Category: Staff Picks

Growth after the Coronavirus: Thoughts and Questions

written by Matt Andrews A lot of  people ask me how governments should support economic growth in the period ‘After Coronavirus’. It is a vital question that I wrestle with daily in preparing  for the forthcoming Leading Economic Growth Online executive education program (which I teach with my amazing colleague, Ricardo  Hausmann). Here are some…Continue Reading Growth after the Coronavirus: Thoughts and Questions

COVID-19: Planning for Tomorrow’s Problems Today

Guest blog written by Peter Harrington When he started his blog series on crisis leadership on these pages, Matt Andrews asked: can public leaders navigate high winds and big waves in little boats? We could add to that question: how do you build the boat when you are already at sea and the storm is…Continue Reading COVID-19: Planning for Tomorrow’s Problems Today

Public Leadership Through Crisis 19: How do political leaders commonly structure their roles?

written by Matt Andrews This is the second of four blogs addressing questions about political engagement in crisis response organization. The questions are: Who are political leaders and what roles do they play in crises?  How do political leaders commonly structure their roles? How can political leaders structure their roles more effectively? I will offer…Continue Reading Public Leadership Through Crisis 19: How do political leaders commonly structure their roles?

Public Leadership Through Crisis 15: The COVID-19 Crisis in Bahrain

written by Matt Andrews Hamad Almalki is the Undersecretary for National Economy at Bahrain’s Ministry of Finance and National Economy. He is a graduate of the Edward S. Mason mid-career Masters in Public Administration program at the Harvard Kennedy School. My Zoom interview captures Hamad’s reflections (as of April 3) on Bahrain’s response to the…Continue Reading Public Leadership Through Crisis 15: The COVID-19 Crisis in Bahrain

Public Leadership Through Crisis 12: Course correct; it’s hard, but you must—and can—do it

written by Matt Andrews My last blog post recounted, briefly, how Liberia changed the organizational structures it used to respond to the 2014 Ebola crisis, mid-stream through the crisis.  I wanted to tell the story primarily to demonstrate how the country ultimately adopted a flat, fast, and  flexible ‘snowflake’ like structure  (in the Incident  Management …Continue Reading Public Leadership Through Crisis 12: Course correct; it’s hard, but you must—and can—do it

Leading Remote Teams during Covid-19

Guest blog written by Lindsey Marchessault In the last few weeks, many organizations around the world have had to pivot sharply to remote work due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This shift can be a daunting transition. However, there are many strategies and tactics that can help teams to maintain effectiveness, productivity, and a sense of…Continue Reading Leading Remote Teams during Covid-19

Public Leadership Through Crisis 9: Pursue flat, fast, and flexible organizing structures

written by Matt Andrews In my last post, I argued that you should prepare to work differently. In this blog  I will offer ideas on doing that. I am informed by my BSC team’s work with countries employing PDIA (problem driven iterative adaptation) in the face of problems (some crises) and the work of people like…Continue Reading Public Leadership Through Crisis 9: Pursue flat, fast, and flexible organizing structures

Public Leadership Through Crisis 8: You’re not ready. No one is. Prepare to work differently

written by Matt Andrews I have spent 7 posts discussing leadership challenges in crisis for the leader herself or himself; what the individual needs to get ready and steady to help people through crises. In this post I am going to start pivoting to thinking about your organizational capability. I am hoping that a wide…Continue Reading Public Leadership Through Crisis 8: You’re not ready. No one is. Prepare to work differently

Improving Roadside Ecology in Calgary

Guest blog written by Andrew McIntyre Public policy is hard. Mitigating climate change as biodiversity continues to decline, tackling growing wealth inequality, and building a healthy, pluralistic society in the face of rising authoritarian populist movements across the world are just some of the most significant problems facing governments in 2019. These problems are complex,…Continue Reading Improving Roadside Ecology in Calgary