So far, most Canadian government departments and agencies are concentrating on Web 2.0 for internal collaboration.  In our department, the decision to keep the scope of Web 2.0 solely to internal use was an easy one, as we felt it was important to ‘walk before we run’.  However, now that we have spent the last 18 months introducing  Web 2.0 technology to the department and the community is getting comfortable with Web 2.0 concepts, it is time to ask ourselves if we are ready to use Web 2.0 concepts for external collaboration.  Are we ready to advance to the next level of Government 2.0?

Many government organizations are still leery of the risk of open information sharing and collaborative authorship for internal use, while some, who have embraced new technologies and new ways of working, have accepted that the risks are small and are far outweighed by the benefits.  However, are the risks for external use different?  Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t explore where Web 2.0 does make sense for Government.  

There are some obvious quick wins….the use of YouTube for video to broadcast messages to a wide audience, blogs for information sharing and feedback, the use of networking sites such as Twitter and FaceBook to assist with recruitment.  But, what about the use of wikis…how big is the risk of engaging in active dialogue in online media, or even more, inviting the contributions of all Canadians to help set priorities and develop solutions?  Web 2.0 provides a way to bring people to the table that otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to be there.   It gives the platform to not only find and retrieve information, but also invites their contribution and their feedback.  It not only allows them to share ideas and opinions with government, but also with each other.  Imagine the power of that level of engagement.  

By trying this out in some small chunks, we will be able to assess both the value and the risk of new approaches and address any challenges as we meet them.   Just as was done for internal Web 2.0, this will allow us to ‘walk before we run’ for external engagement.  But the time is now…..so let’s start walking! 

As we delve further into Web 2.0, in government and industry alike, we are seeing the power of the community, the eagerness to collaborate and the excitement brought on by new ways of working.  We see employees eager to share their knowledge, expertise, and energy on work that falls outside of their typical boundaries.  In turn, we should be able to leverage the power of communities coming together to produce results faster and better than ever before.  Sounds perfect!  But, there is a challenge…..

We find that our organizational structures and management policies are not always conducive to supporting these new ways of working.  We are faced with managers worrying about employees ‘wasting time’ on new technology or doing work that falls outside of their defined roles and responsibilities.  Our compensation systems reward people, well defined teams and concrete deliverables.  Management hierarchies have leadership positions defined and accountable for results.  These structures and policies were put in place to create well-managed and high-performing organizations.  But, how does this formal, hierarchical structure leverage and compensate the power of communities?  What needs to change?  This is the management challenge we face….. 

 Gary Hamel, ranked as one of the world’s most influential business thinkers, and according to Fortune magazine “the world’s leading expert on business strategy”, writes about this dichotomy in his book The Future of Management.  Two quotes from the book resonate with me as I watch Web 2.0 take hold at Natural Resources Canada.   

“The web has evolved faster than anything human beings have ever created—largely, because it is not a hierarchy. The web is all periphery and no center. In that sense, it is a direct affront to the organizational model that has predominated since the beginnings of human history. No wonder managers feel a little queasy when they venture into the far reaches of cyberspace, like space travelers who’ve arrived on a planet where up is down and down is up.”

“How do you discover radically better ways of leading, organizing and managing? The short answer: You look far beyond the boundaries of today’s “best practice.” You look someplace weird, someplace unexpected. To glimpse the future of management, you must search out the “positive deviants,” organizations and social systems that defy the norms of conventional practice.”

The current approach creates conflict….and in order to resolve it we will need to be flexible, creative and open minded to accepting new ways of managing work, and also to rewarding and compensating employees in new ways.  This could range from compensation and classification through to delegation of work.   Perhaps the best model would be to create a community of managers and employees equally contributing to challenging the status quo.

Feeling queasy yet?  Don’t worry.  The feeling will pass once we all start to embrace change and all the opportunities it brings with it.   

You can think about it….

You can talk about it…..

You can worry about it ….

