While reading ‘Alignment’ by Kaplan and Norton, I found the following paragraphs on the public sector quite pertinent, if a little melodramatic initially:
> … in contrast to the private sector, realigning existing governmental agencies and departments so that they can address a particular problem is a Herculean effort, with progress typically measured in geological time… Attempting to restructure or combine agencies to accomplish a mission more effectively runs into immediate, focused, and highly organized resistance.
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> Therefore, governments that want to create positive social impact must operate with their existing units, which were formed through a somewhat random, unmanaged, historical time path. Their challenge is how to mobilize diverse agencies – having different missions, different histories and cultures, and different support bases – to cooperate so that collectively they can achieve outcomes beyond what they would accomplish operating independently. Multiple agencies, often at various levels of government and in different jurisdictions, must coordinate their efforts – not a natural act for government bureaucracies – if they are to achieve positive social impact.
Enjoying the new job so far, but the real action starts next week.
