Information Services: Breaking down Departmental Silos

Information Services: Breaking Down Departmental Silos Albert Simard presented to Information Management in the Public Sector Oct. 18-19, 2007, Ottawa, Ontario

A Tale of Two Cities 5 cases 44 deaths 350 cases Information Services Vancouver BC Toronto ON

Outline

Content Management (inside a department)

Knowledge Services (departmental outputs)

Collaborative Networks (many departments)

What is Content ?

Collections – objects, artifacts: books, documents, rocks, minerals, insects, plant materials, diseased tissue, seeds

Data – facts, observations : elements, files, records, datasets, databases, statistics

Information – meaning, context: records, documents, reports, photos, maps, brochures, presentations, recordings

Knowledge – understanding, predictability : equations, models, scientific publications, experience, know-how

Content

Content Value Chain “ Flow of content through sequential stages, each of which changes its form and increases its usefulness and value.” (NRCan, 2006) Content Objects Data Information Knowledge Wisdom Domain Department Admin. Data Records Know how Experience

Managing Content Content to Content from Production Existing Inventory Managers Lost Value Preserve Enable Accessible Inventory Organization Mandate to Sharing

Content Management Content Existing: Content Products Services Accessible: Content Products Services Establish programs Implement programs Persevere Manage: IT infrastructure libraries collections data records information knowledge Inventory Prioritize Capture Record Organize Store Senior manager Manager IT manager Champion Curator Data manager Information manager Knowledge manager Inventory Enable Preserve Managers

Organizational Infrastructure Content, Services Content People

Individual behavior, communities, culture

Governance roles, responsibilities, authorities, resources Processes Collections, data, libraries, records, information, knowledge Forestry, energy, metals, earth sciences Tools Hardware, software, systems, networks

Content Flow Content Executive Operational C Programs Industry Admin Science Policy

Using Content Content Result Work Knowledge worker Integration Coordinate Coordinator Position Advise Advisor Plan Prepare plans Planner Operations Manage program Program Manager Direction Lead Leader What Work Who

Outline

Knowledge Services Services Programs that produce or provide content- based departmental outputs to meet user needs Direction Plans Operations Positions Coordination Accomplishments Answers Advice Teaching Facilitation Support Laboratory Database Scientific article Technical report Outreach material Geospatial products Statistical products Standards Policies Regulations Systems Devices Objects Data Information Knowledge Wisdom Solutions Assistance Products Content

Knowledge Services System Services Indirect Outputs Sector Outcomes Canadians Intelligence Organization Mandate Body of Knowledge (Knowledge cycle) Direct Outputs Evaluators Recommendations Benefits (tertiary) (secondary) (primary) Knowledge

Knowledge Services System - Attributes

Independent of content or issues

Based on a sound logic model

Addresses real-world complexity

Includes all organizational “Infostructure”

Supports performance measurement

Helps identify important questions.

Services

Information Market Services Government On-Line Global Disaster Information Network Demand (Users) Providers and users connect through an Information Market Supply (Providers)

Knowledge Services Value Chain 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Services Use Internally Use Professionally Use Personally Generate Transform Add Value Transfer Evaluate Manage Extract Advance Embed Legend S Organization Sector / Society

Knowledge Market Services Tale of Two Cities (Performance / Supply) (Market / Demand) 6. Add Value 7. Use Professionally 8. Use Personally Evaluate Natural Resources Forestry Metals & Minerals Earth Sciences Energy 1. Generate 2. Transform 3. Enable 4. Use Internally 5. Transfer Organization

Why A Service Framework ?

Horizontal flow rather than vertical processes

Links science to policy and other outputs

Supports organizational mandate and business

Promotes sector outcomes and benefits for clients and Canadians

Identifies Important questions,

such as…

Services

Knowledge Markets - Approach

Supply

Integrate different types of content

Measure system performance

Improve system productivity

Demand

Survey market wants & needs

Transform surveys into market intelligence

Adapt outputs to market wants & needs

Evolve capacity to reflect shifting markets

Services

Information Policy - Context Government of Canada Services Mandate Information Rights Information Policies Management Plans Programs Content Strategy Business Serviced-Based Framework Service Vision

Delivery Strategy -Richness Spectrum Rich Reach Services Provide Advertise Explain Promote Support Intervene Interaction All Many Some Few Few One Audience Size Forms Self-help Consultation Specification Paper Conversation Transfer All residents Canadians Practitioner Intermediary Knowledge Other service Content Destination Fool-proof Popular Professional Complicated Conceptual Complex Content Difficulty

Outline

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) Networks

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).

Networks

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

Networks A B A B A B C

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.

Networks

Partnership Value Chain Partner A Partner B Networks Joint Content Generate Generate Joint Products & Services Transform Transform Joint Inventory Manage Manage Joint Solutions Use Internally Use Internally Joint Outputs Transfer Transfer

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)

Networks

Types of Informal Agreements

Group: few participants; elicit knowledge; unstructured; aggregating knowledge (NRCan knowledge services task group)

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

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

Networks

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

Networks ( Sunstein, 2006)

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

Network Structure Networks

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.

Networks

Social Network - Examples

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

Wikis – Rapid collaborative development of products; anyone can revise anything, experts are passionate

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.

Networks

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

Networks

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

Challenges

Legislative

Policy

Regulatory

Financial

Infrastructure

Human resources

Cultural factors

Intellectual Property

(Neish, 2007) Networks

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) Networks

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.

Networks

Implementing Social Networks

They 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)?

Networks

Conclusions

Content is the life-blood of an organization: managing content is essential to organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Services are the interaction between an organization and its environment: providing services is essential to organizational relevance.

Social networking is the collaborative development of intellectual property: networking is essential to sustainability in the 21 st century.

A Final Thought… “ A particle can be understood only in terms of its activity – of its interaction with the surrounding environment – and that particle, therefore, cannot be seen as an isolated entity, but has to be understood as an integrated part of the whole.” Fritjof Capra The Tao of Physics (1979) [email_address] www.slideshare.net/Al.Simard/slideshows