Governing From Behind

The CSMonitor has a commonsensicle piece on the job market of the future, in which "qualities such as ethical judgment, compassion, intuition, responsibility, and creativity will be what stand out in an automated world." This is no surprise to anyone working in an office. No longer are humans needed in repetitive-motion jobs; problem-solving is expected on lower levels, and people are expected to operate a variety of business machines. Another trend, highlighted in the NYTimes, is less job security. In case you hadn't noticed, "it's no longer lifetime employment like it was 30 years ago."

A corrollary to both of these phenomena, however, is that as business changes, the government is falling further and further behind the general business environment. In most agencies, careerism is alive and well, and the structure is more reminiscent of a 1950's factory than a 2000's service corporation. Careerism naturally attracts those who lack confidence in their own work skills; those most confident (and usually most capable) are more willing to take a risk for the sake of a raise - or simply for the sake of change. One of the most effective government workers in my own office is departing tomorrow for the American Red Cross. The inefficient, incompetant ones? They're not going anywhere.

At the same time, the government is updating its technology - almost always using contractors like myself to do the work - and tying itself in a Gordion Knot of systems and capabilities that it is not designed to handle. So what do we have to look forward to in the 21st century? A forward-moving private sector and a backwards-looking public sector.