Text Box: CfGF

  Functionality

03/07/06

Home

Management

Form and Function

Public and Private Sectors

DUoGR

How You can Participate

The Future

 

Functionality in government is interpreted by some to be an oxymoron. We, at the Center, believe that not only is it possible, but it is common. In Auburn Maine, public safety personnel are at your door, on average, in three minutes after you make the 911 call. They are competent, courteous, well trained, adequately equipped and have immediate access to supervision. In Minneapolis they are at your door, on average, in four minutes. You won't find better functionality than that no matter where you look.

Functionality can, however, be a challenge in government. If you are the mayor trying to manage a medium sized city, you have your hands full. If you are a citizen seeking meaningful participation in your government, you most likely will exit the process disenchanted. Functionality depends on articulating what you want to do in measurable terms and in having access to data from other organizations against which you can compare your data with some measure of validity. One of the projects we are taking on at the Center is to build the data base against which people can compare the outcomes in their communities. Whether you are in government trying to manage it or outside government trying to understand it, you have your work cut out for you. The data base we are setting out to build is the missing ingredient in applying functionality to government. You can help yourself and us by participating in the effort. Click here to see your options.

Functionality is, like most other things, fairly simple and fairly complex. At this site, we try to keep things as simple as possible. Those of you who would like to delve into the more complicated aspects of organizational functionality might want to start with the links below.

click here for Kurt Lewin's work on Change Theory
click here for an example of one of many force field analysis tools
click here for the Center's thoughts on management in government

 

Home | How You can Participate | History of Government | Functionality | The Future | CfGF Founder

This site was last updated 09/27/05