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Contributors
Solving the Problem-Solving Problem

Solving the Problem-Solving Problem

Citizen expectations, digital transformation, new missions and mandates, and budget constraints are just a few of the challenges that Government agencies face so, the need to strategically problem solve happens frequently. Developing effective solutions for the challenges agencies – from tax administration to transportation security to law enforcement – requires a thoughtful and structured approach. These challenges contain myriad independent issues, multiple stakeholders with unique needs and points of view, and (commonly) pre-conceived notions regarding solutions not grounded in fact.

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SILab
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To Embrace the Future, Leaders Can Create an Innovation Mindset

To Embrace the Future, Leaders Can Create an Innovation Mindset

Whether new technology calls on us to innovate in the digital space or stakeholders continue to demand improvements to outdated systems, there is an increasing need for Government innovation and a willingness to accept failure.

The Innovation Checkpoint at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, which reopened in 2021 is the only airport security checkpoint in the nation that tests new security technology in real time. This collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration and McCarran Airport is one of many examples of organizations implementing an Innovation Mindset to act and use innovative approaches to solve homeland security challenges.

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SILab
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The SILab Transportation Security Innovation Contest: Keep Calm and Carry On:

The SILab Transportation Security Innovation Contest: Keep Calm and Carry On:

Many government agencies are adapting their responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in particular, had to adapt to vetting passengers through checkpoints in a safe, effective way. Fast, practical innovation alongside the necessity for the creation of long-term solutions was critical for the agency as passenger volume increased steadily.

TSA faced a critical problem: ensuring the safety of airline passengers and Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) while prioritizing safety and security. The TSA Innovation Task Force issued a call for white papers on Innovation Demonstrations for Enterprise Advancement, focusing on solutions for safe-distance screening and reducing the spread of infectious diseases.

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Arc Aspicio
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What Lies Ahead: Ten Risks for the Next Ten Years

What Lies Ahead: Ten Risks for the Next Ten Years

While some days, it seems impossible to focus on any threats other than the vulnerabilities and accompanying hardship of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that senior Government leaders take a more strategic and long-term view of all potential threats over the next four to ten years. These are threats that we can only imagine, beyond today’s reach and capabilities, but nonetheless plausible from those who intend to do us harm or from potential threats that natural or man-made catastrophes can cause. Once senior leaders are aware of the threats, they must prioritize them and make choices about where to invest in preparation and prevention.

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Arc Aspicio
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SILab Ideas: Process and Tools for Improving Organizations

SILab Ideas: Process and Tools for Improving Organizations

A great customer experience (CX) depends on efficient, compelling processes. Process improvement sounds simple enough – just identify a few bottlenecks or weak points, reroute processes, teach the new processes to your employees, and congratulate yourself on a job well done. Right?

Process improvement rarely goes this smoothly and they can be particularly difficult for the Federal Government because the size and complexities of the programs leads to processes that become firmly ingrained in day-to-day work and culture. To get it right, the Government must recognize their weak spots and develop a plan that integrates process improvement with their strategy and with organization change management techniques.

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SILab
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Key Components of Data Strategy

Key Components of Data Strategy

For many years, Governments have viewed data as a byproduct of activity with little value. This sentiment, however, is changing rapidly. Today, organizations are trying to get every little advantage they can get over another to achieve their goals, and in doing so, have taken advantage of what data has to offer.

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Arc Aspicio
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Amplifying Customer Experience By Looking Through a Behavioral Science Lens

Amplifying Customer Experience By Looking Through a Behavioral Science Lens

The emerging fields of Customer Experience (CX) and behavioral science have steadily grown in popularity over the past few years. Leading organizations worldwide are adopting and implementing CX to achieve great success. However, highly impactful tactics that lie at the intersection of CX and behavioral science are being overlooked and underutilized. By using a behavioral science lens, organizations can amplify CX initiatives to multiple their already impressive results.

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Arc Aspicio
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Human Trafficking – A Crime Like No Other

Human Trafficking – A Crime Like No Other

Human Trafficking is an insidious practice – one that is very hard to crack down on. The complexities of human trafficking make it especially hard to stop. Though organized crime, drug trafficking, or other global illicit networks come in infinite iterations, human trafficking is even more nuanced due to its commodity – human beings. All humans – from your daughter or son, to your neighbor, to your teacher, are vulnerable to the pernicious cycle of human trafficking, and an understanding of this is both vital to solving the problem, while also making it extremely difficult to investigate, prosecute, and ultimately mitigate.

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Arc Aspicio
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Sparking a National Conversation on Human Trafficking

Sparking a National Conversation on Human Trafficking

In November 2019, facilitators from Arc Aspicio’s Strategy Innovation Lab (SILab) led a dynamic conversation with a distinguished group of human trafficking professionals with experience in federal law enforcement, victim services, non-profit organizations, academia, the private sector, and included a survivor. I was part of a team of facilitators who provided ground rules and led a small group’s conversation with prepared questions. My background of twenty-eight years of Federal law enforcement has given me a breadth of experience attending and participating in human trafficking events across the United States and abroad, usually aimed at training personnel or presenting information about this crime. Seldom do they engage human trafficking experts across profession areas to share experiences and perspectives and strategize actionable solutions.

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Arc Aspicio
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How Better Data Can Help Address Human Trafficking at the National Level

How Better Data Can Help Address Human Trafficking at the National Level

Human Trafficking is a global problem, the extent of which is not clearly understood and is difficult to measure. To tackle this issue, Arc Aspicio’s SILab hosted Innovative Ideas to Combat Human Trafficking – A Conversation in November 2019. The SILab is a knowledge hub that accelerates innovative and sustainable solutions through methods, tools, thought leadership, events, and other resources to help our people, partners, and clients solve complex problems. Nearly 30 professionals with experience combating human trafficking in law enforcement, victim services non-profits, academia, and the private sector and a survivor participated to offer strategic and actionable solutions for combating human trafficking during the event.

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Rob O'Keefe
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