In 2007, the State Department asked BENS for help in two key management reform initiatives: shared services and crisis management. Tim Warner, Vice Provost of Stanford, completed a review of State’s shared services – e.g. information technology, human resources, and contracting, among others – that has not yet been released. If Warner’s plan is accepted, we will work with State to define ways for BENS to help implement his recommendations.
In the meantime, BENS has agreed with State to create BENS teams to support projects in the following crisis management areas: information technology; training and leadership; and risk assessment/management. We have tentatively agreed to deliver a report outlining private-sector best practices and models in each of these areas by late 2007, after which BENS and State would work to implement its recommendations.
Additionally, the Pentagon has recently undertaken initiatives to improve crisis response capabilities. BENS led a joint State/Defense Department meeting on crisis management, and all have tentatively agreed to work together in areas where goals and interests align.
BENS has a long-standing interest in improving the business practices of our nation’s security agencies, and many of our members have experience in implementing just the kind of reforms the State Department is considering. How companies with experience in global crisis management assess their security situations, judge the risks, and choose an appropriate course of action can inform efforts of the State Department to change their performance in these areas.
