A Plan to Dispel Fear of Failure in State Government?

In the eyes of some, state government is a hulking, slow-moving machine perpetually bogged down by bureaucracy. Fearful of failure, state agencies generally avoid taking bigger risks, even if they could lead to bigger payoffs.

But what if government agencies became more comfortable with risk? That’s what Steve Grove is testing out at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). As the department’s commissioner, Grove is spearheading a goal-setting mechanism he picked up during his time in Silicon Valley. Known simply as “Objectives and Key Results,” or OKRs, the process doesn’t necessarily encourage failure per se, but it does encourage leaders to set lofty goals that might not be immediately achievable.

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