Creating and Managing Government Collaborative Work Environments: Concepts and Practice Training Workshop

Workshop Postponed - New Date to Be Announced Soon – Willard InterContinental Hotel

Workshop Postponed - New Date to Be Announced Soon 

 

 

 This Event is Not a Conference  - It is a Training Workshop
No Sponsors - No Vendors
The Training is NOT Driven by Publication Advertisers

President Obama's Memo of January 21
Directed the Govenment to be more Collaborative:  Learn How! 

 

Workshop Description

A more collaborative federal workforce both between and within agencies is a stated objective of the President's January 21, 2009 Open Government Memorandum. Collaboration and knowledge sharing require organizational changes in culture, management techniques and technology as well as a clear vision on why it is valuable to the mission.

 Our speakers have experience both in and out of the federal environment in managing all three of these aspects of organizational change and can point to specific examples of success.

This Workshop is intended to broaden the understanding of how to create and enable collaborative efforts which have the promise of bringing about a more agile, efficient and responsive federal workforce.

Overall Goals

To offer answers to:

  • Why collaborate?
  • How do you create collaborative communities?
  • What works and what doesn't?
  • Lessons learned from government and industry leaders

What You Will Learn

  • Tweleve Knowledge management principles whose objective is to create a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration adopted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • The benefits of collaboration and knowledge sharing
  • Increased productivity and agility
  • What do we mean by collaboration?
  • Cultural barriers and how to overcome them
  • Methods to manage a shift to a collaborative workplace
  • Best practices from leading private sector practioners of large scale workplace collaboration and knowledge sharing
  • How decision processes are starting to become collaborative.
  • Technologies that support and enhance collaboration
  • Top-down, horizontal and bottoms up strategies
  • How the state department and the intelligence community use technology to enhance internal collaboration efforts.

Why You Should Attend

  • Government agencies will be increasing collaborative efforts in supporting President Obama's initiative for increased collaboration, openness and transparency - Learn How! 
  • Program managers will be increasing their collaboration efforts
  • Government Executives and Managers  want to better understand the cultural and technological changes coming.
  • Government employees want to  find how their agency's mission can be better served through collaboration and knowledge sharing internally, across departments and with other agencies
  • Management styles and culture are 2 of the most difficult aspects of a shift to collaboration. We intend to start this discussion on how to make this migration across the vast federal space.
  • Industry Executives and Managers will want to better support the government when called on to assist in improving collaboration

Who Should Attend

  • Government Executives  and Managers who will be implementing or managing collaboration efforts 
  • Program managers who will be increasing the collaboration efforts internally
  • Government Executives and Managers who want to better understand the cultural and technological changes coming.
  • Government employees who want to find how their agency's mission can be better served through collaboration and knowledge sharing internally, across departments and with other agencies
  • Industry Executives and Managers who support the government who will be called on to assist the government in improving collaboration
  • Policy Analysts
  • IGs and Staff who will be monitoring collaboration efforts and projects
  • Managers and staff at all levels who will be collaborating or increasing their collaboration efforts

Format

  • Presentations, panel discussions, and answers to questions 

Agenda

7:30 AM
Registration and Continental Breakfast  
8:30
Welcome
Art Chantker, President, Potomac Forum, Ltd. 
8:45

Framing the Problem: Why collaborate?
Why the Government Should Collaborate

The President's Jan 21st Memo on Collaboration, Openness and Transparency 

Ken Fischer

9:00
12 Knowledge Principles for the Enterprise: Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing and its value to the mission.
Bob Neilson, Office of the US Army CIO
10:00
Break
10:15

Best Practices from the private sector:
Collaboration and Knowledge sharing at Cisco
Alan P. Balutis
Director and Distinguished Fellow
Cisco Systems

11:00
The unconference: A case study from A-Space in building community and brainstorming in government
Brian Drake, Deloitte & Touche LLP
11:30
Real life experience of making a collaborative office
Gwynne Kostin, Director,New Media DHS
12:00 PM

Hosted Lunch at the Willard InterContinental Hotel

(Hotel of the Presidents)

1:00
Creating a collaborative culture and the value of collaborative tools in Government
Deb Lavoy, OpenText
2:00
Diplopedia and Communities@State
Examples of Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing within the Agency
Daniel Sheerin, Acting Director of eDiplomacy
Molly Moran, Senior New Media Advisor
U.S. Department of State
2:30
The story of Intellipedia and how it has become a valuable asset.
Chris Rasmussen, NGA
3:00
Break
3:15

Cracker Barrel Style Questions and

Discussion with the Audience
(What you always wanted ask and discuss about collaboration in the government, but did not have the venue or experts to answer)

4:30

Wrap up:

What did we learn today?
Where do we go?

