Oregon Progress Board Key Performance Measures: State Agencies - jumps you to the OPPMA entry.
Oregon Public Performance Measurement Association (OPPMA)
The mission of OPPMA is to provide performance measurement and management support to practitioners working in the public sector.
Purposes:
a. Facilitate a common understanding of performance measurement best practices
b. Improve performance management skills
c. Foster open discussion of credible performance information with interested citizens
d. Provide collaborative venues for performance management practitioners
I'm proud to have been part of the Steering Commmittee and now on the Executive Committee.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
A Gate-Crasher's Change of Heart - washingtonpost.com
A Gate-Crasher's Change of Heart - washingtonpost.com relates the very odd story of a "robbery gone right".
Short version: robber with gun walks in on dinner party, demands money. Diners invite him to join them; he agrees, has a bit of cheese with his wine, then asks for a hug. Yes, a hug. Then a group hug. Then he walks away without any money, having hurt nobody.
Several interpretations come to mind. The first is that Gavin De Becker is right - intuition is very powerful and can be your friend in a time of crisis. I'm betting that there was something in the robber's demeanor that the first diner picked up on, that the words "join us" would be a strategy that would work with this particular armed man at this particular time.
Having read De Becker's "The Gift of Fear" I've become persuaded that any sort of hard-and-fast rules about dealing with dangerous situations - to always do this, to never do that - are probably bad.
I doubt anybody's list of "what to do when confronted by an armed robber" would include "invite him to join you for a glass of wine".
Having said that, I'm sure there's a starry-eyed pacifist out there somewhere who will seize upon this incident as "proof" that all conflict can be resolved peacefully.
Other interpretations - the robber may well have been bipolar or suffering from some other mental disorder, as the shift from robbery to hugging seems abrupt and unnatural to me. At the very least he doesn't seem like a hardened career criminal, who (I imagine) would be more task-centered. Dangerous, yes, but not acting like someone pursuing a goal - he was too easily distracted for that interpretation to seem valid to me.
Also, it reminds me that I need to carry my own gun even in my back yard, and to remember to lock the gate.
Hat tip to National Review.
Short version: robber with gun walks in on dinner party, demands money. Diners invite him to join them; he agrees, has a bit of cheese with his wine, then asks for a hug. Yes, a hug. Then a group hug. Then he walks away without any money, having hurt nobody.
Several interpretations come to mind. The first is that Gavin De Becker is right - intuition is very powerful and can be your friend in a time of crisis. I'm betting that there was something in the robber's demeanor that the first diner picked up on, that the words "join us" would be a strategy that would work with this particular armed man at this particular time.
Having read De Becker's "The Gift of Fear" I've become persuaded that any sort of hard-and-fast rules about dealing with dangerous situations - to always do this, to never do that - are probably bad.
I doubt anybody's list of "what to do when confronted by an armed robber" would include "invite him to join you for a glass of wine".
Having said that, I'm sure there's a starry-eyed pacifist out there somewhere who will seize upon this incident as "proof" that all conflict can be resolved peacefully.
Other interpretations - the robber may well have been bipolar or suffering from some other mental disorder, as the shift from robbery to hugging seems abrupt and unnatural to me. At the very least he doesn't seem like a hardened career criminal, who (I imagine) would be more task-centered. Dangerous, yes, but not acting like someone pursuing a goal - he was too easily distracted for that interpretation to seem valid to me.
Also, it reminds me that I need to carry my own gun even in my back yard, and to remember to lock the gate.
Hat tip to National Review.
Iraqi Neighborhood Watch
On the page Reason Magazine - Hit & Run we find this video:
It's unsurprising to me that local people would band together for self protection, so I find this video to be plausible, and in a way uplifting - all the MSM reporting out of Iraq seems both negative and focused on the moves of the people at the top, not on what normal people are doing to make their own corner of the world better.
It's unsurprising to me that local people would band together for self protection, so I find this video to be plausible, and in a way uplifting - all the MSM reporting out of Iraq seems both negative and focused on the moves of the people at the top, not on what normal people are doing to make their own corner of the world better.
Friday, July 13, 2007
We're Number One, Alas - WSJ.com
We're Number One, Alas - WSJ.com - an overview of corporate tax rates across Europe and around the world. It points out that the US has one of the highest corporate tax rates, yet gets less revenue than other countries with lower rates. Good explanation of the Laffer Curve.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Fight for Urban Accountability
The Fight for Urban Accountability - Stephen Goldsmith relates the story of San Diego and it's financial implosion, followed by significant reforms.
