Weekly Round-up: July 25, 2014

John Kamensky

• SES « Reform ».  Eric Katz, Government Executive, reports that a House committee adopted a bill that Chairman Darrell Issa said would “bring needed accountability to the senior executive corps by allowing agencies to remove incompetent executives,” The bill’s sponsor, Cong. Tim Walberg said “This is not an attack on SES . . .We have much respect for what they do and the leadership they provide.”

• Too Much Turnover Among Goal Leaders?  Charlie Clark, Government Executive, reports: The officials designated as point persons for achieving progress toward agency priority goals identified by the White House are hindered by heavy turnover, spotty information sharing and flawed performance plans,” according to a new GAO report.

• Requiring Lean.  Stephanie Wasko, Federal News Radio, writes that several members of Congress have introduced legislation to require agencies to adopt “continuous process improvement” approaches, such as Lean Six Sigma, and report on their progress.

• Growth of Congressional Oversight of DHS.  In an op-ed for Federal Times, Chuck Brooks writes that the original 9/11 Commission reported that 88 committees had jurisdiction over elements of the Department of Homeland Security and that this should be reduced.  Brooks laments: “oversight over the past decade has grown significantly and the DHS now reports to 119 different committees.”

• Shrinking Government. While oversight may be increasing, Charlie Clark, Government Executive, reports that “The federal government is shrinking—by 10.2 million square feet, to be precise. That’s how much agency office and warehouse space was cut in 2013 under President Obama’s management initiative know as “Freezing the Federal Footprint,” according to the White House.”

• Ignore Risk, Create Risk.  Todd Grams, former CFO and chief of staff at the IRS, offers his insights in a Government Executive article about the importance of not ignoring risks:  “Simply put, some risks are worth taking. Others are not. Knowing which are which is the challenge agency senior leaders and management continually face.”

The Business of Government Radio Show: Conversations with Authors Series with Prof. Sandford Borins on The Persistence of Innovation in Government.

What does the landscape of public sector innovation look like and what does this mean for innovators and those who study their efforts? How do awards programs promote innovation efforts? How can a climate for innovation be created in public organizations? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions with Prof. Sandford Borins, author of the IBM Center report, The Persistence of Innovation in Government.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Wednesday at noon, on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED

If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org and by searching our audio archives.