IDG Contributor Network: Big thinking at the SSA: Lessons in communication and respect from its departing CIO

Did you know that 65.1 million people received benefits from programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2015?  And do you know what the SSA calls those people? Customers. Can you imagine communicating with 65.1 million customers? Pretty daunting. 
One would think that the main goal of the SSA CIO would be to stay afloat, but Robert “Rob” Klopp aimed for more with his recent Design Thinking initiative. As CIO and deputy commissioner of systems at t