Articles: What Kind of Change to the Civil Service System Is Really Needed? FedSmith.com, Timothy J. Clark, August 15, 2011,www.FedSmith.com
Recently started a series of articles on identifying options for improving the quality of government service. Taking a little different approach from what I’ve done in the past in trying to develop an interest and awareness of the variability paradigm.
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Op-Ed. The Sidney Awards, By DAVID BROOKS, Published: December 25, 2009
Every year, I give out Sidney Awards to the best magazine essays of the year. In an age of zipless, electronic media, the idea is to celebrate (and provide online linkof poor quality:d “cost es to) long-form articles that have narrative drive and social impact.
One of the awards includes a medical related “cost of poor quality” story, e.g.,How American Health Care Killed My Father, by David Goldhill. Note reference to the 100,000 deaths refers to common cause variation.
My dad became a statistic—merely one of the roughly 100,000 Americans whose deaths are caused or influenced by infections picked up in hospitals. One hundred thousand deaths: more than double the number of people killed in car crashes, five times the number killed in homicides, 20 times the total number of our armed forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another victim in a building American tragedy.
BOOK: Great Powers, by Thomas P.M. Barnett, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Pub Date: February 5, 2009
Barnett–who has been described as “the most influential defense intellectual writing these days (The Washington Post)” and “one of the most important strategic thinkers of our time (U.S. News.com)”–presents a remarkable analysis of America and the world in the post-Bush era. He also offers a visionary grand strategy for how to proceed as we stand poised on the verge of what is arguably the greatest achievement of all time: the peaceful knitting together of a truly integrated global economy and the establishment of a truly centering middle class. Barnett believes it’s up to America to shape and redefine what comes next. Now he offers a roadmap to exactly what that is and how we do it.
Defense Department Planning To Expand Minerva Initiative, (Inside The Pentagon)…Jason Sherman
The Pentagon plans this year to expand a fledging program launched by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to foster cooperation between the military and social scientists in a bid to improve understanding of 21st-century security challenges and develop a cadre of experts to influence national security policy.
Gates, a former college president, launched the Minerva Initiative last year with the goal of invigorating the type of collaboration between the Pentagon and academic institutions that thrived during the Cold War.
Just as the National Defense Education Act of 1950 encouraged the study of subjects like Marxism, Leninism and communism, yielding insights into the Soviet Union, Gates has handpicked new areas for research that he hopes will produce long-term results. These include Chinese military and technology studies; research that illuminates the perspectives of terrorists; research into possible disciplines required to deal with current and future security challenges; and religious and ideological studies.
On Dec. 22, the Pentagon awarded contracts to seven researchers working with 16 academic institutions. The National Science Foundation, which last summer partnered with the Defense Department on the Minerva initiative, is expected to announce another round of awards this month.
Interesting post on options to reduce crime in America.
POST: Gangs rule over the most crime-free America in decades, Thomas P.M. Barnett on January 3, , 2009
CRIME: “The War on Gangs: Inside the feds’ strategy to get hit men and enforcers off the streets,” by Alex Kingsbury, U.S. News & World Report, 15 December 2008.
Interesting story on how big-city PDs fight gangs: the gangs’ weakness for weapons is their Achilles’ heel.
But here’s what caught my eye: “Violent crime nationwide is hovering near its lowest levels in 30 years. But that’s not the case in all of America’s cities, where street gangs still account for an alarming share of death and destruction.”
Of course, even there, most of the death you’re talking about is inter-gang.
What drives all this competitive destruction? Our failed war on drugs.
By not medicalizing the problem and decriminalizing use, we provide black market opportunities for criminals.
Frankly, I’d rather see Big Pharma clean up.
Florida classifies occupational categories as consisting of the: Creative Class (30%), Working Class (26.1%), Service Class (43.4%), Agriculture (0.4%).
Reinforces the importance of creativity at all levels in the workplace … “ensuring that the creativity of the many is tapped and that the benefits of the Creative Age are extended to everyone.”
Challenges the Creative Class to take more of a leadership role in addressing three issues: : (1) investing in creativity to ensure long-run economic growth, (2) overcoming the class divide that weakens our social fabric and threaten economic well-being, and (3) building new forms of social cohesion in a world defined by increasing diversity and beset by government fragmentation.
Quoting Paul Romer: “We do not know what the next major idea about how to support ideas will be. Nor do we know if will emerge. There are, however, two safe predictions. First, the country that takes the lead in the twenty-first century will be the one that implements an innovation that supports the production of commercially relevant ideas in the private sector. Second, the new meta-ideas of this kind will be found. ” pg. 319
BUSINESS: “Innovation in America: A gathering storm? Confronted by Asia’s technological rise and the financial crisis, corporate America is losing its self-confidence. It should not.” The Economist, 22 November 2008.
Growing consensus says America’s technological lead is shrinking and once gone, we’ll be sunk.
Counterview from Amar Bhide of Columbia’s B School in new book, The Venturesome Economy.
President-elect Barack Obama’s energy team is in place, and he has ambitious plans to reform the nation’s energy system. Where should he start? How about with the nation’s largest consumer of petroleum – the Pentagon.
See also previous posting: Air Force and DARPA — Energy independence?
“Headline news” … themes indicate a challenging year both at home and abroad. Current events have motivated me to start working on a proposal for an X Prize in order to accelerate application of the Quality Leadership technology.
A ‘Tough Fight’ Seen For Afghan War In ’09, (USA Today)…Tom Vanden Brook
The top commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan said Sunday that 2009 will be a “tough fight” in Afghanistan and the United States will need nearly twice as many troops for up to four years to stabilize the country.
Wal-Mart, Army Reserve Link For Recruiting, Hiring, (Boston Globe)…Associated Press, Nov 12, 2008.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has signed on to an Army Reserve program in which the company and the Army will work together to recruit and train people interested in serving in the military and working for the giant retailer.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, has more than 1.4 million US employees.
An agreement signed yesterday obligates Wal-Mart to interview and consider all qualified, participating soldiers for employment after they complete military occupational specialty training.
When a reserve soldier who works at Wal-Mart is called to service, the company can draw on 1 million or so citizen soldiers to help identify a qualified replacement to work in the soldier’s place.
The arrangement is expected to lower costs of recruiting and training for Wal-Mart.
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