My earlier post this week discussed the difference between transparency and clarity.  It also used an example that was applicable to a broad spectrum of commercial and government challenges – getting the right information to the right people so they can make decisions effectively and lead with clarity.  I consider this to be a key component of enabling leaders to lead.

Jeff Tryens, the former director of the Oregon Progress Board, conducted a survey for Metro, which is Portland, Oregon’s area regional government, to find out.  He surveyed over two dozen existing programs to identify best practices in developing and using community-level indicator systems to “inform, engage, intervene, or fund” efforts to jointly improve the results communities (not

This article is adapted from Richard Boyle, “Performance Reporting: Insights from International Practice” (Washington, DC: IBM Center for The Business of Government, 2009).

 

Rethinking How to Improve Contracting Contracting issues will be on the front burner of the Obama administration, and the stakes are large. The Administration has already committed to greater transparency, stronger ethics, more competition, and rethinking the roles of contractors and government employees.

Good government must achieve results. This underscoresthe critical importance of performance and accountabilityin government management, which is based on the belief

Dr. Raymond Orbach leads the Office of Science at theU.S. Department of Energy, where he coordinates and managesthe department’s basic scientific research. As the nation’s

Public sector organizations face increasing pressure to ensure that programs are well managedand results-oriented, and meet the needs of their constituents—namely, the Americanpublic. Citizens expect and deserve quality services in return for their investment (i.e., taxdollars) whether they are receiving Social Security checks, undergoing medical treatmentat veterans’ hospitals, obtaining assistance in response to natural disasters, visiting nationalparks, or receiving any other government services at the federal, state, or local level.