Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood

National Academy of Public Administration

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood brings together government and private sector leaders for in-depth conversations about the big issues impacting public service, government and more. A podcast of the National Academy of Public Administration.

  1. 5d ago

    Merit- and Skills-Based Hiring and What's Next For Government Workforce Management with Fellow Steve Krauss and Gabe Menchaca of the Niskanen Center

    Host James-Christian Blockwood discusses government performance and HR systems with Gabe Menchaca of the Niskanen Center and Academy Fellow and Government HR expert Steve Krauss.  Menchaca summarizes a Niskanen-Academy study describing wide variation in state civil service models, limited scholarship on state HR, and mixed early results from skills-based hiring due to assessment and measurement bottlenecks and inconsistent time-to-hire metrics.  Kraussand Menchaca distinguish nonpartisan hiring from competition-based merit and argue modern merit depends on valid skills assessments. Krauss emphasizes strategic workforce planning, job architecture, skills frameworks, and HR IT modernization, citing initiatives like HR 2.0, USA Hire modernization, online retirement, and more. 00:36 HR Systems Overview 01:19 State HR Study Findings 05:43 Strategic Workforce Planning 08:47 Merit Versus Skills Hiring 13:58 Reimagining Federal HR 17:59 Job Architecture And Classification 19:16 Modernizing HR IT Systems 21:48 Bipartisan Reform Lessons 25:54 Incremental Wins And Big Changes Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    30 min

  2. Jun 1

    Leading With Courage with Acquisition Experts Soraya Correa and Greg Giddens

    Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Soraya Correa, President and CEO of  the National Industries for the Blind and former Chief Procurement Officer at the US Department of Homeland Security,  and Greg Giddens, of Potomac Ridge Consulting, and former Chief Acquisition Officer at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, on how federal acquisition enables mission outcomes beyond compliance.  Giddens describes procurement as a strategic bridge between government missions and private industry, with compliance baked into the process, and argues acquisition should be involved early and represented at the C-suite. Correa says the FAR rarely blocks results; problems often come from how regulations are interpreted, and effective reform depends on curiosity, planning for change, and calibrating risk to mission urgency.  Both stress change management through clear, transparent communication of the “why,” early wins, shared credit, and teamwork, learning from imperfect procurements and solving issues collaboratively. Correa advises emerging leaders to build relationships early, stay close to customers and staff, challenge constraints with solutions, and lead with courage rather than fear. Giddens advises industry to understand the process, persist through obstacles, engage early within boundaries, and tailor solutions to agency needs. 00:00 Build Relationships Early 01:31 Acquisition as Strategy 03:30 Smart Reform Mindset 05:35 Change Management Playbook 07:13 Leadership Skills Today 09:17 Customer and Team Trust 10:00 Learning From Failure 12:10 Seat at the Table 13:09 Courage Over Fear 15:45 Advice for Industry Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    18 min

  3. May 18

    Big Changes Mean Big Challenges for Shared Services and Government HR with Academy Fellow Brodi Fontenot and OPM's Rebecca Ayers

    James-Christian Blockwood discusses U.S. Office of Personnel Management's modernization of federal HR and retirement IT systems with OPM’s Rebecca Ayers and Academy Fellow Brodi Fontenot.  Building on a 2021 academy report urging congressional funding to modernize OPM systems, they describe the administration’s goal to build a merit-based workforce and modernize people management through the Federal HR 2.0 initiative.  Key elements include moving agencies onto a mandatory single core HCM platform to replace over 100 systems, improve data, speed retirement processing, enable employee self-service, and generate an estimated nearly $1 billion in savings, alongside a voluntary OPM Shared Service Center offering standardized operational services and strategic consulting. They highlight historical swings between decentralization and centralization, the change-management challenges of standardization, feedback loops, and long-term commitment, and note upcoming milestones such as announcing the new core HCM system and additional agencies opting into shared services. 00:50 Modernization Stakes 02:34 Federal HR 2.0 Vision 04:58 Shared Services Context 07:41 Centralize Versus Decentralize 10:34 Change Management Hurdles 12:51 Mandatory Versus Voluntary 16:19 Why Now 17:17 Public Impact 21:09 Leader Playbook 22:37 Next Milestones Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    25 min

