MIchaela Drust Jun 25, 2020 Not surprisingly, a survey administered at an early point in the coronavirus pandemic by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence found an uptick in the use of telework by states and localities.
OMB June2020 RiskbasedFinancialAudits
00 upvotes00 downvotes 1 views 5 pages Description: OMB Memo to agency CFO on tradeoffs better responding to COVID-19 priorities vs. meeting deadlines for mandated financial and audit requirements. Date uploaded Jun 18, 2020 Copyright © © All Rights Reserved Available Formats PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd Share this document Share or Embed Document Did you find this document useful?
No turning back from telework's rise
COMMENTARY No turning back from telework's rise Benefits grow during pandemic By John M. Kamensky, Emily Craig, MIchaela Drust Jun 08, 2020 More federal employees are working from home during the coronavirus crisis than ever before. But will individual telework only be seen as a workaround until everyone returns to the office, or will agencies consciously decide to change how work will be done from now on, as distributed teams working from anywhere?
How the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the evolution of telework
How the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the evolution of telework Telework had moved slowly for the last decade By John M. Kamensky May 26, 2020 Governments at all levels in the United States are suddenly facing the need to do much of their work from a distance. While the coronavirus pandemic is the immediate driver of the sudden shift to working from home, the foundation for the transition to distance work actually began more than a decade ago. Here’s the backstory.
Veterans Benefits Administration May Be Having Its Best Year Ever
There’s a lot of media coverage of the work of federal employees responding to the epic health, economic, and social effects of the coronavirus pandemic. But there’s also impressive work going on in federal agencies not directly related to the pandemic response, and in many cases this work is being done from home. One of those agencies, the Veterans Benefits Administration, has even exceeded its performance targets set before the pandemic.
Many Agencies Aren’t Ready to Manage in a New World
Government leaders need to think more deeply about effective management both in the current historical moment, and for the longer-term. Understanding how well agencies are managed now would be a useful baseline for incoming leaders and for setting priorities for a new administration. Developing benchmarks to measure effective management would be useful to assess how agencies perform over time, how they compare with other agencies, and what best practices exist for potential adoption.
How is the private sector pivoting to 'distance work?'
COMMENTARY How is the private sector pivoting to 'distance work?' By John M. Kamensky May 08, 2020 As coronavirus has disrupted society over the last few weeks, some of the distancing measures that once seemed drastic have become acceptable — in a few cases even preferable to the way things worked before. Nowhere has this been truer than the workplace, where companies and employees have found remote operations far more feasible than expected.
The future of work is here: How 'distance work' is transforming the workplace
COMMENTARY The future of work is here: How 'distance work' is transforming the workplace By John M. Kamensky Apr 23, 2020 The response across the economy and in government to COVID-19 has massively accelerated the future of work. The lofty talk about the future of work – digital transformation, a remote workforce, distributed teams, telework – is suddenly a reality in both the public and private sectors.
The Early Internet Years in Government Are a Model For Fostering Innovation
Not having a technology background, I had little appreciation for just how cutting edge we were in the 1990s at the National Performance Review, Vice President Al Gore’s reinventing government initiative. But I readily understood the power of letting innovators stretch their imaginations.
Where’s the Money? Keep an Eye on the CARES Act
By John Kamensky, Senior Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government The Small Business Administration says it will start accepting “paycheck protection” applications from up to 30 million small businesses by April 11. The IRS expects to start sending out stimulus payment checks in mid-April to about 140 million taxpayers. And there are dozens of other provisions mandating action with impossibly short deadlines—all while much of the federal workforce is working from home.
Where’s the Money? Keep an Eye on the CARES Act
The Small Business Administration says it will start accepting “paycheck protection” applications from up to 30 million small businesses by April 11. The IRS expects to start sending out stimulus payment checks in mid-April to about 140 million taxpayers. And there are dozens of other provisions mandating action with impossibly short deadlines—all while much of the federal workforce is working from home.
A Framework for National Recovery From COVID-19
How can agencies effectively implement programs to address the COVID-19? Given the surge of funding for response efforts, the answer to that question is critical. Following the 2009 Recovery Act, the IBM Center sponsored a number of research reports to explore the government’s response to the economic downturn that began in 2007, known as the Great Recession.
Performance Management: An Emphasis on Learning
It was an early morning meeting in the New York City Police Department’s cavernous meeting room in the mid-1990s, filled with police officers, but also with support staff, analysts, representatives from the city’s housing police, the transit police, the district attorney’s office, and more. Legendary Police Commissioner William Bratton presided at one end of the U-shaped table with a podium in the center and two screens behind.
Performance Management: The Emphasis on Accountability
April 23, 1998. A bipartisan summit, of sorts, on the implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act was being broadcast by C-SPAN and I had been tasked with drafting Vice President Al Gore’s remarks. The summit was hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration and the Council for Excellence in Government and included the House majority leader, Richard Armey, as well as one of GPRA’s lead Senate sponsors, Sen. John Glenn.
When Bigger Is Better
By John Kamensky, Senior Fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government Connecting state and local government leaders Beyond the bustle of the Washington beltway, off of Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia, there is a bland office building that is home to a small team of six nurses with a mission: help low-income, first-time mothers become nurturing parents.
When Bigger Is Better
Beyond the bustle of the Washington beltway, off of Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia, there is a bland office building that is home to a small team of six nurses with a mission: help low-income, first-time mothers become nurturing parents.
Reinventing Government: Learning From a Principle-Driven Reform Initiative
It was Saturday, March 13, 1993: The snow was falling heavily, but Bob Stone, Bob Knisely and I were completely absorbed in excited chatter about what we should say when we met with Vice President Al Gore the next day. Several days earlier, the three of us had been invited to share our ideas about how the vice president might proceed with his new mandate from President Clinton to “reinvent the government.” Gore was to deliver a plan of action to the president in six months.
Reducing Administrative Burden, aka ‘Death by a Thousand 10-Minute Tasks’
University research is a big business. It totals about $75 billion a year. About $42 billion of this comes from federal grants. But do federally-imposed administrative requirements stymie valuable research by requiring researchers to spend precious time on non-value-added activities? Since 1991, the federal government has imposed 110 new requirements on university research grant recipients. But it capped reimbursement for administrative costs in 1991 to be no more than 26% of a grant.
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