John Kamensky

Mission-Focused Analytics

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 13:28
What do we mean by “mission-focused analytics?” That is the focus of a new report co-sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center for The Business of Government and released earlier today at an event with a panel of federal executives using analytics.

“It’s like peeling back an onion.  You cry a bit, then peel another layer and cry some more.”  That’s how Michelle Snyder, deputy chief operating officer of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Servic

Fire All the Managers

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 13:22
In a refreshingly provocative article in this month’s Harvard Business Review, celebrated business writer Gary Hamel describes the condition of management in most large organizations (costly and inefficient) and how one company did away with all their managers and still manage to run a $700 million company with revenues and profits that leave competitors in the dust.

Hamel says “management is the least efficient activity in your organization.”  He says direct management

Engaging Citizens vs. Streamlining Bureaucracy

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 13:17

ed led to less citizen involvement and reluctance by agencies from seeking advice.

Fixing the Rules of the Game

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 12:43

The budget stalemate back in the spring, the summer debt ceiling debacle, the recent failure of the “super committee,” and the near paralysis over extending the payroll tax cut are all symptoms of a broken governing system. The non-partisan Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform recently issued a series of recommendations on how to begin fixing the system.

Recovering from the Recovery Act - Part 3

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 12:15
President Obama created a new oversight board in June 2011 as part of his new Campaign to Cut Government Waste. He directed it to report to him in December on ways to improve accountability, based on lessons from the implementation of the Recovery Act.

Round Up, December 12 - 16

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 12:13
An abbreviated Round Up for the week of December 12 -16

Okay, so we weren’t going to publish a Round Up this week since several of us are on vacation, but here are three stories I didn’t want to sit on since they are long and you might want to read them during leisure moments during your holiday vacation!

Congressional Oversight of Performance

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 12:12
There may be widespread public dissatisfaction with Congress’s performance, but GAO has issued a new report that highlights Congress’s role in overseeing agency performance.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a set of briefing slides, “Managing for Results:  Opportunities for Congress to Address Government Performance Issues,” which it is using to bring Members of Congress and their staffs up to spe

The Three Hats of Mission Support Leaders

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 11:56
How do you assess the effectiveness and impact of mission support functions -- human resources, acquisitions, finance, technology, etc. -- on an agency’s mission?

A Thousand Cuts

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 11:50
Government Executive magazine’s cover story, “A Thousand Cuts,” by Joseph Marks, paints a graphic picture of what it is like to be in government today.

NAPA Annual Meeting Highlights

Submitted by on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 11:06
The National Academy of Public Administration gathers once a year to discuss some of the biggest management challenges facing our country. The speakers are always terrific and insightful. And I always learn something I never knew.

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Emeritus Senior Fellow
IBM Center for The Business of Government

Mr. Kamensky is an Emeritus Senior Fellow with the IBM Center for The Business of Government and was an Associate Partner with IBM's Global Business Services.

During 24 years of public service, he had a significant role in helping pioneer the federal government's performance and results orientation. Mr. Kamensky is passionate about helping transform government to be more results-oriented, performance-based, customer-driven, and collaborative in nature.

Prior to joining the IBM Center, he served for eight years as deputy director of Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government. Before that, he worked at the Government Accountability Office where he played a key role in the development and passage of the Government Performance and Results Act.

Since joining the IBM Center, he has co-edited six books and writes and speaks extensively on performance management and government reform.  Current areas of emphasis include transparency, collaboration, and citizen engagement.  He also blogs about management challenges in government.

Mr. Kamensky is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and received a Masters in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, in Austin, Texas.