PA TIMES Online

Sustainable Practices in the Public Sector: How Can Human Resource Managers Pivot the Conversation from Discussion Towards Real Action?

PATIMES — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:38:09 +0000

Since the last decade, the conversation about eco-friendly and sustainable practices has taken the forefront in many organizations. This is due to the notion that good social responsibility is based on the dichotomous nature of managing our natural environment with our human existence. Many natural resources that are available in limited quantities will not remain [...]

Old School Government Report Cards Give Way to Community Livability Scores

PATIMES — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:37:52 +0000

Remember when report cards were simple records of your academic successes and failures? For some of us, grades were accompanied by groundings; for some of you, maybe an ice cream sundae. Report cards for local governments mostly come in the form of resident surveys – customer satisfaction surveys, citizen satisfaction surveys, community quality ratings. They [...]

The Role of Government Regulation and Leadership in Increasing Sustainability

PATIMES — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:37:20 +0000

The purpose of much federal regulation is to provide protection, either to individuals, or to the environment. Whether the topic is environmental protection, safety and health in the home or workplace, or consumption of goods and services, regulations can have far reaching effects. It is during this regulatory process that federal organizations are ideally positioned [...]

Creating a Great Organizational Culture in the Public Sector

PATIMES — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:57:26 +0000

Government agencies in North America can learn an important lesson from the private sector. Workers who are happy and motivated will achieve greater results and increased citizen satisfaction than workers who are unhappy and discontented. What is organizational culture? “An organization’s culture is a social reality that signals to employees what they should do, [...]

Dubious About Diversity: When Public Employees Raise Objections to Mandatory Diversity Training

PATIMES — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:57:00 +0000

Were you to conduct a literature review on the do’s and don’ts and the how’s and why’s of public workplace diversity training, you’d find a wealth of good material. One topic that continues to be understudied, however, concerns employees who negatively respond to mandatory workplace diversity training. In fact, it is not uncommon to find [...]

Exploring the Application of an Integrated Strategic and Change Management Framework to the Issue of Mass Shootings

PATIMES — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:56:41 +0000

Acts of gun violence against innocents, particularly mass shootings, are generally agreed as heinous. Yet, government’s effort to legislate on the issue is arguably failing. This article explores an alternative approach to alleviating the issue, specifically through an integration of Kaplan and Norton’s leading practice approach to strategic management (The Execution Premium, 2008) and Kotter [...]

The Importance of Infrastructure

PATIMES — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:38:19 +0000

For a few days last month, the collapse of the Skagit River Bridge focused the public’s attention on the condition of the nation’s infrastructure. But like in the aftermath of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis six years ago, the public’s concern moved to other issues before support could form around modernizing our nation’s infrastructure. The [...]

Higher Education After Affirmative Action

PATIMES — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:37:58 +0000

So what would higher education in America look like without affirmative action? This is the question many are asking if the Supreme Court in June rules in Fisher v. University of Texas, Austin that considerations of race in college admissions are unconstitutional. In its place some advocate the use of class or economic disadvantage as [...]

Using Regulatory Agencies to Implement Environmental Sustainability Programs for the New York State Energy System

PATIMES — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:37:39 +0000

New York state has made progress during the past 10 years in using regulatory agencies to make the state’s energy system more environmentally friendly. Specifically, New York state has developed three programs to improve the environment. Among these include a renewable energy portfolio standard to ensure that green energy sources are expanded in the state. [...]

Creating a Sustainable World Though Increased Involvement of People of Color and the Economically Disadvantaged

PATIMES — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:13:40 +0000

Now that sustainability terms like geo-fuel, carbon footprint, climate change, biodiversity, etc., have comfortably found their home in the public administration lexicon, many public entities are getting serious about the “greening” of their cities and towns. Sustainable government initiatives and legislation are on the rise as citizens demand more eco-friendly living space. As a general [...]