At this point in the course, we have looked at various frameworks (Leavitt Diamond, Michael Hammers Principles of Reengineering applied to the public sector, Time/Cost/Quality/Quantity to use to lead, manage and evaluate technology projects in the public sector. Recall that this class is not a technology class, but is designed to help us be able to ask the right questions as public sector leaders.
The literature review about "Innovation in Public Services" gave a framework of why there should be innovation in the public sector, a definition of innovation, and types of innovation. This framework can help identify where you can innovate in your organization and the political, organizational and fiscal support you will need to be successful.
Ashley and Allison opened our group presentations with their "Disaster Planning and GIS" presentation. The applications of GIS for disaster planning and mitigation was shared. GIS as a technology is a database of information connected to a visual display such as a map. Shortcomings of GIS include that it may not integrate with existing public data systems and it is ill suited for immediate emergency response. Cost for GIS talent is also a concern.
Katherine and Victor presented "To Your Health", a web based system designed to improve public health. In a related story, we discussed a recent story in LA that found a local community with 60 fast food restuarants and only 1 supermarket in a certain neighborhood. One proposed city response was a ban on building fast food restaurants. To help us practice asking the right questions about technology, the class pretended to be the city council. Questions asked included: Who will maintain the website? How do we measure success? How do we promote the website with the public?
We discussed the golden rule of networking: "Give more than you get". Too often, people use networking as a tacky self serving tool, in the worst case, just blatantly asking for a job. Networking is about relationships and good relationships take time to build. In reference to the Harvey Mackay book on networking, "Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty".
We concluded with a discussion of Chapter 8 -Trust and Confidence in E-Government. The government was held in high regard for ending the suffering of the Depression and leadership in World War II. Over time, however, public trust in the government to solve problems has eroded. Events such as the Watergate coverup by Nixon, the disconnect of government information on the Vietnam war and what press coverage was reporting, and most recently the Iran Contra scandal in the second term of the Reagan presidency, and the Clinton Lewinsky scandal are examples that have eroded public trust. The moral of the story with public trust is that you can only lose it once, so as public sector leaders, we must work very hard not to lose that trust in the first place.
Till next class...
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