Government That Works

With forewords by Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland and Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan, Government That Works, The Results Revolution in the States, is the first comprehensive look at how state governments are using accountability and transparency to transform government.
A growing army of public servants, frustrated with "business as usual" in state government, are joining the Results Revolution. Deeply committed to delivering superb service to the citizens of their states, they have begun adopting state-of-the-art management practices that are making the work of government far more effective and efficient.
Addressing the fact that most Americans feel deeply dissatisfied with government at all levels, the results revolutionaries have resolved to eliminate waste, improve responsiveness, and deliver results that will win back the trust and admiration of their constituents.
Government That Works provides a detailed and practical blueprint for a new system of management any state and its agencies can use. The system relies on collecting and analyzing accurate data, setting ambitious goals for improved performance, measuring progress toward those goals, and closing the gap. Stressing the need for utter transparency and full accountability for results, the system drives the breakthroughs and innovative solutions every state needs in order to satisfy its customers ? its citizens.
The results revolutionaries are transforming "the way we do things around here," setting high standards, empowering workers to make decisions that benefit the customer, reducing bureaucratic red tape, and borrowing many best practices from business, such as Lean and project management. All are aimed at improving everything from the waiting time for a driver's license to the quality of education and child welfare.
In this book you will meet many heroes of the revolution ? smart, dedicated, and hardworking government officials who have begun to reap the benefits of the "best of the best" management techniques, from sweeping new approaches to fostering full employee engagement to scorecards that show workers what they need to do to deliver exceptional service. Their ranks include Governors O'Malley, Snyder, Kitzhaber, Inslee, Hickenlooper and Haslam, COOs Michael Jordan and Greg Adams, and agency heads such as Colette Peters, Rebecca Hunter, Steve Arwood, Ed Burckle and John Batiste, to name a few.
The system you will learn in this book draws from the author's previous book, Business at the Speed of Now.