People, process and attitude are the keys to better partnership
Government and industry need to take partnership to the next level.

Yes, I’m a hockey fan. Living and working in the Washington, D.C., area, it was great to see the excitement around the Caps this spring — and I don’t think it’s just because they were the only D.C. team that was a playoff contender. There’s something about hockey — about the intensity, complexity and strategy of a winning hockey team, which scores goals most often as a result of great assists. In fact, it’s that combination of intensity driven by a strategy of collaboration that makes hockey the perfect metaphor for government/industry teamwork.

Public/private partnerships are by no means a new concept — think of the Erie Canal, interstate highway system and Apollo program. The most important challenges of the 21st century — from the economy and cybersecurity to national defense and environmental protection — will require the thinking and resources that only public/private teamwork can provide.

Although government officials clearly need to set policy, be in command and carry out inherently governmental functions, industry teammates can bring innovation, specialized expertise, and value to help win the peace and prosperity that citizens want and expect from government. Unfortunately, the current debate over what the government should do and what industry should do is putting public and private sectors on opposing teams.

I firmly believe that it's time — and it's imperative — that we take teaming to a new level across government and industry. With a new mindset focused more on goals and less on the penalty box and who’s to blame, we can gain the power of collaboration, deep expertise and broad understanding.

So how do we take this deep commitment to our collective mission and shared goals across government and industry to a new level?

I see the way forward in three dimensions: people, process and attitude. In keeping with the hockey analogy, it’s about having the best athletes who understand multiple positions and roles, it’s about improving the rules of the game, and it’s about having spirited, passionate and well-behaved fans on the sidelines.   Read the full article    tr.im/ryUu