Learning Objective
This state spotlight explores the leadership challenges redesigning decision-making structures, increasing transparency, breaking down traditional silos, making data-driven decisions, fostering cross-agency collaboration, and responding to a crisis.
In 2019, Missouri’s 16 separate, hierarchical, state agencies were not well-equipped for the complex set of challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic would present. Drawing inspiration from General Stanley McChrystal’s ‘team of teams’ model, Missouri set-up a Fusion Cell to mobilize resources and breakdown traditional silos to effectively address the scale, scope, and complexity of the pandemic. This state spotlight examines their approach to bringing together a diverse set of experts to collaborate. It considers steps they took to make data-driven decisions, empower people to take on new tasks, and increase transparency, accountability, and agility. It also explores cross-governmental information sharing, communication, and decision-making structures.
