Why Do We Sometimes Insulate Ourselves from the Truth?
November 8, 2016
It’s an interesting phenomenon we observe during this election season, the adoration of a candidate or perhaps unrelenting allegiance regardless of their position or their truthfulness on an issue.…
Engagement Success
September 25, 2016
COE uses the term "partnership" when talking about our working relationships, because the most successful engagements are true collaborations, complete with mutual trust and respect. In order to…
Performance Improvement Begins with Change
June 29, 2016
Change management is critical today given the immense transformations occurring in regulatory compliance, technology, the workforce, global economics and more. As federal agencies work to keep up…
Two years in: A Look at the Current Status of the DATA Act
June 29, 2016
At just over two years old, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) has progressed towards implementation of its key provisions in May 2017, but progress has faced some key…
Things to Consider When Selecting a Firm
June 12, 2016
In today's environment of tightened budgets, heightened partisanship, and increased scrutiny, agency contract selections are under more pressure than ever. Fewer dollars means that the wrong choice…
Attrition as a Workforce Strategy: Supporting or Sabotaging Organizational Strategic Goals
May 10, 2016
Written by Christine Boyette A former boss of mine used to say that when you hire a government civilian, “you’ve got what you’ve got and you’re stuck with them.” In 2011, a USA Today analysis of the…
Four Immutable Laws of Data
November 6, 2015
I am often fascinated by the ways in which data is erroneously perceived, collected, stored, retrieved, and reported in organizations. Data of all kinds certainly have limitations. In any given…
COE Solution: Business Process Improvement
October 5, 2015
Business Process Improvement (BPI)Conceptually, business process improvement is a powerful model of change, emphasizing optimization of an organization’s core business processes. This contrasts…
Imagining an On-Demand Government in an Uber World
September 10, 2015
The public sector changes slowly. We all know this. But the glacial pace of government is even more evident in its inability to adapt to the new on-demand world. Need a ride? Connect to Uber. Need a…
Institutional Wisdom as a Tool for Effectiveness
August 17, 2015
Mature organizations are not necessarily old organizations, but they do share the characteristic of wisdom we often attribute to more experienced people. Wisdom is generally recognized as good…
