Their article doesn’t focus on creating happy employees but rather “thriving” employees.  They say the focus should not be on creating contentment but engagement. After all, “contentment” connotes a degree of complacency, note the authors of the article.

I remember the story of a Virginia state trooper who visited the office in the state’s driver’s license bureau responsible for revoking the licenses of drunk drivers.  The office had been notoriously slow in doing their job, but after the officer told them how a drunk driver, whose license had not been revoked even though it was ordered by the court weeks before, had killed a little girl, and that he needed their help in keeping these kinds of drivers off the road.  By personalizing what seemed to be a mindless job, the staff in the office re-thought how they did their work and sp

That insight led to the creation of both Hammer Awards and Reinvention Labs as ways to both convey reinvention principles and engage people in their day-to-day workplace. 

Another Harvard Business Review article in the March 2010 issue is worth highlighting.  A piece by Richard McDermott and Douglas Archibald examines informal and formal networks in companies, such as Fluor and ConocoPhillips, but their insights are relevant to public agencies as well.  And they may be helpful to the Obama Administration’s efforts to create its proposed set of “problem solving networ

Don Sull, of the London Business School writes about “why execution stalls,’ in the March 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review.  He also offers a set of steps to take to ensure successful execution of programs.  While he focuses on the private sector, the lessons seem equally relevant to the public sector!

Given what we have learned from experience and careful research, the performance management approach the Obama Administration lays out in the Analytic Perspectives section of the FY 2011 budget is very promising and represents a more aggressive, more coherent, and more comprehensive approach than that of past Administrations.

“The key to motivation turns out to be largely within your control,” write Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer in the January 2010 issue of Harvard Business Review.  How? “. . . scrupulously avoid impeding progress.” Amabile and Kramer surveyed more than 600 managers, and then asked hundreds of knowledge workers to keep daily diaries to find out what was the top motivator of performance.

Noted business author Tom Davenport has an article, “Make Better Decisions,” in the November issue of Harvard Business Review .  He describes the prevalence, in the business world, of what he calls “decision-making disorder,” but this also has real applicability to government.

There’s only a week left in the Bush Administration.  Some remaining appointees are probably feeling a bit left behind since it will be hard to find new jobs in this economy.  However, the departing team has received kudos from many in a number of areas as they try to have an effective transition process.  In fact, they seem to have read the January 2009

The January 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review is aptly devoted to the topic: “Transforming Leaders.” It’s got great pieces on “Picking the Right Transition Strategy,” “What Can Coaches Do for You?,” “The Quick Win Paradox,” and “The Last Act of a Great CEO.” Unfortunately I can’t hotlink the articles since they are subscription-based. But a short piece by James Kouzes and Barry Posner is worth abstracting.