New Technology: Opportunities and challenges

IPAA, Adelaide, 21 Oct 2010

Nicholas GruenGovernment 2.0 Taskforce Australia

E ngruen@gmail.com

T @nicholasgruen

Tanta Steve Randy Waldman

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Identity

Contribution

Reputation

Authority

The culture of Web 2.0

Outside the walls: Inside the machine • If Justin McMurray works 25

hours a week for Verizon, who might be prepared to volunteer for:

–Galleries, Libraries, Archives,

Museums–The research sector?–Helping

• the aged, • the sick, • the disadvantaged?• the environment?

• Volunteers from the helpers and helped

Justin McMurry, Keller, Texas

Global Competitions

State of the art 70%

1½ weeks 70.8%

Competition closes 77%

Predicting HIV viral load

Accuracy of Prediction (1 – 100%)

• Revenue or sales forecasts

• Traffic forecasting• Energy demand• Predicting crime• Tax/social security fraud• Hospital casualty

demand• Identifying great

• Teachers• Schools• Hospitals

• and their best practices

US$5

00

DiscoveryDue diligenceDeliberationDelineation

Decision

What characterises Web 2.0?• Web/Gov 2.0 isn’t fancy technology

– The technology is simple and ubiquitous• Web/Gov 2.0 is a culture change

– Collaborate don’t control – Improvise, share, play– Users build value, the technology can let them in– Be modular: use others’ stuff, let them use yours– Build for user value - monetise later

• ‘Collaboration requires effort, and it also requires a change of mindset. In particular it requires a willingness to examine services from a perspective which does not place one’s own institution at the centre.’Warwick Cathro

1. User spots machine-translation errorand clicks ‘Fix this text’.

“No stop-work,”

wharfies told

An application for a four hour stop work meet-

2. Users make text corrections as they read.3. Corrections are saved and instantly

shown to other users.

• Motives • Interest • Glory• Addiction• Competitiveness • Social utility

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Government Blogging

What’s good?

What’s not?

• One Response to “SBR: map once – report many”

• As an accountant, I have been trained to move slowly and cautiously. As a consequence and like many peolpe, I usually wait for a while for the dust to settle before I hop into any new releases of software applications.

• Because of all the excitment of SBR and recent launching of AusKey authentication protocols, I broke my own rules (and am very happy to say that I did) in renewing my digital certificate early and have converted my certificate into a AusKey.

• I still need to learn more about the AusKey to get maximise benefits out of it, but in the meantime my signing into the ATO Accountant Portal is a breeze and is very quick.

• I certainly encourage other people like myself who usually sit back and wait for a sign from heaven before any thought of dipping their toes in the AusKey “pond” as water there is warm and safe. You may even enjoy it … now I think I probably am going a little too far.

• I will continue to explore and post comments on any issues or any good fuzzy feeling about SBR.

•  • Edmund So• May 22nd, 2010 at 12:01 pm

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Government blogging

• Engagement – still low (but building).

• Collaboration – not there yet.• “Have your say”• It’s all about having a conversation

– And conversations are two way• And building a community of

discussion – And communities are built from

two way discussion

Laurence MillarSeems like public servants feel more comfortable on their own blogs, rather than on external blogs, and the public choose not to join the public servants blogs (ref the absence of comments on the AGIMO blog).

So we have two parallel universes of conversations taking place - which is better than no conversations taking place, and at least each side can see what the other is saying/thinking.

But both groups want the other to join their conversation - can there in fact be a middle space. If so, what would it look like?

(Troppo – 7th Aug 2010)

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Social media connects peopleTwitter

Followers/Week

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Before After

Opening up to public engagement

New APSC Guidelines• Web 2.0 provides public

servants with unprecedented opportunities to open up government decision making and implementation to contributions from the community. In a professional and respectful manner, APS employees should engage in robust policy conversations.

• Equally, as citizens, APS employees should also embrace the opportunity to add to the mix of opinions contributing to sound, sustainable policies and service delivery approaches.

• Employees should also consider carefully whether they should identify themselves as either an APS employee or an employee of their agency.

• There are some ground rules. • The APS Values and Code of Conduct, including Public Service Regulation 2.1, apply to working with online media in the same way as when participating in any other public forum.

• The requirements include: – being apolitical, impartial and professional; –behaving with respect and courtesy, and without

harassment;–dealing appropriately with information, recognising that

some information needs to remain confidential; –delivering services fairly, effectively, impartially and

courteously to the Australian public; –being sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public; – taking reasonable steps to avoid conflicts of interest; –making proper use of Commonwealth resources; –upholding the APS Values and the integrity and good

reputation of the APS.APS employees need to ensure that they fully understand the APS Values and Code of Conduct and how they apply to official or personal communications. If in doubt, they should stop and think about whether to comment and what to say, refer to the Code of Conduct, consult their agency’s policies, seek advice from someone in authority in their agency, or consult the Ethics Advisory Service in the Australian Public Service Commission.

–Agencies may find it helpful to provide guidance and training to employees in using ICT resources, including personal use, the use of social media, and any rules or policies about representing their agency online. It would be particularly helpful to workshop scenarios around some of the more complex or ‘grey’ issues that arise for employees in deciding whether and how to participate online, in the performance of their duties or otherwise, consistent with the above principles.

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• @NicholasGruen Don’t laugh here – 93 and counting

• @NicholasGruen Just looking through them, there’s been 42 asking for my CV, 31 asking for a chat about a position and 20 firm offers.

