Government has 'late-mover advantage,' Zients says

Falling behind has its advantages. That’s at least what Jeffrey Zients, the chief performance officer and the Office of Management and Budget’s deputy director for management, seems to think. 

During a presentation at the White House forum on transforming federal IT management held April 27, Zients described how the federal government has lagged behind the private sector in terms of productivity gains over the last 25 years.

But, Zients said he sees a “hidden opportunity here” to improve productivity and save money across government. He called this opportunity the “late-mover advantage,” which drew laughs from the audience.

“Because the government is behind, the potential for upside is substantial,” he said. “We can we can learn from works and what doesn’t work in other sectors.”