Open Government – Open Hearts

What does success look like when engaging in social media?

If you have set out a plan and defined success that’s great and, I wonder if your plan also includes how to build consensus?

Many in Government 2.0 circles talk about the need for increased openness and transparency between government and citizens.   While this is critical as a direction, we should dig deeper and explore what has to happen in order to facilitate such an outcome.   In addition to educating the right people in government and citizens alike as to what an Open Government looks, smells and operates like, we need to address the “power struggle” and cynicism which usually undermines everything.  This battle takes place below the surface and behind closed doors, and can have many faces.

For example, a government I.T. department doesn’t want to allow outside technologies into their network.  They claim security and effective systems administration as the reason.  This does a number of things simultaneously, including the retention of control of a locked down system designed to stifle any innovation left within.  Just ask the Health Canada employees who attempted to tune into a live webcast we did recently where the landing page for the stream was blocked.  Health Canada bosses couldn’t tune in to an event they paid for and no amount of requests sent to I.T. was going to change that reality.  Maybe you live and work in such an environment, where this type of Open Government/Open Organization battle is taking place as we speak.  Building consensus is very difficult and very costly as a result.  Why say yes today when you can drag out the discussion for months, using every excuse possible in order to justify your existence?

Here’s an NYT article on how the US Department of Defense is moving forward with their social media policy.  When you dig below the surface, there is certainly evidence of issues and skeptism.  Despite all of this, the directive has been given and so now comes the actual implementation of the policies.

The combatants do not always include the I.T. command and control group versus the entire organization.  The sabre rattling can also include mid-level executives who have little recourse to prevent change (in their language – more work) in their world than to engage in “passive-aggressive” war games with evangelist colleagues.  They state support publicly for the course ahead while quietly and tactically undermining the project like a nearly silent virus.  Frustrating the hell out of co-workers who have great intentions.  If this is allowed to persist it rips at the very fabric of the corporate culture and good people leave as a result of a few poisonous apples.

Open Government, indeed an open and innovative organization is a result of “open hearts”

For me, in the case above, success is defined in many ways.  Not the least of which includes the early detection of committed open hearts and minds within the organization in question.  You can tell the difference pretty quickly.  People either stand for being innovative and for collaboration or they see fear at every turn.  They either see the possibility of solutions or they see barriers.  Here’s an example, compare the Twitter feed of your favourite elected official to that of Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey.  Do you think Mayor Booker would be open to his municipality embracing Government 2.0?  This is a Mayor who replies to direct comments about the clearing of snow on his roads.  That alone is worth remarking about.

When the student is ready the teacher will appear – Chinese proverb

We come across clients all the time who want an hourly rate for a few simple social media solutions, essentially they don’t understand what they’re asking about so they look to limit risk and exposure to the project without stalling it completely.  Consensus is far easier to build on a foundation of respect and rapport and, if they’re ready to learn then great things can happen.  We’re in the social media education business in many ways, and yet, if hearts and minds are closed for business there’s little we can do.

This may sound like I’ve pinned success on warm and fuzzy, vague constructs and in reality that’s not true.  There are metrics to be aware of, objectives to be identified and a strategy to be constructed including which tools to use when and how.  Having said that, building consensus and momentum for change involving Open Data and/or the deployment of social media within government and businesses often takes much more.

Building consensus is about “open hearts and motivated minds” and our experience has shown that you can’t have a successful social media or Open Government result without starting here first.