Kate McGovern

Published: May 22, 2023 by PA Times
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science, Education, Business, Management and Accounting

Lean process improvement techniques are often taught in MBA programs, but they are urgently needed in MPA programs, too. Public sector practitioners often learn on the job, but there are few consistent opportunities.

Published: May 12, 2021 by PA Times
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science, Business, Management and Accounting, Health and Social Care

Challenging the use of Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) by most states as unlean.

Published: Feb 10, 2021 by PA Times
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science, Business, Management and Accounting, Health and Social Care

How Lean principles and techniques can be applied to the vaccine rollout.

Published: Dec 15, 2020 by PA Times
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science, Economics, Finance, Business & Industry

How Lean process improvement techniques can be used to fight the pandemic.

Published: Nov 09, 2020 by Conference paper at the Northeast Conference on Public Administration: At the Heart of Public Service in America
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science, Business, Management and Accounting, Health and Social Care

The country ironically known as the United States experienced a stunning failure of governmental response during a crisis of epic proportions. This paper seeks to contribute to a course correction. As a practitioner of Lean process improvement techniques, I will focus on the operational aspects of the system’s malfunctions. The paper urges the integration of lean principles and techniques into public management systems during this public health crisis and going forward.

Published: Sep 16, 2020 by PA Times
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science, Business, Management and Accounting

How Lean principles can be used to design regulatory processes that are both prudent and efficient.

Published: Jun 16, 2020 by PA Times
Authors: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Political Science

Public services went online during the pandemic. Lean process improvement techniques can be used to integrate the efficiency gains with traditional service delivery to assure access and quality.

Published: Dec 08, 2014 by Public Integrity - Winter 2011-2012
Authors: Kate McGovern

This article discusses how moral lapses by officials, combined with inflammatory rhetoric, have deepened distrust of government. It draws on the work of Larry Terry to offer an affirmative model grounded in the Constitution. Operationalizing the theory of administrative conservatorship can guard against administrative evil by providing a framework for public managers to act without regard to political pressure, popular sentiment, or personal interest.

Published: Dec 20, 2012 by American Journal of Economics and Sociology
Authors: Kate McGovern

The enactment of Social Security, a fundamental departure from means‐tested welfare programs, was born out of the crisis of the Great Depression. Policy options to strengthen it are mathematically simple, but ideologically contentious. Arguments against the program, remarkably consistent since its inception, have been gaining traction. As the debate proceeds, it is useful to examine the history of opposition and review the case for universal social insurance.

By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting

I got my Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) long before The Machine that Changed the World and Toyota Kata were written. Decades later I learned about Lean process improvement and the Toyota Production System while working for the State of New Hampshire. As I’ve discussed in previous columns, the techniques and principles of continuous improvement (CI) are crucial to the public sector. Yet, they are more commonly taught in business and engineering schools than in public administration or political science programs. Students most likely to learn about CI are generally preparing for careers in the private sector.

Arguably, courses in process improvement should be a standard part of the curriculum in all MPA programs. The quandary is that Lean and Toyota Kata occupy a space between business management, public administration and human behavior. The study requires navigating where the academic world meets the pragmatic—where theory meets practice...

By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Economics, Finance, Business & Industry

Lean management principles and process improvement techniques can maximize the value of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Moreover, these funds provide an opportunity to build a robust sustainable Lean management system in the public sector.

This article urges the use of ARPA funds to initiate or reinvigorate state Lean programs both to facilitate the expeditious use of the funds and to build the expertise and capacity for continuous improvement. 

By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Health and Social Care, Other

Lean the Virus: An Opportunity for Response Redesign (an article) was published by the PA Times on December 15, 2020.

Lean the Virus - Applying Lean principles to the COVID-19 response (a conference paper) was presented for the Northeast Conference on Public Administration: At the Heart of Public Service in America November 9, 2020.

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By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Political Science, Politics & International Relations

Article published in the PA Times September 16, 2020

By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Health and Social Care, Other, Political Science, Politics & International Relations

Article published in the PA Times May 12, 2021

By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Political Science, Politics & International Relations

Article published in the PA Times August 10, 2021

By: Kate McGovern
Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Political Science, Politics & International Relations, Psychology, Work & Organizational Psychology

Kate is a quarterly contributor to the online PA Times, a publication of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). Her article, "Lean: A Management Trifecta for the Public Sector" appeared in the March 20, 2020 edition.