5:00
Discussions with Instructors on Topics

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Robert E. Neilson

Dr. Robert E. Neilson is the Knowledge Management Advisor to the Army's Chief Knowledge Officer and Chief Information Officer. His chief duties include crafting strategy and programs to fulfill the Army's vision of transforming to a knowledge-based force. He is the primary author of the Army Knowledge Management Principles. Formerly, he was the Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO), department chair and a professor at the Information Resources Management College, National Defense University. He has taught and lectured both in the U.S. and internationally including the Argentine War College, NATO Defense College, Italian Institute for Defense Studies, and in Asia and Australia. He has been a consultant with Computer Associates, DigitalNet, BAE, and federal agencies regarding knowledge management (KM) and scenario planning and has been a featured speaker at CIO and KM conferences domestically and internationally.

He holds a B.A. degree in US Government from Norwich University, an MPA from the University of Georgia, and a doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He holds an honorary degree from the Argentine War College and is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University. His publications include books and articles including "Collaborative Technologies and Organizational Learning" (Idea Group Publishing) and "Sun Tzu and Information Warfare" (NDU Press). His article, "Narrating the Vision: Scenarios in Action" appeared as the cover story in Futurist magazine and his latest article "Ensuring Strategic Direction: Using Principles-Based Strategy and Scenarios Together" appears in the inaugural issue of the World Future Review.

Instructors and Speakers

Ken Fischer, CIO
Clickforhelp.com Inc.

Ken Fischer is an invited expert for the W3C E-government Interest Group and co-founded ClickforHelp.com Inc. in 2003. He has created the software behind several online communities, as well other types of web based application including widgets and facebook applications. Ken creates innovative social technology and strategies through an audience centered framework. He advocates tightly integrating technology planning, selection and development with audience outreach efforts as essential ingredients to the success of social media solutions. He received a masters degree in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis in 1996.

Deb Louison Lavoy
Director, Product Marketing
Digital Media Group, Open Text

Deb Louison Lavoy has worked for over 15 years studying what people need from technology, and trying to ensure that technology delivers. This includes focus on the real meaning and purpose of collaboration and knowledge capture. Deb has launched innovative online products at America Online, Adobe, and several startups. In addition to serving as Director of Product Marketing at the Digital Media Group at Open Text she is the Principal Consultant at Product Four.

Brian Drake

Brian Drake is a Manager and social software evangelist with Deloitte
Consulting. He advises government and commercial clients on a wide variety
of collaboration solutions that span behavioral, technical, and
organizational change dynamics. His client focus areas include strategy
development, communications, change management, and Enterprise 2.0
solutions. He presently serves a U.S. Federal Government client on the
Collaboration Consulting Team. He is one of the founders of D-Wiki;
Deloitte's global enterprise wiki. Brian's blog is at http://briandrake.wordpress.com/about/.

Molly Moran

Molly Moran is a Senior New Media Advisor for the US Department of State's Office of eDiplomacy.
Molly's current projects include Secretary Clinton's new crowdsourcing initiative, The Sounding Board, and the development of a social networking strategy for State. In the past, she served as Project Lead for the Communities @ State internal blogging program, and helped build Diplopedia, State's encyclopedic wiki.

Molly spends much of her time thinking and speaking to others about the role of new media in diplomacy, with a focus on knowledge management and improved communication within the organization. She has traveled to diplomatic posts on four continents to conduct training, brief diplomats on new initiatives, and observe work processes, and she often presents State's work in this arena to other federal agencies and NGOs.
Before joining State, Molly was a web editor and advisor for a series of Public Broadcasting Service's distance-learning websites.

