Comments on: Transition: Role of Think Tanks in 2000 http://transition2008.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/transition-role-of-think-tanks-in-2000/ The IBM Center for The Business of Government Weblog Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:51:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: Norman M. Macdonald http://transition2008.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/transition-role-of-think-tanks-in-2000/#comment-339 Norman M. Macdonald Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:42:55 +0000 http://transition2008.wordpress.com/?p=117#comment-339 John: In 1988 I was detailed to the team setting up what was called the Federal Quality Institute (FQI) which was dedicated to bring the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) to the Federal government. I was the administrative officer and watch dog to make sure we stayed within bounds. Working with this group I dealt with a number of high-powered management types. I returned to the Forest Service after the FQI was turned over to OPM. The FQI was an interdepartmental effort and had high White House backing. I found that this, like Reform One of Reform 88 of which I was part, of lacked a field sense and were not that effective because there was no field support web. When I was asigned to Al Gore's Reinventing Government effort, one of the key reasons was because I had access to a web in the Forest Service that exchanged ideas, complaints and general knowledge about improving public service and employee morale. Reinventing went to the ground level in many parts of the government and to this day a great deal still exists. John:
In 1988 I was detailed to the team setting up what was called the Federal Quality Institute (FQI) which was dedicated to bring the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) to the Federal government. I was the administrative officer and watch dog to make sure we stayed within bounds. Working with this group I dealt with a number of high-powered management types. I returned to the Forest Service after the FQI was turned over to OPM. The FQI was an interdepartmental effort and had high White House backing. I found that this, like Reform One of Reform 88 of which I was part, of lacked a field sense and were not that effective because there was no field support web.

When I was asigned to Al Gore’s Reinventing Government effort, one of the key reasons was because I had access to a web in the Forest Service that exchanged ideas, complaints and general knowledge about improving public service and employee morale. Reinventing went to the ground level in many parts of the government and to this day a great deal still exists.

]]>