IBM Center for The Business of Government

This report reviews the history of performance management efforts within the federal government and discusses the successes, challenges, and failures over the years. In addition, the report offers insights from other performance management experiences in both public and private sector organizations. The authors describe differences between private and public sector performance management practices, as well as present a comparative analysis of corporate and non-corporate use of good management practices.

This report introduces the Seven-Step Workforce Planning model, which provides a sound framework for understanding the basic elements of workforce planning. The model incorporates workforce planning concepts from two organizations: the International Public Management Association for Human Resources and the Office of Personnel Management.

The O'Leary and Bingham report expands on previous Center reports by adding an important practical tool for managers in networks: how to manage and negotiate the conflicts that may occur among a network's members. The approach they describe-interest-based negotiation-has worked in other settings, such as bargaining with unions. Such negotiation techniques are becoming crucial in sustaining the effectiveness of networks, where successful performance is defined by how well people collaborate and not by hierarchical commands.

This paper outlines the challenges facing the U.S. health care system, how prevention can help address these challenges, examples of wellness and prevention programs, suggestions for program components and design, and proposed standards for the federal government to adopt to promote quality and effective programs. The Living Well plan brings together the best preventive care knowledge from the public and private sectors and offers the first real opportunity to transform the health of Americans, improve the quality of health care, and slow the growth of health care costs.