Name
Challenge Workshop: Transformative Workers: How Automation and Digitalization are Changing the Federal Workplace
Date & Time
Thursday, July 30, 2020, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Description

 

The value of technical solutions such as data analytics, digital automation, and machine learning to the mission is enormous. At a time when the federal government is facing record attrition and difficulty hiring in technical fields, the ability to make sense of data, automate work processes and menial tasks, and use software for decision-making presents an opportunity to increase mission effectiveness.

But for workers who have to learn the new technology or feel threatened that it is used for tasks formerly done by humans, this technical transformation is not met with open arms. The onboarding of such technologies are causing wholesale changes in agencies’ personnel needs. Skills and competencies are changing. People need to be trained, or re-trained, to do the jobs that some have held for years. In the commercial world, new technology adoption is a source of competitive advantage for companies - those that learn to do it well move faster than their competition. In the government, organizations that learn to adopt new technologies successfully will reduce costs, move faster to adapt to changes in the mission environment, and retain their valuable staff. Who is doing it well, and what are the keys to success?

In this session, our panelists will discuss these challenges and lessons learned for how to address this transformation in ways that celebrate the efficiencies of the technology while also respecting workers’ changing needs. The panel discussion will include moderated Q&A.

 

Objectives:

  1. To understand how IT transformation is changing the landscape for federal workers

  2. To learn best practices for bringing on new technologies that are good for the agency and its employees 

  3. To determine how to modernize the federal government, while focusing on mission, service and stewardship to better serve the public

  4. To know how to reduce the skills gaps in the federal workforce, enhance new/emerging skills,  and better align to future mission needs

 

Panelists:

  • Heather Kowalski, Chief Information Officer, DOJ - Interpol

  • Roger Miranda, Chief of Human Resources Information Technology, ICE

  • CAPT Jennifer Sinclair, Assistant Chief, Officer Personnel Management Division, U.S. Coast Guard

  • Moderator: Angela Bailey, Chief Human Capital Officer, DHS