GovLoop is proud to have HP as one of its 2010 Partners.
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Many in the government 2.0 community are taking stock of the current state of the movement, asking questions like:
- Steve Ressler: Is Gov 2.0 in a sophomore slump?
- Adriel Hampton: Is the Gov 2.0 movement losing steam?
- Andrea DiMaio: How Do Open Government and Government 2.0 Relate to Each Other?
The fact that members of the movement are asking these questions is a clear sign that something is changing, as if we’re moving from one phase to another.
That’s why HP’s latest survey, conducted on September 7-8, 2010, with just over 100 IT professionals, is timely and telling. Here are a few of the findings (full survey results can be found at the bottom of this post):
- 76% feel that they understand what Gov 2.0 entails
- 2/3 believe Gov 2.0 will improve their agency
- Social networks are the most commonly used tools
- Security concerns are the main barrier to adoption
- Improved public services is top reason to adopt
What I found the most interesting about the survey – and where I gained inspiration for the title of this post – are the top three ways to encourage Gov 2.0 in an agency:
- 31% said “management takes the lead”
- 26% said “increase technology budget”
- 16% said examples of corporate best practices”
In essence, it comes down to managers, money and models. To be honest, these needs aren’t new. In fact, if HP had conducted this same poll 2 years ago, they would have received most of the same answers, including “demonstrate ROI or other benefits (15%)” and “consulting by outside social media experts (7%).” It’s the second reason that strikes me as the most significant shift.
Why? Two years ago, the main emphasis was not so much on getting an allocation for social media and associated technology as a line-item in the budget. We were all enamored with the fact that these tools were free! In fact, “low cost solution” was probably among the top three reasons that most people used to make the case for early adoption.
What we’ve discovered is that these tools are not “free.” They cost an agency primarily in the staff time required to develop, maintain and measure them effectively. And if an agency really wants to take the tools and technology to the next level, there is a cost associated with integrating them into traditional marketing, information technology and human resource
plans.
So the three main questions for the government 2.0 movement at this stage can be summed up as follows:
- Are your managers on board yet?
- Did you successfully advocate for funding in the FY 2011 budget and, if so, how are you using it (or, if not, why not?)?
- Do we have an easily searchable repository of best practices that present multiple paths to successful execution?
Ultimately, 65% of respondents said “Gov 2.0 will improve my agency.” If we really believe that to be true, then it’s time to get the managers, money and models on board in order to avoid a sophomore slump and to sustain the movement’s momentum.