Tom Fox of the Partnership for Public Service writes in The Washington Post's Federal Coach column on Monday about how the public sector faces unique challenges in order to collaborate effectively. Federal leaders are required to collaborate up and down their agencies' chain of command, among leaders in other agencies, with state and local partners, private sector insurers and 300 million citizens, Fox writes, pointing to such demands as the key reasons why public sector leadership is so challenging.
Fox gives some good recommendations for building relationships and collaborating, including starting with a shared purpose with other stakeholders and nurturing and sustaining networks and relationships. He also encourages public leaders to think about social media tools that can make collaboration easier. "If you don't know how to use Facebook or GovLoop, find the youngest people in your office," he writes. "I'll bet you 10 bucks they do."
This week has been dubbed "Open Government Week," as agencies are required by a December Office of Management and Budget memo to post online by Wednesday how they will be more transparent and collaborate with other agencies, the public and other stakeholders. Throughout this process, how has your agency reached out to the younger workers to help make collaboration and open government possible, if at all? How is your agency using the assets of all generations to help change the culture and move to a more collaborative workplace?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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