Information Services: Breaking Down

Departmental Silos

Albert Simard

presented to Information Management in the Public Sector

Oct. 18-19, 2007, Ottawa, Ontario

2

A Tale of Two Cities

5 cases

44 deaths 350 cases

Vancouver BC

Toronto ON

Info

rmat

ion

Serv

ices

3

Outline

Content Management (inside a department)

Knowledge Services (departmental outputs)

Collaborative Networks (many departments)

4

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

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Content Value Chain

“Flow of content through sequential stages, each of which changes its form and increases its usefulness and value.” (NRCan, 2006)

Objects Data Information Knowledge WisdomDomain

Department Admin. Data Records Know how Experience

Content

6 to Content

from Production

Existing Inventory

Managers

Lost Value

Preserve Enable

Accessible Inventory

Organization Mandate

to Sharing

Managing ContentContent

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Content Management

Managers Preserve Enable Inventory

Senior manager

Manager

IT manager

Champion

Curator

Data manager

Information manager

Knowledge manager

Inventory

Prioritize

Capture

Record

Organize

Store

Establish programs

Implement programs

Persevere

Manage:

IT infrastructure

libraries

collections

data

records

information

knowledge

Existing:

Content

Products

Services

Accessible:

Content

Products

Services

Content

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Organizational Infrastructure

People Individual behavior,

communities, culture

Governance roles, responsibilities, authorities, resources

Processes

Collections, data, libraries, records, information, knowledge

Content, Services

Forestry, energy, metals, earth sciences

Tools Hardware, software, systems, networks

Content

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Content Flow

Executive

Operational

C

ProgramsIndustry AdminScience Policy

Content

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Using Content

Who Work What

Leader Lead Direction

Program Manager Manage program Operations

Planner Prepare plans Plan

Advisor Advise Position

Coordinator Coordinate Integration

Knowledge worker Work Result

Content

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Outline

Content Management (inside a department)

Knowledge Services (departmental outputs)

Collaborative Networks (many departments)

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Knowledge Services

Content Products Assistance Solutions

Objects

Data

Information

Knowledge

Wisdom

Database

Scientific article

Technical report

Outreach material

Geospatial products

Statistical products

Standards

Policies

Regulations

Systems

Devices

Answers

Advice

Teaching

Facilitation

Support

Laboratory

Direction

Plans

Operations

Positions

Coordination

Accomplishments

Services

Programs that produce or provide content- based departmental outputs to meet user needs

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Knowledge Services System

Indirect Outputs Sector

OutcomesCanadians

Intelligence

Organization

Mandate

Body of Knowledge(Knowledg

e cycle)

Direct Outputs

EvaluatorsRecommendations

Benefits

(tertiary)

(secondary)

(primary)Knowledge

Services

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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

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Information Market

Demand (Users)

Providers and users connect

through an Information

Market

Supply (Providers)

Services

Government On-Line

Global Disaster Information Network

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Knowledge Services Value Chain

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Use Internally

Use Professionally

Use Personally

Generate

Transform

Add Value

Transfer

Evaluate

Manage

Extract

Advance

Embed

Legend

S

Organization Sector / Society

Services

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Knowledge Market

(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

Services

Tale of Two Cities

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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

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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

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Information Policy - Context

Government of Canada

Mandate

Information Rights

Information Policies

Management Plans

Programs

Content Strategy

Business

Serviced-Based Framework

Service Vision

Services

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Delivery Strategy -Richness Spectrum

Content Destination

Content Difficulty

Audience Size

Interaction Transfer

Other service

Complex One Intervene Conversation

Knowledge Conceptual Few Support Paper

Intermediary Complicated Few Promote Specification

Practitioner Professional Some Explain Consultation

Canadians Popular Many Advertise Self-help

All residents Fool-proof All Provide Forms

Rich

Reach

Services

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Outline

Content Management (inside a department)

Knowledge Services (departmental outputs)

Collaborative Networks (many departments)

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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

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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

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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 BC

Networks

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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

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Partnership Value Chain

Partner A

Partner B

Joint Content

Generate

Generate

Joint Products & Services

Transform

Transform

Joint Inventory

Manage

Manage

Joint Solutions

Use Internally

Use Internally

Joint Outputs

Transfer

Transfer

Networks

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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

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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

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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)

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Network Relationships

Department

Businesses

Governments

Canadians

Practitioners

NGOs

Educators

Agreements, Outputs, Inputs

Networks

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Network StructureNetworks

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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

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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

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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

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Capturing Value

Bring it inside the organization

Stabilize it; make it work

Networks

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Challenges

Legislative Policy Regulatory Financial Infrastructure Human resources Cultural factors Intellectual Property

(Neish, 2007)

Networks

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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

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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

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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

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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 21st century.

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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 CapraThe Tao of Physics (1979)

alsimard@nrcan.gc.ca

www.slideshare.net/Al.Simard/slideshows