In his latest column, Steve Kelman delivers a harsh assessment of the workplace culture in the federal government. "In Washington," he wrote, "there is a whole industry dedicated to the proposition that the way to motivate the government’s career workforce is through fear." The titans of this industry are the inspectors general, the media, watchdog groups and many members of Congress. "This industry regards career civil servants as slothful and/or venal, and it advocates a management philosophy closer to that of factory bosses from the age of the robber barons than to the direction in which the U.S. workplace outside government is heading." Accountability is important, but it is not sufficient to motivate good performance, Kelman wrote (read the complete column here). Do you agree with Kelman's assessment?