  4. May 4

    Executive Power and Civil Service Reform with Adam White and Clark Kelso

    Host James-Christian Blockwood talks with Academy Fellow and McGeorge School of Law Professor Clark Kelso and American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Adam White about why public agencies struggle and what the executive branch does in response. They discuss how checks and balances slow action and make errors hard to undo, while polarization and congressional dysfunction push presidents toward unilateral action, creating separation-of-powers conflicts and court intervention.  The conversation centers on Schedule F and fears it could expand political appointments and erode civil service protections. They conclude trust is rebuilt through tangible, non-rhetorical improvements, suggesting a public-safety focus like FAA modernization. 01:14 Why Agencies Fail 03:25 Checks Balances and Speed 05:22 Congress Gridlock Executive Action 09:44 Unitary Executive and Independence 12:47 Courts Guardrails and Chevron 15:44 Real World Impacts and Trust 19:30 Reforming Bureaucracy and DOGE 23:45 Schedule F Debate 29:31 Rebuilding Trust and Optimism Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    35 min

  5. Apr 20

    Budgeting is Policy, or How Government is like 'The Matrix' with Teri Gullo and Karl Maschino

    Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Teri Gullo, former CBO Director of Budget Analysis, and Karl Maschino, former GAO Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, about why federal budget work matters amid scrutiny of spending, workforce cuts, and “DOGE”-style reforms.   They outline the normal OMB-agency-Congress budget timeline, emphasize GAO/CBO’s nonpartisan transparency and need to explain “the story behind the numbers,” discuss polarization blocking fiscal solutions as net interest costs reach over $1 trillion, and urge young public servants to see budgeting as policy and values. Chapters:  01:11 Reform Cycle or Shock03:09 Congress vs Executive Power04:18 How Budgeting Works07:20 Executing Enacted Budgets08:30 Speaking Truth to Power12:55 Fixing an Unsustainable Path?15:42 Management Lessons Learned20:49 Making Big Numbers Real24:39 Advice for New Public ServantsManagement Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    28 min

  6. Apr 6

    The GAO High Risk List with Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown and Kimberly Walton

    Acting Comptroller General of the United States and Head of the US Government Accountability Office Orice Williams Brown joined us in conversation at the Academy offices last month to talk about a hugely important document to everyone in the federal government: the GAO High Risk List. For more than three decades, the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s High-Risk List has identified programs vulnerable to waste, mismanagement, and operational weakness. But beyond oversight, the High-Risk List has become a powerful driver of modernization, reform, and performance improvement across government. Brown joined Academy Fellow Kimberly Walton of the Standing Panel on the Public Service to talk about how agencies and priorities get on the High Risk List, why some welcome it, and what it takes to be moved off! Stick around to learn what the future might hold for GAO and more. Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    23 min

  7. Mar 23

    Challenges and Innovations in Public Sector Data with Kari D'Elia of USA Facts and Diana Maurer of US GAO

    Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Diana Maurer, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and Kari D'Elia, Chief Product Officer at USAFacts, on managing public institutions amid declining trust and fast-changing information. Both address data gaps honestly and talk about rising distrust of both government and data. Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    29 min

  8. Mar 9

    Oversight and the Congress, with Fellow Tim Persons of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Dan Lips of The Foundation for American Innovation

    Whether Americans realize it or not, federal oversight and watchdog organizations can be enormously impactful in how the government spends money, makes laws and builds for the future. So why don't more Americans know about the connections between lawmakers and oversight bodies?  Fellow Tim Persons, Principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Dan Lips of the Foundation for American Innovation joined James-Christian Blockwood to discuss the importance of oversight and how we should think about the role of Congress in everything from spending to building, for the future and beyond.  Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton.  Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190 Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Follow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
26 Ratings

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Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood brings together government and private sector leaders for in-depth conversations about the big issues impacting public service, government and more. A podcast of the National Academy of Public Administration.

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