Acquisition

IT procurement and HealthCare.gov: Searching for scapegoats?

There are plenty of serious problems with HealthCare.gov, Steve Kelman argues, but the procurement system itself does not appear to be one of them.

People

Own a Picasso for $150 -- another interesting public-private partnership

Steve Kelman looks to Paris for a creative way to fund efforts that government alone cannot afford.

Digital Government

The Air Force launches a 'collaboratory'

New website shows how agencies can find creative ways to serve multiple missions.

Digital Government

Meeting again with Chinese students in Boston

From cybersecurity to Edward Snowden, Steve Kelman finds interesting patterns in visiting students' knowledge of the United States.

Digital Government

Should Steve Kelman stay quiet on reverse auctions?

Readers accuse FCW's ivory-tower blogger of having a conflict of interest that simple disclosure doesn't overcome.

Digital Government

Hopes and fears: China edition

Steve Kelman finds that Chinese students have hopes that would sound familiar, but fears that are much less so.

People

In Memoriam: Richard Hackman, a scholar who cared about government

Steve Kelman's tribute to a professor in Harvard's Psychology Department who pioneered research on managing teams.

Acquisition

A winning idea for innovation

Contests offer an attractive alternative to traditional procurements in some situations, bringing innovative solutions to agencies to attack unusual problems, writes Steve Kelman.

Digital Government

Private-sector corporate customers give their IT vendors low marks as strategic partners

The most important practice defining a strategic partner for these CIOs was "joint ventures with shared risk and reward."

Digital Government

Bringing the "book group" idea to the world of charitable giving

A modest proposal that combines the opportunity to give, to learn and to share good times with friends.

People

Contracting professionals need far more than FAR

The Federal Acquisition Regulation is important, but feds shouldn’t forget the management part of ‘contract management,' according to Steve Kelman.

People

Kelman: Changes of mind on the GSA scandal

Steve Kelman gauges how his students felt about the GSA conference spending scandal before and then after taking part of a course on management and leadership.

Digital Government

The GSA scandal as a teaching tool

Steve Kelman adapts a GSA case study in the wake of the agency's spending scandal.

People

Productivity and the placebo effect

Ongoing studies show that a positive mind-set can have a measurable impact on performance, which offers some tantalizing insights for federal managers, writes columnist Steve Kelman.

People

Research just proves the obvious? Not so fast.

Academic research is full of surprises, Steve Kelman maintains, even though many people believe it only shows what's already obvious.

People

Building better jobs for feds

A study from nearly 20 years ago could provide insight into improving the federal work environment, writes Steve Kelman.

Acquisition

Was the GSA scandal really scandalous?

Columnist Steve Kelman wonders whether agencies might be justified in spending money on lavish conferences.

Acquisition

Meeting Joe Jordan

The new OFPP administrator has "a Boy Scoutish enthusiasm for trying to improve things," Steve Kelman writes.

People

Herding the cats: How to lead a cross-organizational team

How can managers get members of a cross-functional to work well together and feel invested in the team effort? The question is not merely academic, writes columnist Steve Kelman.