Dr. Albert Simard Presented to AAFC - Nov. 4, 2008, Ottawa, ON Social Networking in Government

Outline Collaboration Networks Implementation

Collaboration

Networks

Implementation

Strategy “ We must aggressively break down the barriers that stand in the way of more strategic S&T collaborations among federal departments and agencies and between the federal S&T Community and universities, industry, and the non-profit sector.” (Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage, in: Neish, 2007)

“ We must aggressively break down the barriers that stand in the way of more strategic S&T collaborations among federal departments and agencies and between the federal S&T Community and universities, industry, and the non-profit sector.”

Formal Agreement Charter - Legal agreement to jointly achieve common objectives, within a management framework , with duplicate records and accountability and joint rights and responsibilities. Nature: Clearly specified roles, rights, responsibilities, authorities, accountabilities, and reporting. (structured, bureaucratic, minimizes risk).

Charter - Legal agreement to jointly achieve common objectives, within a management framework , with duplicate records and accountability and joint rights and responsibilities.

Nature: Clearly specified roles, rights, responsibilities, authorities, accountabilities, and reporting. (structured, bureaucratic, minimizes risk).

Types of Formal Agreements Contractors: One-on-one; superior/ subordinate; single ownership of IP Partnerships: Two or more; among equals; joint ownership of IP Consortiums: Multiple members; apportioned membership; common ownership of IP A B A B A B C

Contractors: One-on-one; superior/ subordinate; single ownership of IP

Partnerships: Two or more; among equals; joint ownership of IP

Consortiums: Multiple members; apportioned membership; common ownership of IP

Benefits of Formal Agreements Contractors: Using external expertise for one-time applications; no staffing, rapid delivery, no program. Partners : Mutually leveraging external expertise for ongoing activities; augment core capacity with partner’s capacity. Consortiums : Creating value through synergy across all member’s expertise; accessing broad knowledge base.

Contractors: Using external expertise for one-time applications; no staffing, rapid delivery, no program.

Partners : Mutually leveraging external expertise for ongoing activities; augment core capacity with partner’s capacity.

Consortiums : Creating value through synergy across all member’s expertise; accessing broad knowledge base.

Informal Agreements Charter - Mutual agreement to participate in achieving common objectives, within a network structure , with participant records and accountability and common rights and responsibilities. Nature: Flexible, dynamic, opportunistic, synergistic, unpredictable. (unstructured, self-organized, maximizes reward)

Charter - Mutual agreement to participate in achieving common objectives, within a network structure , with participant records and accountability and common rights and responsibilities.

Nature: Flexible, dynamic, opportunistic, synergistic, unpredictable. (unstructured, self-organized, maximizes reward)

Types of Informal Agreements Group: few participants; elicit knowledge; unstructured; aggregating knowledge (CFIA Modeling Framework Group) Communities: many participants; share knowledge; self-directed; common interest (departmental IM community) Networks: massive participants; peer production; emergent processes; common ownership (Linux developers)

Group: few participants; elicit knowledge; unstructured; aggregating knowledge (CFIA Modeling Framework Group)

Communities: many participants; share knowledge; self-directed; common interest (departmental IM community)

Networks: massive participants; peer production; emergent processes; common ownership (Linux developers)

Agricultural Innovation Value Chain Idea scientists AAFC Innovation IC company Commercialized CFIA farmers Adopted Food product HC producers retailers CFIA Market consumers HC Consumption Waste EC municipalities

Outline Collaboration Networks Implementation

Collaboration

Networks

Implementation

Group Dialogue Dialogue is NOT: Discussion, deliberation, negotiation Committee, team, task or working group Majority wins, minority dominance, groupthink Dialogue IS: Free-flowing exchange of ideas among equals All ideas are solicited and are considered Best ideas rise to the top ( Sunstein, 2006)

Dialogue is NOT:

Discussion, deliberation, negotiation

Committee, team, task or working group

Majority wins, minority dominance, groupthink

Dialogue IS:

Free-flowing exchange of ideas among equals

All ideas are solicited and are considered

Best ideas rise to the top

Network Relationships Department Businesses Governments Canadians Practitioners NGOs Educators Agreements, Outputs, Inputs

Network Structure

Sharing Knowledge The value of a network is proportional to the number of users squared .

