In the National Performance Review, what was the purpose of Reinvention Laboratories?

• A. To centralize control over all agency budgets
• B. To privatize the majority of federal agencies
• C. To standardize hiring across agencies
• D. To create Reinvention Laboratories where experiments in new ways of doing business could begin immediately

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is to empower experimentation within government. The Reinvention Laboratories were created as testing grounds inside agencies to try out new management practices and service-delivery methods. They’re designed to move quickly—allowing pilots to start immediately and to operate with flexibility that isn’t held up by all the usual rules—so agencies can see in practice what works and what doesn’t. This reflects a shift toward hands-on reform and learning by doing, rather than waiting for broad, nationwide changes.

This is why the option describing creating Reinvention Laboratories where experiments in new ways of doing business could begin immediately is the best fit. It’s not about centralizing budgets, privatizing most agencies, or standardizing hiring; those ideas don’t capture the aim of launching rapid, small-scale experiments to reinvent how government operates.