Mastodawn

"The value of tech expertise in #government is real. That’s why #USDS and #18F existed and succeeded for over a decade.
This isn’t that…They gutted the #institutionalknowledge, fired the people who knew how to do this right, and replaced it with a system where people from private companies get guaranteed access to government data and decision-making through employees who are explicitly planning to return to those same companies." @mmasnick.bsky.social
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/23/trump-admin-reinvents-us-digital-services-program-after-elon-musk-fired-all-their-actual-tech-experts/

Trump Admin Reinvents US Digital Services Program After Elon Musk Fired All Their Actual Tech Experts

Here’s a fun game the Trump administration keeps playing: destroy a successful government program, wait a few months, then breathlessly announce you’ve “invented” the exact …

Techdirt

Anthony Kraudelt May 29, 2025

Those we sometimes call "dinosaurs" often carry the institutional knowledge critical for navigating and recovering from devastating cyber attacks.

They’ve seen breaches before “cyber” was even a buzzword.

They’ve managed crises without the luxury of today’s tools.

They know what can go wrong — and how to bounce back.

- Tap into their insights.
- Respect their war stories.
- Invite them to mentor the next generation.

Cyber resilience isn't just about the latest tech; it's about wisdom earned over decades.

Let’s treat our experienced professionals as the mentors, stewards, and resources they truly are.

#CyberSecurity #MentorshipMatters #InstitutionalKnowledge #CyberResilience #InfoSec #Leadership #RespectExperience

DoomsdaysCW Mar 21, 2025

#Postal workers rally against proposals to privatize #USPS

Maine Public | By Kaitlyn Budion
Published March 20, 2025

"Postal workers across #Maine are sounding alarms about proposals to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.

"Workers in #PortlandME and #BangorME rallied today to make the case that private companies will not be able to fully meet the mail service needs of Maine residents- especially those in rural areas.

"In Bangor, protestors chanted 'U.S. mail is not for sale' and held signs as passing cars honked in support.

"Tom Smith is the legislative director with the local chapter of the American Postal Workers Union. He said shifting mail delivery to private companies would only make it more expensive to send and slower to arrive.

"'It becomes a for-profit business where the bottom line is profits, as long as people can suffer a couple of days without their meds, as long as the bottom dollar is found,' Smith said. 'And that's not what we are. We are an essential service of the United States people.'

"Smith said workers are on edge with all the debate in Washington, and #InstitutionalKnowledge is being lost as some long-time staff take early retirement offers.

"'The Postal Service is inexpensive, it's prompt, it's reliable,' he said. "And especially in rural areas, people count on the Postal Service for life saving meds to Grandma's latest batch of snickerdoodles.'

"Smith said the union is encouraging the public to reach out to local and federal representatives to show their support. The National Association of Letter Carriers will also hold a rally in Portland on Sunday."

https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-03-20/postal-workers-rally-against-proposals-to-privatize-usps
#MaineResists #MaineResistance #MailCarriers #USPol #UnitedStatesPostalService

Postal workers rally against proposals to privatize USPS

Postal workers in Bangor and Portland rallied today against cuts to funding, staff and the privatization of the postal service.

WMEH

Adrie van der Luijt Mar 19, 2025

There’s something genuinely alarming happening in organisations using AI that goes beyond job displacement. 🧵 #ExpertiseVacuum #AIGovernance #KnowledgeErosion #HumanOversight #InstitutionalKnowledge #DecisionMaking #AIAccountability #Technology #AI #Management #work #hr

Bluesky

Bluesky Social

Show thread

C.Feb 11, 2025

@jack

It's a great observation. All organizations have, to different degrees, institutional knowledge that isn't formally recorded anywhere. There are usually recorded references, procedures, plans for many things ... but rarely everything about any particular task or situation. If you tried to replicate the work of the organization using only the knowledge they had written down, you would fail - there is always at least some [1] that you need to pick up by osmosis from the other people working in that organization.

The amount of this "missing documentation" varies a lot between orgs. But in my experience, large bureaucratic orgs, like government agencies, have the most undocumented institutional knowledge. This is despite the fact that they frequently have huge amounts of actual documented knowledge as well.

I would say that your estimate of a 3-week minimum to understand how a government department operates is, based on my experience working in and with government orgs, is fairly optimistic.

[1] This is despite any ISO9001-type certification.

#InstitutionalKnowledge #documentation #processes #procedures