Or, to borrow from Nike, you can just DO IT!

In our work environments, we sometimes fall into patterns of complacency…we find it easier to follow the traditional approaches laid in front of us even when we know there might be a better way.  It would just take too much time and effort to get buy-in to change…..or would it? 

What if a community got together to do it?  All it takes is one person to get it started, to bring together individuals with a shared interest…and it is amazing to watch it take off from there. Web 2.0 allows us to leverage the power of the community through collaborative approaches to work such as crowdsourcing.    

Making change happen means you need to take action, and sometimes that means taking some very bold steps and accepting a certain degree of risk.  You have to have confidence in your idea, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to know all the answers, because your community can (and will) help you.  Believe in the wisdom of crowds.  Like-minded people, are coming together in communities and building on each others’ ideas.  This makes a good idea a truly great one that is representative of a broader community..

Don’t be afraid to challenge traditional approaches.  “What is the worst that can happen?”  Unless the risk is significant, (and be really firm about defining significant) continue on.  Find your advocates…and perhaps not in the traditional sense of organizational hierarchy or governance.  Instead, seek out those who share your vision, and have the same passion for change….and the same sense of urgency to make change happen.   It is these three factors, vision, passion and urgency , that are, in my opinion, keys to success and what will give you the confidence to be bold and to accept risk.  When viewed as competencies, we see these factors as strong leadership qualities…..when shared among a community, this gives you something phenomenal! 

 Although still in its infancy, government departments are starting to exploit the power of communities.  It is fascinating to be part of it.   

Is Web 2.0 changing the way government organizations are working together internally, as organizations?  Is Web 2.0 causing us to think more about the contribution we, as employees, can make to our organizations?  Is Web 2.0 breaking down some traditional silos and stimulating us to work outside of typical work structures?  In my opinion, the answers are obvious:  Yes!  Yes!  And yes!

Web 2.0 has started a revolution….an evolution and a new way of working together, sharing information, contributing knowledge and respecting the active participation of a wide range of users.  This is the genesis of Government 2.0. 

At Natural Resources Canada, we are in the midst of such a revolution.   We began with some simple exploration into a few ‘collaborative tools’.  But, we quickly discovered the power of collaboration and Web 2.0 technology.  From then on we were hooked and we were excited.  As we shared our stories with others, we discovered that the excitement was contagious…not because we simply talked about it or gave demos, but because this technology is immediate and accessible. 

When we started our journey into Gov 2.0, we knew we wanted to try out a lot of ‘really cool stuff’.  We also knew we needed to demonstrate value to NRCan employees.  Our focus was on two major deliverables:  a departmental Wiki and a Business Case for implementing Collaborative Technology.  Our Wiki 101 pilot, (101 users in 101 days) was established to assess how a wiki could enable the creation of rich, integrated content amongst government employees (after all, a Wiki is only as good as the content it holds).  We also wanted to build some support and identify lead users.  The pilot exceeded our expectations.  Employees were asking to take part, they wanted to help each other out, and communities of employees with common interests were emerging.

In October, 2007 we launched our Wiki to all the employees of NRCan and three months later, the Business Case was approved.  Since then, our wiki continues to evolve and grow and, we continue to introduce additional tools. 

Has the transition to Gov 2.0 at NRCan been easy?  No.  It has been hard work.  Has it been worthwhile?  Absolutely!  Our bold approach has enabled renewal in the department.   It is supporting new ways of working and increasing the level of collaborating amongst employees.  It is changing the culture of work at NRCan. 

We were thrilled to be invited as contributors to this blog to stimulate dialogue on topics such as culture change, social technologies, innovative approaches, GC collaboration, rules of engagement and many others.  Through this dialogue we will exchange ideas, thoughts and opinions; share best practices; and talk about the challenges, risks and our changing role.  Most importantly, we will learn from each other in an open and collaborative environment.  In the spirit of Government 2.0, let’s start collaborating…….