Molly recently earned an M.A. in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University. She has presented her work at several academic conferences. In 2003, she earned her B.A. in English magna cum laude from Catholic University. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest undergraduate honors society in the country.
Molly lives in northwest Washington DC, with her husband Garrison LeMasters and their two cats. Her ex-racehorse, Charlie Brown, lives in Maryland and helps children learn to ride.

Alan Balutis

Alan Balutis is a Distinguished Fellow and Director, North American Public Sector for Cisco Systems' Business Solutions Group, the firm's
global consulting arm.

Balutis joined the networking leader after more than 30 years in public service and industry leadership roles. Most recently, he was President and Chief Executive Officer, Government Strategies, of a leading market research firm, INPUT. Before that, he served as COO of a small minority-owned firm. From 2001 to 2003, he headed a major public sector IT industry association, the Industry Advisory Council (IAC), as well as its parent group, now known as the American Council for Technology.

Balutis is a founding member of the Federal CIO Council. He led its strategic planning and outreach committees, helped create the council's e-government committee and served as its first chair. His 27 years in the federal sector were spent at the Department of Commerce, where he headed its management and budget office for over a decade and was its first CIO, and at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services).

Balutis is a five-time Federal Computer Week FED 100 winner, and a member of both the Government Computer News and Federal Computer Week halls of fame. He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Gwynne KostinGwynne Kostin is Director, New Media for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she drives the use of new technologies to solve business problems and applies new media technologies to old government communications. She launched the first policy blog at a cabinet-level agency, developed a multi-agency a web disaster communications model, led the integration of web properties and policies following a merger of 22 agencies, established a search engine optimization program, and created the department’s first social media strategy. Prior to joining public service, she spent ten years in new technologies, including founding a successful Internet start-up and leading strategic Web communications in health care and education. She enjoys talking to interesting people and figuring out how things work.   Daniel P. Sheerin Daniel P. Sheerin joined the U.S. Department of State’s eDiplomacy office in May 2007, and currently serves as the Acting Director of the office. Prior to joining eDiplomacy, during 2006 Mr. Sheerin served as the Acting Executive Director for the Information Resource Management (IRM) Bureau, and in this capacity he directly managed IRM’s Administrative Management, Human Resources, Procurement and IT Systems Support divisions. He also served, from 1998 thru 2006, as the chief of the IRM Bureau’s Program Analysis Staff, and in this capacity was responsible for IRM Bureau planning and policy concerning information technology, program performance and the Department’s information technology workforce. From 1995 through 1997, Mr. Sheerin served as an information management officer in the IRM Bureau’s foreign operations staff. He was responsible for special projects supporting the Deputy Assistant Secretary for IRM Operations and coordinated corporate information technology activities between IRM and the Department’s regional, functional and management bureaus, as well as the Department of State’s 260 U.S. embassies and consulates overseas. From 1989 through 1995, Mr. Sheerin served in the Executive Office of the Department’s Bureau Western Hemisphere Affairs as head of its information systems division. His duties included directing and providing the full range of information technology management and support to the Bureau, and to all U.S. diplomatic facilities in Caribbean, Central and South America.  Prior to this, Mr. Sheerin served in a variety of jobs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, including computer and management specialist positions.  He joined the Department of State in 1981. Mr. Sheerin holds a BA in Foreign Service and International Politics from the Pennsylvania State University, a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a certificate in advanced information technology management from the National Defense University’s Information Resource Management College. He has also studied extensively at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Military Intelligence College. Chris RasmussenMr. Chris Rasmussen is a “purple intelligence” and mashup evangelist within the US Intelligence Community (IC).  Mr. Rasmussen evangelizes and teaches how to use  lightweight social tools such as Intellipedia (wiki), A-Space (Facebook for spies) blogs, tag|connect (social bookmarking service), widgets, mashups, social networking services, etc. to create “purple intelligence” throughout the IC Enterprise  These tools, in agency-neutral space, have considerable advantages over exceedingly complex databases and applications often with opaque data access layers isolated within agency footprints with too many controls.    "Purple Intelligence" or "living intelligence" are terms popularized by Chris Rasmussen which are references to what happens when a range of shades between red and blue are mixed together and the intelligence topic is constantly updated unlike the snapshot idea behind the "finished intelligence" process. If intelligence agencies were to adhere to the same concept – mixing their information together into one topical space rather than circulating reports with limited feedback loops on near identical topics through disparate agency-specific production systems--the government would experience more robust and efficient business processes. In 2006, intelligence officials acknowledged major barriers to information sharing. U.S. intelligence agencies still produce about 50,000 reports a year, often lengthy and redundant.  Purple intelligence can help reduce the amount of duplication by moving the review process into the same space where the collaboration takes place. Mr. Rasmussen holds a BA in History and Masters in National Security Studies.  He was selected as one of the “Federal 100” by Federal Computer Week in 2008.  This award is giving to top executives from government, industry and academia that had the greatest impact on the government information systems community.