What Transformational Leaders Do
What Transformational Leaders Do - a column by Babak Armajani - offers good advice for the aspiring leader, echoing much of what Peter Drucker, Larry Dennis and others have said. Well written.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Bush's Failure with Immigration Reform
I'll come up with some constructive ideas on immigration reform later. For now, consider Bush's failure to craft a passable immigration reform bill, and his fracturing of the GOP base in the process.
We know that Bush doesn't change course easily, if at all. We know he likes to pick a direction and stick with it, ignoring critics and shaking off course corrections. He's done it with the Harriet Miers nomination, with Iraq multiple times, with his failed Social Security reform.
A more successful approach would have been that of a Reagan or Clinton - both were at least aware of public opinion (Clinton perhaps to excess). Both were willing to actively court critics and naysayers, and to find ways to tweak proposals to address their concerns and gather support.
Bush's weaknesses as a leader - his inability to persuade skeptics, his inability to compromise when it would help - have now overwhelmed his strengths.
It's been said that Ronald Reagan, in his first month in office, made more phone calls to Democratic US House Representatives than Jimmy Carter had made in his entire term in office. I'm guessing Bush has followed Carter's lead more than Reagan's.
We know that Bush doesn't change course easily, if at all. We know he likes to pick a direction and stick with it, ignoring critics and shaking off course corrections. He's done it with the Harriet Miers nomination, with Iraq multiple times, with his failed Social Security reform.
A more successful approach would have been that of a Reagan or Clinton - both were at least aware of public opinion (Clinton perhaps to excess). Both were willing to actively court critics and naysayers, and to find ways to tweak proposals to address their concerns and gather support.
Bush's weaknesses as a leader - his inability to persuade skeptics, his inability to compromise when it would help - have now overwhelmed his strengths.
It's been said that Ronald Reagan, in his first month in office, made more phone calls to Democratic US House Representatives than Jimmy Carter had made in his entire term in office. I'm guessing Bush has followed Carter's lead more than Reagan's.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Who's Really 'Sicko'
Who's Really 'Sicko'
In Canada, dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week. Humans can wait two to three years
Excerpt from the article:
"In Britain, the Department of Health recently acknowledged that one in eight patients wait more than a year for surgery. Around the time Mr. Moore was putting the finishing touches on his documentary, a hospital in Sutton Coldfield announced its new money-saving linen policy: Housekeeping will no longer change the bed sheets between patients, just turn them over. France's system failed so spectacularly in the summer heat of 2003 that 13,000 people died, largely of dehydration. Hospitals stopped answering the phones and ambulance attendants told people to fend for themselves."
A compelling read, and a good counter-weight to the hype around "Sicko". Too bad Moore doesn't care about facts.
In Canada, dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week. Humans can wait two to three years
Excerpt from the article:
"In Britain, the Department of Health recently acknowledged that one in eight patients wait more than a year for surgery. Around the time Mr. Moore was putting the finishing touches on his documentary, a hospital in Sutton Coldfield announced its new money-saving linen policy: Housekeeping will no longer change the bed sheets between patients, just turn them over. France's system failed so spectacularly in the summer heat of 2003 that 13,000 people died, largely of dehydration. Hospitals stopped answering the phones and ambulance attendants told people to fend for themselves."
A compelling read, and a good counter-weight to the hype around "Sicko". Too bad Moore doesn't care about facts.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Pork Project (OpinionJournal)
Pork Project - An earmark lesson for Washington from the states: shame.
Details the state-level move towards transparency and the political capital to be gained from opposing pork-barrel spending.
Details the state-level move towards transparency and the political capital to be gained from opposing pork-barrel spending.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Harry Reid hopes to help unions deprive workers of their right to vote
Card Trick - Harry Reid hopes to help unions deprive workers of their right to vote.
Wow - it seems that many organizations eventually come to undermine the goals they originally claimed to serve. In this case, labor seeks to victimize workers instead of empowering them. Ugly.
Wow - it seems that many organizations eventually come to undermine the goals they originally claimed to serve. In this case, labor seeks to victimize workers instead of empowering them. Ugly.
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