Building an Open, Participatory and Collaborative Government

Washington, DCMonday, November 2, 2009

The Collaboration Project

2

What is “Web 2.0”?●Well, what was Web 1.0?● Not interactive● Value is created by producers● “Me-to-you”

●Web 2.0 is the “interactive web”● Interactive tools and media● Value is created by consumers/users● “Us-with-each-other”

3

Implications for GovernmentPeople have an unprecedented ability to get involved with government...

4

Implications For Government…or, go around it.

5

Why We’re Here

To many, government looks like this:1. Government

makes a decision

2. Government reveals it to citizens

3. (Repeat.)

6

These are technologymanagement challenges.

The Challenge for Government

“We cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy.” – President Obama● Stovepipes and hierarchy● Oversight, mandates, and budget constraints● Legal and policy issues● Organizational culture and traditions

7

The Collaboration Project

8

A New Kind of Management● The old way forces government to push citizens

and stakeholders out of the process.

9

A New Kind of Management● Technology is allowing us to pull them in.

● Leader-with-Front Line● TSA IdeaFactory

● Leader-with-Stakeholders● Virtual Alabama

● Leader-with-Citizens● White House Open for

Questions● Peer-to-Peer● ODNI Intellipedia

LeaderFront Line

StakeholdersCitizens

Peer-to-Peer

10

TSA IdeaFactory

11

Virtual Alabama

12

Open for Questions

13

Intellipedia

14

National Dialogues● The National Academy has hosted dialogues on…● Health IT & Privacy (Fall 2008)● IT Solutions for Recovery.gov (Spring 2009)● The Open Government Directive (Spring 2009)● DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (Summer 2009)

● Happening now:● BetterBuy Project to Improve Federal Acquisition●www.betterbuyproject.org

● United We Ride/Accessible Transportation●www.uwrdialogue.org

15

A National Dialogue on…

16

Collaborative BrainstormingCitizens

engage the question and submit their ideas

The Crowdrefines ideas, votes the

best ones to the top, and invites others in to

help “grow” the discussion community

Catalystsuse their expertise to

guide, focus, and track the discussion

Time Lim

ited Event

Discussion Voting Social Networks

Text, Links, Video, Pictures, Documents, etc.

Actionable, Citizen-Centered Guidance

17

Outcomes of Engagement

Host a Dialogue

Gain buy-in for increased attention and action on the issues

Inform participants about the key issues and challenges you face

Identify and remedy important gaps in community knowledge

Connect and strengthen the community of stakeholders

Surface the most innovative ideas and important priorities

1818

Problem-Solving Communities

ProblemWhat problem is driving the need to reach out?1.

CommunityWho is the community I need to engage?2.

ToolsHow can I assess their ideas and priorities?3.

1919

Define the Problem● How do you find the “right” problem?● An issue that is within your purview to address and

where you’re prepared to be transparent

● Areas where a fresh perspective and new ideas could add value to what you do

● Potential communities that haven’t formed yet due to silos, stovepipes, and lack of a platform to coordinate

20

What Can Crowds Do?

The Wisdom of Crowds?• Deep policy expertise?• Ability to speak “government”?• Knowledge of your internal processes?• Sense of urgency around your mandates?

What do crowds know?• What they want and need from government• What they want it to be like when they interact with government• Best practices or ideas that work in their lives and communities• Outcomes government needs to accomplish

21

● It’s probably not “the American people” – so who is it?

21

Find Emergent Expertise

You

•Policy experts•Practitioners•Academics

•Front-line stakeholders•Community leaders•Engaged customers

Those who study the issues and shape your policies

Those who execute your mission and are affected by your policies

Explicit Expertise

Emergent Expertise

General Audience

22

Find Your Value Exchange● You’re asking people for their time and their best

ideas, for free.●What do they get?● “Chance to participate”?● Chance to engage with government and others● Clear indication of how they made a difference● Recognition among peers● STARBUCKS GIFT CARDS!!!

2323

Build A Process, Not A Website

Mitchell BakerCEO, Mozilla.orgChair, Mozilla Foundation

“You participate and see your work included in this project, and when we ship our browser, you and millions of other people get to see the fruits of your efforts.”

24

Some Things Don’t Change● Collaboration is making new things possible:● Can government act as a platform?● Can we move from transparency-as-output to

accountability-as-outcome?● Now that we can convene all of our stakeholders,

what do we do with them?

●What doesn’t change?● People are busy; use their time wisely● Governance is the job of government● You can’t delegate leadership

25

What Can We Do?

InfrastructureBuild an open IT

infrastructure

DataTreat data as a national asset

CultureCreate a culture of

collaboration

26

When You Leave This Room

BelieveThis isn’t going to

happen – it has happened

LearnEngage with new approaches and

platforms

ActFind a program

partner and pick a problem to solve

27

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. See http://collaborationproject.org/x/HIA4AQ for more information.

The Collaboration ProjectThe Collaboration Project (www.collaborationproject.org) is an independent forum of leaders who share a commitment to the adoption and use of collaborative technologies to solve complex problems of public management. With the support of dedicated staff and access to the National Academy’s distinguished Fellows and other subject matter experts, the Collaboration Project convenes members in person and online to share best practices; produces research on the opportunities and challenges of collaboration; and assists agencies in implementing collaborative tools and approaches.

For More Information:

Lena Trudeau, Vice President(202) 315-5476 ltrudeau@napawash.org

Dan Munz, Project Manager(202) 204-3664 dmunz@napawash.org

Daniel Honker, Analyst(202) 204-3633 dhonker@napawash.org

About Us