Practical Innovation in Government

INTRODUCTION

The Practical Secret to High-Performing Government Operations

Whether people want more government or less government, they all want efficient government. Unfortunately, public-sector organizations are generally not known for their operational excellence. Recently, however, a small but growing number of public-sector organizations around the world have demonstrated that it is possible to dramatically improve performance in a government setting. We spent six years studying improvement efforts in over seventy government organizations—ranging from small departments to entire states—in five countries. Some were struggling or had already failed. Others were just getting started or had made limited progress in specific areas. But a handful ...