IBM Center for The Business of Government

This blog post is one in a series in our 20th anniversary year for the IBM Center for The Business of Government. We are advancing ideas, activities, and reports by the Center that look to the future, reflecting on Center and other contributions about past management trends and reform efforts. Joining me in this effort are Mark Abramson, the founding executive director of the IBM Center, and John Kamensky, the IBM Center’s most senior fellow.

First, as argued in an earlier column, there is a big difference between comprehensive, whole-of-government approaches (budgeting, performance budgeting, outcome-budgeting and performance agreements) and partial approaches to performance improvement (ISO 9000, Lean Sigma, etc.). Partial approaches are akin to arranging chairs on the deck of Titanic. In a dysfunctional system, looking for pockets of excellence is a futile exercise.

Citizen expectations of government evolve as they utilize these new tools with the private sector and in their daily lives, requiring government organizations to not only understand these new tools, but to know when and how best to implement them to further their mission. As we begin a new year, let’s explore four technology trends that are currently impacting citizen engagement and digital communications including live video, immersive tools, bots, and wearables.

Trend 1: Live video

This blog is one in a series.  The IBM Center for The Business of Government turns 20 this year. To commemorate this milestone, we are undertaking a year-long effort to both look back over the last 20 years and to look ahead to envision what government might look like in the next 20 years.