Citizen’s Tools has a great post about making the case for 2.0 projects. Having just returned from the Enterprise 2.0 conference in San Francisco where the subject of defining and measuring ROI was all around, this post became more relevant to me.
But, regardless of which of the E 2.0, Web 2.0 or Gov 2.0 waves we are riding, the subject is not simply the technology being used, but what it is needed for. If we can’t articulate what the problem is that is costing us innovation, competitiveness or resources, we can’t focus on where the value of the project is, much less what the appropriate technology and its use should be.
One of the greatest challenges organizations in all sectors face today is how to effectively adopt the social media and networking technology that has been so rapidly embraced by individuals across the world.
In the case of the public sector, the adoption challenge is very complex due to a long list of factors such as legacy systems, diverse sets of regulations and legal issues that vary amongst states and even entities and many more aspects that range from budgetary to procedural issues.
On an effort to address that challenge, The Collaboration Project seeks to bring together leaders who share a commitment to the adoption and use of collaborative technologies to solve the complex problems of public management.
According to their purpose, their wiki is designed to share ideas, examples and insights on the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in the field of public governance. This is a very ambitious goal that is really worth watching and learning from.
The Project is led by The National Academy of Public Administration, a non-profit coalition of public managers and organizers, but the project itself brings leaders from all sectors. The list of case studies they cite also provides valuable samples of projects where technology is used to address social challenges.
Thanks to MixTMedia for submitting The Collaboration Project as the fourth project for evaluation.
The Collaboration Project reminds me of the Brazilian project DNA Brasil by the Ralston Semler Foundation where they seek to create a forum of the best minds in the country on an interdisciplinary and unique basis. The way this project defines their results might provide some valuable points of reference when evaluating The Collaboration Project.
If you would like to learn more about what we are up to, provide corrections or contributions, please visit:
Collaborative Society Directory
(cross-posted: http://www.collaborativesociety.com)
Very welcome!