Registration

On-Site Registration (Prefered Attendance Method) 
Includes Presentation Notebook with reference section, Presentations, Collaboration oportunities with speakers and attendees during the hosted continental breakfast, refreshment breaks, lunch and post-workshop discusions. (Continental Breakfast, refeshements, and seated lunch at the Willard are included in the on-site registration)

Government Fee: $895

Industry Fee: $1,095
(contractors and industry including contractors in direct suport of government staff) 

Group Rate:  To learn together,  Potomac Forum offers a Team Rate.
Register two attendees from the same government organizaiton (for on-site attendance) and the third peson registers for 50% of the Government Rate.

Webinar Ticket

 Webinar Rate:  $195  (Government or Industry) 
- Presented in the spirit of the New Administration's Focus on Improved Collaboration and Reducing Costs
(Webinar Participation concludes at 3:00 pm)

Important: Please check your firewall for webinar access!!!!
Call Citrix support at 1-800-263-6317 or goto www.citrixonline.com/iprange.“ 



For those government or industry members who are unable to attend the Collaboration within Government Training Workshop in person, Potomac Forum  is offering a special "webinar rate".  While attending the event and Collaborating in person at the beautiful Willard InterContinental Hotel is preferred by most,  some individuals may not be able to attend for many reason. To permit learning from our many wonderful presenters, Potomac Forum is offering a Webinar at the greatly reduced rate of $195.  This rate includes audio reception and internet connection to the presentation material.   The webinar will be silent during the refreshment breaks and hosted lunch (no lunch speaker at Potomac Forum events to permit in-person collaboration with the instructors and attendees)   If you cannot attend in person, we invite you to participate in this webinar.For additional information, please call 703-683-1613.    Registration is available on-line.

Important Information for Webinar Tickets:  (Must be purchased before April 21)
Potomac Forum is  offering webinar tickets to allow broader access to this workshop and to save travel time and costs. Webinar tickets must be purchased before April 21, 2009 for this event.  Webinar ticket holders will be emailed the link and password to attend the webinar one day before the event or earlier.The Webinar portion of the workshop will start at 8:30am and go until 3pm EST with a 1 hour pause during lunch. (12:00-1:00pm) and a pause during breaks (approximately 15 minutes mid morning and mid afternoon (see agenda on www.potomacforum.org). Citrix's Gotowebinar product will be user to show presenter's slides and a local toll telephone number will be made available for the audio portion of the workshop. (Only normal long distance charges will apply. Voice over IP access will be available to those with computer headphones.) 

Please check to ensure your firewall allows the webinar service:The details for firewall access can be found at www.citrixonline.com/iprange.  Please check with your IT department before purchasing a webinar ticket.We encourage webinar ticket holders to call Citrix's GotoWebinar customer support at 1-800-263-6317 to set up a test connection if you have any concerns about being able to access the webinar service.  

It is the responsibility of the webinar ticket holder in insure their internet connection and phone are properly working. All phone and internet charges or connection fees are the responsibility of the webinar ticket holder and not Potomac Forum.   

 

FOR ALL REGISTRATIONS: On-site and Webinar Tickets:

 

Cancellation Policy

Confirmed registrations who cancel within 3 business days of the program will be subject to a $250 cancellation fee. Registrations cancelled after the program starts are subject to the full registration fee. Substitutions can be made at any time. In the event a particular training workshop is cancelled, the liability of Potomac Forum, Ltd is limited to refund of any prepaid registration fee.

Meeting Location

Willard InterContinental Hotel
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington D.C. 20004
202-628-9100