Social Network Principles Openness – collaboration based on candor, transparency, freedom, flexibility, and accessibility. Peering – horizontal voluntary meritocracy, based on fun, altruism, or personal values. Sharing – increased value of common products benefits all participants. Acting Globally – value is created through planetary knowledge ecosystems.

Openness – collaboration based on candor, transparency, freedom, flexibility, and accessibility.

Peering – horizontal voluntary meritocracy, based on fun, altruism, or personal values.

Sharing – increased value of common products benefits all participants.

Acting Globally – value is created through planetary knowledge ecosystems.

Social Networks – SWOT Analysis Strengths – rapid development, world-class solutions, emergent properties, creative synergies, vibrant collaboration, openness Weaknesses – constant change, unknown quality, less used by mature individuals, need to motivate participants, cannot be forced Opportunities – leverage internal capacity, provides creative solutions, easy to implement, low cost, can monitor emerging trends Threats – undesirable knowledge leaks, free expression poses risk, is the crowd wise, documents subject to ATIP, compatibility with mandate

Strengths – rapid development, world-class solutions, emergent properties, creative synergies, vibrant collaboration, openness

Weaknesses – constant change, unknown quality, less used by mature individuals, need to motivate participants, cannot be forced

Opportunities – leverage internal capacity, provides creative solutions, easy to implement, low cost, can monitor emerging trends

Threats – undesirable knowledge leaks, free expression poses risk, is the crowd wise, documents subject to ATIP, compatibility with mandate

Social Network - Examples Blogs – Individuals can easily publish anything on the Web without specialized knowledge. Innocentive – A global “Ideagora” in which those who need and those who have solutions can meet. You Tube – enables easy publishing and viewing of video clips on the Web. Slide Share – Enables easy publishing and sharing of PowerPoint presentations on the Web. Wikis – Rapid collaborative development of products; anyone can revise anything

Blogs – Individuals can easily publish anything on the Web without specialized knowledge.

Innocentive – A global “Ideagora” in which those who need and those who have solutions can meet.

You Tube – enables easy publishing and viewing of video clips on the Web.

Slide Share – Enables easy publishing and sharing of PowerPoint presentations on the Web.

Wikis – Rapid collaborative development of products; anyone can revise anything

Social Network Successes Wikipedia –2 Million English entries; 165 Languages; 10 times larger then Encyclopedia Britannica Linux – open-source operating system developed by thousands of programmers around the world GoldCorp – released geological data in an open contest to find gold; increased reserves by factor of 4. Procter & Gamble – uses network of 90,000 external scientists to leverage internal research capacity. Leggo – uses imagination and creativity of worldwide toy owners to create new products.

Wikipedia –2 Million English entries; 165 Languages; 10 times larger then Encyclopedia Britannica

Linux – open-source operating system developed by thousands of programmers around the world

GoldCorp – released geological data in an open contest to find gold; increased reserves by factor of 4.

Procter & Gamble – uses network of 90,000 external scientists to leverage internal research capacity.

Leggo – uses imagination and creativity of worldwide toy owners to create new products.

Outline Collaboration Networks Implementation

Collaboration

Networks

Implementation

Challenges Legislative Policy Regulatory Financial Infrastructure Human resources Cultural factors Intellectual Property (Neish, 2007)

Legislative

Policy

Regulatory

Financial

Infrastructure

Human resources

Cultural factors

Intellectual Property

Road to Success Support from senior management Clear understandable statement of what you want to do and why Good working relationships with corporate and legal enablers Willingness to compromise on issues that are not mission critical Perseverance and persistence (Neish, 2007)

Support from senior management

Clear understandable statement of what you want to do and why

Good working relationships with corporate and legal enablers

Willingness to compromise on issues that are not mission critical

Perseverance and persistence

Capturing Value Bring it inside the organization Stabilize it; make it work

Conclusions Social networks have both promise and peril Consider both strengths and weaknesses Analyze both opportunities and threats Is it a tool in search of a problem, or does it solve a recognized problem? What will it do (or do better) that we can’t do now (or do well)?

Social networks have both promise and peril

Consider both strengths and weaknesses

Analyze both opportunities and threats

Is it a tool in search of a problem, or does it solve a recognized problem?

What will it do (or do better) that we can’t do now (or do well)?

Thanks for your attention… http://www.slideshare.net/Al.Simard Can I shed more light on the subject?