Bridges To Knowledge: A Blog by Barry Camson

Open Government IS Cultural Change

I recently delivered a training program for the U.S. Intelligence Community on how to effectively transfer knowledge. This program was delivered during the period of time when the Intelligence Community was migrating from the Cold War mentality of "need to know" to the 21st century mentality of "need to share." 

Government as a whole is about to embark upon a similar change to that which the Intelligence Community encountered. This is as a result of the President's Memorandum on Open Government. The President's Memorandum calls for openness, participation and collaboration in government organizations. The culture of government organizations will have to change. This cultural change includes the behaviors, attitudes, assumptions, values and norms of these organizations. The President's Memorandum on Open government makes tangible what will be required for government to succeed in the future.

Implementing And Operating An Open Government Organization

The President's December 8, 2009 Memorandum on Open Government requires a new approach for many federal government organizations. It will impact the people, processes and technology of government offices. It will impact the work habits and behaviors of government employees.

For Open Government plans to be successfully implemented, cultural issues will also need to be addressed. The culture required to operate effectively with an Open Government approach may differ from the culture in a given agency or its various departments.

Based on my experience in working with organizations that have needed to implement new approaches and modify their cultures, I have identified seven questions that will help government organizations to implement Open Government plans.