Large companies (and governments) cannot ignore the daily demands of running large enterprises that depend on hierarchy and routines, Kotter observes.  These structures and processes work well in stable, predictable environments and their evolution and refinements have contributed greatly to society in the past hundred years.

What is the U.S. Census Bureau’s technology innovation strategy? How is Census using new technologies to improve services and products? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Avi Bender, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Census Bureau.

Avi Bender is currently the Chief Technology Officer for the US Census Bureau, in charge of Enterprise Architecture and IT Governance. He is leading the optimization of Census' IT through standards, shared services, and innovation. Prior to the Census, Avi was the Director of EA at the Internal Revenue Service. Prior to joining the IRS, Avi held executive level positions at IBM, Price Waterhouse LLP, GTE (Verizon), and he was the cofounder of a software company.  

Overview of book: 

Governing to Win Series: A Conversation on Enhancing National Competitiveness

Governing to Win Series Part 4: A Conversation on Understanding What’s Driving the Annual Deficit & the Governance Imperative with Governing to Win contributors Larry Haas & Gail Fosler.

Governing to Win Series Part 3: A Conversation on Rethinking Government Purchasing and Supply Chains with Raj Sharma, contributor, Governing to Win: Enhancing National Competitiveness through New Policy and Operating Approaches

Governing to Win Series Part 1: A Conversation with Chuck Prow, editor and Dave Walker, contributor, Governing to Win: Enhancing National Competitiveness through New Policy and Operating Approaches

This is because government now has thousands of mission systems using legacy architecture, each built for a single purpose to support the needs of a single program or agency. Common standards, common definitions of like data, or enterprise approaches are rarely used in the federal government. Government does not often leverage IT to make things simpler, generate economies of scale, or increase collaboration. Over the last 20 years, mission systems have become more customized and focused on single programs or needs, making government information systems at once more siloed and complex.

More importantly, it introduces a select group of government leaders who offer their insights, outline successes, and tell us how they, in their own unique way, are making a difference in an era of fiscal austerity. Today’s conditions require government executives to go beyond simply doing more with less—to find smarter ways of doing business, using resources more efficiently, and investing them more wisely. The dramatic nature of this historical moment cannot be overstated. It is fully revealed by the depth of the vicissitudes being faced.