If sponsorship is taken away – there must have been sponsorship before. So why does it go away? Understanding that might help.
Why we lose sponsorship
- Short attention spans
- Whitewashing, which they move on
- People over-promising, and the results not matching that.
The enthusiasm needs to be sustainable.
What is the "bus factor" for open data in government?
If you disappeared tomorrow, would your organisation carry on with Open Data?#odcamp— Terence Eden ⏻ (@edent) February 26, 2017
It’s easier to sustain sponsorship if your boss believes in the principle. If doing things in the open becomes absorbed into the culture, it will endure. If it’s done an an economic rationale, if that incentive fails, the project’s support will go.
External validation
How important is sponsorship? If you have a distributed network of people in the organisation using bit, it becomes self sustaining. But how do you get there? The Government Digital Service has an open standards board which meets every six months, which include both internal senior people and external experts and is chaired by the Government’s CTO. The external members give great feedback. Internal validation is good, but external validation is very powerful social proof.
External relationships also help reduce the risk of “preaching to the converted” in the small family that is the open data community. Should we push more for a wider senior network of people who can come in and support (or opine) on the open data progress of organisations. If so, they need to be more than just around openness and data, there needs to be business benefits experts who can connect the dots.
A culture of data
Organisations which are data-centric are in a better position. If you use data as part of managing your organisation, it’s a very simple step to opening up that data, as there’s little cost involved. Camden has been an example of this.
Lucky @foodgov to have very senior and 'junior' advocates of #opendata – need to 'just' keep doing it @CatherineB201 @JuliePierce77 #odcamp
— SianT (@drsiant) February 26, 2017
Without a profound culture of data use, it’s not just senior sponsorship withdrawal that puts the project at risk: departure of a key evangelist would do the same. A data exec or chief scientist puts you in a good position to start with.
If #opendata advocates disappear does the data disappear? Does it matter how senior? #odcamp
— SianT (@drsiant) February 26, 2017
One council has experienced the key senior stakeholders have left. But they left the people actually doing the data work behind, and so they carry on doing it – and they try to persuade the new senior stakeholders to become supportive. In that sense, it’s far more of a problem if the people who do the work leave.
We in the open data community are like yeast, we will stay alive until the conditions are ready for us to grow and thrive again! #odcamp ☺
— Katherine Rooney (@krooneyrooney) February 26, 2017
Networks and nodes
A network can survive the loss of a node, but if you don’t have a network, the loss of one person can be critical. Even in a network, it’s important to support you nodes – and watch our for a node who is becoming isolated from the network.
There is some suggestion that some organisations are beginning to feel a political pressure to close things down rather than open them up. In that atmosphere, a supportive senior stakeholder is vital. Losing them can ruin a project.
#odcamp critical role of "evangelising from the bottom up" alongside "topcover" from senior mgt in sustaining #opendata journey
— catherine brown (@CatherineB201) February 26, 2017
Incentivising culture change
It all comes back to a fundamental culture change rather than just a business case. Part of that is the historical situation where data is locked up in closed systems, and getting it our takes money and effort. That still needs a business case – but you need to move beyond that. You’re aiming for a position where that data is pervasive and changing the whole organisation through dashboards. There’s a limit to arguments.
Even if you didn't 'win' the #opendata argument that doesn't mean that it wasn't well made says @owenboswarva – comforting though #odcamp
— SianT (@drsiant) February 26, 2017
We need open data carrots for senior staff, beyond the simple cost savings argument.
#odcamp fantastic argument that #opendata is a key part of the answer to #silothinking – looking for "open data 🥕 " for senior leaders
— catherine brown (@CatherineB201) February 26, 2017
There are legacy cultures and commercial operations that have a vested interest in keeping data locked up. It only takes one MP standing up and asking questions to give you senior incentives.
Find open data carrots for senior leadership. How to build political capital to support the #opendata journey #odcamp
— SianT (@drsiant) February 26, 2017
You hear people talking again and again about the problem of silos, but precious little is done about it, because the value of breaking the silos is limited to an individual, even if the gain for the organisation is great.
Oh god – v chastening to hear peoples' perspectives on leadership: "I've never known ANYONE in senior mgt DO anything about silos" #odcamp
— catherine brown (@CatherineB201) February 26, 2017
With open data, the more open data there is, the more value emerges. But the benefits of that might not accrue to the person making the decisions.
Open data is such a good way to break silos. If we all published our data
Key takeaways:
- Senior networks
- Validation through external blogs/articles
- Get it in job descriptions
- More senior people at Open Data Camp
"Why are you attending this barcamp?"
"Because I'm a dangerous revolutionary!"
Pretty refreshing to hear from a senior manager 😸#odcamp
— Terence Eden ⏻ (@edent) February 26, 2017