Jonathan D. Breul

This book has been written for those who have answered the call to public service. We greatly appreciate their willingness to work on the nation’s greatest problems.

The Operator's Manual is a guide of how government works and how to make it work to advance policy goals and objectives. We present, in brief and simple terms, descriptions of the most important tools and levers that executives can use to advance agency goals and the president's agenda. This Manual will help executives understand the terrain of government, become familiar with the terms and lingo used inside agencies, and know how to effectively use the tools of government.

Governments are under increasing pressure to produce—and to demonstrate—results in terms of their mission. Over the last decade, countries around the world have undertaken reforms with the aim of improving the relevance and effectiveness of public services and the quality of public sector management. Integrating Performance and Budgets showcases attempts by federal and state governments, as well as a mix of developed and developing countries, to introduce performance or results-oriented budgeting and management as a means to support better decision making and accountability.

Governments today face a growing set of challenges around the recruitment, retention, and management of their workforces. In short, the job of government today is straightforward: getting the best from its biggest assets—its people. Getting the most from people and building a workplace that promotes top performance is a huge challenge—one that we call 'human capital management.' Human capital management is increasingly important in an environment where governments are trying to directly improve the performance of their organizations by increasing the 'outputs' of their people.