New Research Report Recipients

We are pleased to announce our latest round of awards for new reports on key public sector challenges, which respond to priorities identified in the Center's long-term research agenda. Short summaries of each report, which will be published starting early 2016, are included below. New Awards Evidence About Implementing Agile: The 18F Experience by Andrew B. Whitford, University of Georgia This report draws lessons from the experience of 18F, a special organization within the General Services Administration. Many different types of organizations now use Agile development processes to solve the age-old problem of quickly creating products at high quality levels while maintaining flexibility for changing circumstances. Much of our understanding about prospects for Agile in the public sector is rooted in studies of Agile’s use and implementation in the private sector. This report will offer lessons for other agencies from the recent use of Agile by 18F in its delivery of digital services for federal agencies, and draw on other agile research to put the GSA innovations in the broader Agile context. Effective Leadership in Public Service Collaboration by Hee Soun Jang, Jesus Valero, and Kyujin Jung, University of North Texas This research seeks to understand the impact of leadership on collaboration outcomes associated with the implementation of a federal homeless policy, drawing comparisons with other relevant program areas where collaborative outcomes are important (such as collaborative health care). Drawing on collaborative and transformational leadership theories, the authors will use HUD and other survey data to analyze a sample of 383 collaborative networks; they will test the main hypothesis that collaborative and transformational leaders, as crucial mediators in networks, will influence effective collaboration in predictable ways. The authors will draw on their findings to propose a leadership assessment tool that capture important collaborative and transformational leadership activities, for the use of public managers who lead collaborative networks. Using Big Data to Revolutionize the Decision-Making Cycle of Local Governments by Alfred Ho, University of Kansas This research will investigate how big data has impacted different steps of the decision-making cycle of local governments. Using web analysis, a survey of the chief information technology officers and chief executives of 60 selected cities and their respective counties, and six case studies of best practices, the researcher will analyze how open data initiatives, social media, smartphone technologies, and analytic crowdsourcing have impacted citizen engagement, strategic planning, program management, budget priority setting, and performance measurement and reporting in different localities. The report will illustrate the benefits, organizational barriers, and important implementation strategies of big data initiatives in local governments. Leadership in a New Era of Convergence by Antonio Oftelie and Lauren Hirshon, Leadership for a Networked World, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Governments have had to respond to the convergence of technological, economic and social factors, as they coevolve to create a new operating environment and upend existing, institutional value propositions and legitimacy. This report will examine four cases where public sector leaders successfully identified, evaluated, and responded to factors of convergence by adapting their institutional structures, developing cross-boundary operating models, and renewing their human capital. The research will present a framework for understanding and assessing the forces of convergence, and illuminate strategies, tactics, and tools for improving public management. The Other Pay-for-Success: Lessons from Performance-Based Contracting and Performance Management in Tennessee by Patrick Lester, Social Innovation Research Center The proposed research is an in-depth case study of how a nationally-recognized child welfare nonprofit organization, Youth Villages, has implemented a best-in-class performance management system within a broader system of performance-based contracting in Tennessee; the author will compare and contrast this initiative with other models for a broader perspective as well. The author will review concrete lessons learned for policymakers interested in adapting this performance-based contracting system, and for nonprofits interested in establishing a performance management system similar to the one at Youth Villages (including a detailed review of data, software, financing, and human resources management issues). The report will conclude with lessons broadly applicable to the growing field of pay-for-success / social impact bonds.