Despite the dramatic changes that have occurred over the past half century, government remains deeply rooted in Industrial Age organizational structures.
Highly institutionalized and politicized, these agencies are cursed by inertia. Whether government can change is very much uncertain. Alternatives to the highly bureaucratized and hierarchical networks that dominate government agencies promise the ability to accomplish important missions in a faster, less-expensive way.
The panel examines how a transformation to an agile networked future might occur. Through the example of a fictional police department in 2020, the panel describes how a police agency built on an alternative network paradigm might function. Using the backcasting method, the panel also lays out a course for achieving such a transformation. In this manner, the panel will discuss the roadblocks that must be overcome and the opportunities that must be exploited in order to successfully make the transition.
Who should attend: Law Enforcement, Public Policy personnel, Security personnel, Business community
What you’ll learn: Alternatives to bureaucratic organizational operations, utilization of net-centric thinking, alternative network paradigms, and overcoming roadblocks to change.
How this new knowledge can be applied: By facilitating scenarios to overcome challenges to change.
John Jackson is with the Houston Police Department and an active member of the FBI/PFI Futures Working Group.
Mary O'Dea, Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida
Tom Dover, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, Virginia
Sean Varano, assistant professor, School of Justice Studies, Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island