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Reaction to our report

The Australian Government 2.0 Taskforce Teaches Us A Lesson

Their report is the best piece of work I have seen by a government-driven initiative around government 2.0. But I would also like to praise the way members of the taskforce worked over the last few months.

Their blog was a constant source of thoughtful considerations, and their debate went on in the open, being as informative as the report itself. They participated in external debates, by reading other people’s blogs, reaching out and commenting. For what I have seen, as I had a few chances to interact with them, the level of engagement and openness they have achieved was truly exemplary, with a level of humility that made their excellent skills even stronger.

2nd of top ten things

A truly excellent report in a remarkably short period of time, reaching out to experts inside and outside government worldwide, and showing a rare attitude to listening to other people’s opinions.

Australia is the place where the government 2.0 taskforce has recognized the centricity of employees and the federal government has bought into that idea.

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Declaration of Open Government

Citizen collaboration in policy and service delivery design will enhance the processes of government and improve the outcomes sought. Collaboration with citizens is to be enabled and encouraged. Agencies are to reduce barriers to online engagement, undertake social networking, crowd sourcing and online collaboration projects and support online engagement by employees, in accordance with the Australian Public Service Commission Guidelines.The possibilities for open government depend on the innovative use of new internet-based technologies. Agencies are to develop policies that support employee-initiated, innovative Government 2.0-based proposals.

Minister for Finance and Deregulation16th July 2010

Opening up to public engagement

Bypassing IT

IT Web 2.0Mechanical Social

Technological Communicative$$$$$ $

Elaborately planned

Often improvised

Governance – Impossible

Governance - Difficult

Web 2.0 in different places Marketing/Comms

Service Delivery Policy development

Lowers cost/ Increases reach

Can raise costs/but can lower quality

Can reach just the right person

Can raise risks – but risks needn’t

be great and rewards are also

increased

Private sector uses it to lower

costsOnline forums

and other form of self help

Can bug fix problems in your

systemIdentify new

ideasKeep public

servants in touch with others’

thinking

Moran Review The Advisory Group has identified a set of components that

provide a framework for considering opportunities for reform. A high performing public service:

A. Meets the needs of citizens;B. Provides strong leadership and strategic direction;C. Contains a highly capable workforce; andD. Operates efficiently at a consistently high standard.

“Literature on organisational performance shows that these four components are hallmarks of effective organisations. A comprehensive review of 91 studies into high performing organisations produced a set of common characteristics that have been mapped onto the four components. These include strategy, process, management, technology, leadership, individuals, culture and external orientation.”

Meta-analysis

91 literature sources

No study earlier than 1990

Analysis of multiple firms/agencies

How do we address/improve service delivery in key areas such as:• Xxxxx• Xxxxx

What are the external factors for the department to consider in developing policy solutions?• Are there any other opportunities we should be looking at?

In an outsourced environment what other levers could be used to improve performance of providers?

How can the Department encourage co-operation/best practice between providers in a competitive environment?

How can the Department encourage innovation in service delivery and policy development?

Strategic Questions/Discussion

I have no desire to

make windows

into men’s souls 

FixMyStreet, http://www.fixmystreet.com

Reconfiguring state boundaries:Government as wholesaler

• Utility reform shrank natural monopoly aspects of utilities

• Government 2.0 involves governments ‘wholesaling’ core servicesand opening up retail.

• Utility reform opened space for for-profit competition– Motive is economic

• Government 2.0 energy can come from for-profit or not-for-profit– Motives economic, social and democratic

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It’s Buggered Mate, http://its-buggered-mate.apps.lpmodules.com

SeeClickFix, http://www.seeclickfix.com

OpenAustralia, www.openaustralia.org/

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Web 2.0 and participatory democracy

– As could Web 1.0 – But do we want it?

Top two items on Obama’s brainstorming site– Legalise marijuana – Release Barack Obama’s birth

certificate– Release the Roswell files (in top ten)

Building platforms others won’t

ABC Open, http://www.abc.net.au/open/

International Reference Group Richard Allan (Director of Policy,

Facebook, EU)Charlie Beckett (Director LSE’s

Polis)Steven Clift (Online strategist and

innovator)David Eaves (Writer and speaker

on public policy)Ed Felten (Director Centre for

Information Technology Policy Princeton University)

Michael Geist (Chair, Internet and e-commerce law at University of Ottawa)

William Heath (IdealGovernment.Gov)

Andrew Hoppin (CIO of New York State Senate)

Eric Ketelaar (Emeritus Prof of Archivistics, University of Amsterdam)

Charles Leadbeater (consultant and author)

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger (Associate Professor of Public Policy, National University of Singapore)

Michal Migurski (Technology Head at Stamen)

Laurence Millar (Former NZ CIO)Geoff Mulgan (Director, Young

Foundation)Cameron Neylon (Biophysicist,l)John Palfry (Professor of Law at

Harvard Law School)Jason Ryan (State Service

Commission, NZ)Tom Steinberg (Founder,

mysociety.org)Hon. Mozelle W. Thompson

(Facebook – USA)Nat Torkington (Chair O’Reilly Open

Source Convention)Joe Trippi (Writer and political

strategist)Carol Tullo (Head UK Office of PSI)Tom Watson (UK MP, Former

Minister for Transformational Government)

David Weinberger (Harvard’s Berkman Institute)

Dr Andy Williamson (UK Hansard eDemocracy Prog)

Ed Mayo (CEO of Consumer Focus)