b'ViewpointsAn Agile Tipping Point for Governments? By G. Edward DeSeveIntroductionAuthor Malcolm Gladwell popularized the expression tipping point as a moment When an idea, trend, or socialMajor Challenges at the Federal Level behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.My more than 50 years of experience in and aroundAccumulated Regulatory Burden: Regulations are government leads me to believe that we may be at such aoutdated, duplicative or unnecessary.point now. In the United States, trust in government at allStructural Issues: Silos across federal agencies and levels and in all branches is at extremely low levels. Closeoffices can hurt cross-agency collaboration, resulting in to two-thirds of those polled by the Gallup organization infragmented citizen services or excessive cost to deliver September 2019 indicated that they had little or no trustthe mission.in the federal governments ability to handle domestic problems. In a similar Gallup survey, state and localDecision making and processes: Efficient and effec-governments fared better with only 37 percent and 29tive decision making is fact-based and transparent. percent of respondents believing that their governmentsHowever, government agencies do not consistently were not functioning well. apply data-driven, decision-making practices.Internationally, there are countries where trust is higherLeadership and culture: Achieving beneficial outcomes than in the U.S. but the Organization of Cooperation andthat serve the public should be the governments pri-Economic Development (OECD) reports based on themary focus. Managers need sufficient direction to exe-Gallup World Poll that trust levels are declining almostcute programs effectively, foster the highest-performing everywhere.workforce, and solve real-time problems.Capabilities and competencies: Antiquated, unsecure Certainly, the political rancor at the U.S. federal leveltechnology risks can leave the public frustratedis contributing to this mistrust, but failure to deliver onand vulnerable.key issues that the public cares about and a continued perception of inefficiencywaste, fraud, and abusealsoSource: Presidents Management Agenda 2019 fuel the negativity.whitehouse.gov/omb/management/pma/The 2019 Presidents Management Agenda identified five major problems at the federal level. These problems are likely to persist at the state and local level and perhaps internationally. conducted in plain sight by some of our largest andHow will the federal government deal with these problems?most respected corporations.In dealing with sour customers and falling profits, the privateInterestingly, Denning spent many years at the World Bank, sector is increasingly turning to management methods basedwhich has also begun an agile journey. Begun in 2016, on the Agile Principles used in software development. In theand continuing through today, the Agile Bank Program is Age of Agile, author Stephen Denning calls the shift to agileattempting to change the narrative of management reform at management principles, An unstoppable revolution . . . 82 www.businessofgovernment.org The Business of Government'