Launching a New Mission: Michael Griffin and NASA's Return to the Moon

Submitted by on Sun, 04/19/2009 - 20:00

President George W. Bush told NASA to return to the moon and prepare for manned exploration of Mars. The man he put in charge, Michael Griffin, was a certified rocket scientist with a passion for manned space exploration. In the four years he served as NASA Administrator, Griffin was continually forced to make controversial financial tradeoffs that brought him into conflict with constituencies who disagreed with him. He did, however, make significant progress in redirecting NASA toward the new Moon-Mars program.

Transforming Information Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs

Submitted by on Sun, 03/29/2009 - 20:00

Jonathan Walters' report chronicles the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) efforts to realign and centralize its information technology activities. Describing it as an "ambitious, audacious and arduous crusade," Walters makes it very clear that this is still very much a work in progress. There are significant hurdles ahead and certain significant adjustments will no doubt need to be made for this ambitious undertaking to be ultimately implemented and sustained by the VA.

Transformation of the Department of Defense's Business Systems

Submitted by on Sun, 03/15/2009 - 20:00

The Department of Defense launched an ambitious effort to transform its vast network of back office mission support systems in 2001. It has since invested large amounts of funding in the effort. What progress has been achieved to date? What has been its impact? This report provides answers and insights into these questions as it assesses the progress of this effort.

Working with the Media

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

A part of the larger report, "Becoming an Effective Political Executive:
7 Lessons from Experienced Appointees," the essay "Working with the Media" describes how political appointees can work with the media. The essay covers technique, how to minimize the impact of bad news, offensive and defensive strategies, and how to survive in the government/media culture.

Working with the Congress

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

A part of a larger report, "Becoming an Effective Political Executive:
7 Lessons from Experienced Appointees," the "Working with the Congress" essay describes how political appointees can work with Congress. The essay provides an overview of how Congress functions, how decisions on money and programs are made, appropriators and authorizers, legislators and their constituencies, oversight, and how to get things done.

Working with Career Executives to Manage for Results

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

A part of the report, "Becoming an Effective Political Executive: 7 Lessons from Experienced Appointees," this essay, "Working with Career Executives to Manage for Results" provides an overview of how political appointees can work with career executives. The essay describes The Government Performance and Results Act and The President's Management Agenda and then provides three case studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these two reform efforts.

Working to Transform Your Organization

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

A part of the larger report, "Becoming an Effective Political Executive: 7 Lessons from Experienced Appointees," this essay, "Working to Transform Your Organization," describes how political appointees can successfully transform organizations. Four organizations were chosen as case studies and eight common lessons emerged about how leaders successfully undertake large-scale transformation initiatives.

Winning the Best and Brightest: Increasing the Attraction of Public Service

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

This report examines the ways in which public policy training at two elite institutions shapes the public service orientations of students in these programs. The study focuses on the important question of how the goals and aspirations of policy students interact with policy training to shape their career trajectories. The findings of this project are useful to public policy education leaders seeking to improve their programs, particularly in a way that supports the goals of a revitalized public sector.Human Capital Management

Using Virtual Teams to Manage Complex Projects

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

This report examines how new technologies are reshaping the workplace. The project studies how the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors and subcontractors are using advanced information and communication technologies to manage a highly complex Radioactive Waste Management Project at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The Yucca Mountain project has begun to implement -virtual teamwork- as a means to provide more efficient and effective collaboration among employees. Human Capital Management

Using Technology to Increase Citizen Participation in Government: The Use of Models and Simulation

Submitted by on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 20:00

The use of decision support tools by citizens and community leaders to make better decisions holds tremendous promise as the next area of E-government technology. This research project identifies these opportunities, examines existing attempts to use these technologies, and conducts usability research related to a particular set of simulation technologies designed to help citizens more fully participate in decisions about sustainable development.nj, new jersey, ca, california Technology and E-Government

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