Overcoming the barriers

At LocalGovCamp on 20th June 2009, a short discussion tool place around the 50 Hurdles. The following are brief notes from the session.

These notes have been revised by http://www.timdavies.org.uk. The original raw notes (prior to 12.15pm 20th June) are available by viewing 'old revisions'. Please add your own notes and reflections.

• As well as (or instead of?) showing how to overcome particular barriers, we need to explore and share the process for generally overcoming barriers.

• Cultural change is crucially important (a lot of discussion started to focus on the importance of top-down strategy, values and culture)

• Whilst culture is important - we can also 'nibble' away at small issues, and work from the bottom-up.

• Whilst there may be corporate strategies for social media - it's important to remember that each service is different - and some services may move at different speeds. Waiting for corporate strategy to change before acting will be slow…

Cultural change is important. A number of tips on driving cultural change were shared.

• We need to articulate a vision.
  • And we need to identify what it is about our current situation which is in the way of the vision?

• We need to focus on making the case
  • We need to link the vision to organisational objectives.

We shared tips and ideas for making process in local areas. These come from many different views and perspectives.

• Get managers signed up to ID&A Newsletters and other newsletters / information that shares case studies and guidance at the senior management level.

• Show small projects and examples to help managers understand what is going on.

• Try and change the people at the top
  • Not the middle managers - they are to continue the course not to make change;
  • They implement change passed down to them;
  • Chief Officers are a key level to talk to.

• Look for what's out there, and work out how it will help me…
  • Find examples of somewhere who has already made a move…

• Get Councillors involved
  • Sometimes councillors want this more than officers do; Risk assessment are sometimes being used to re-assert officer control.

• Those driving things need to be more politically savvy
  • Increase the persuasive skills of those who get this stuff;

• Find out what you can access through the blocks. Show people the things you can show them - like Google Calendar…

• Get the metrics - show who is using these sites (e.g. Facebook Statistics)
  • Radian6 can aggregate information into one place. Drill down into data and find media types. Find influencers.

• Show the dangers of not acting… (e.g. Facebook group that is false, wrong etc.)

• Map the audience and where they are going online - use that to build a social media strategy

• A Charter of Engagement may help
  • For LAs and Cheief Execs to sign up to saying who will overcome obstacles by this date…

• Get familiar with social network tools in your own time;

• You need to offer people information about the basics;

• Don't call what you are building a website; Get the language right.
  • Websites have to be fixed and complete;
  • Social media is a conversation not publishing;

• Share more, show the good practice;

In OfQual…

• We got the chief regulators report onto a blog
  • Did it as proof of concept.
  • Hosted externally to get around (then test server to host internally)

In Devon we found

• It is helpful to be the link between what business strategy says and opportunities on the ground
  • Read your strategy and find out what's in there that you can draw upon

• Support some pilots
  • Use the lessons to highlight the barriers to the top of the organisation

• Understand the chief exec's priorities

• Persistence was key
  • Shamelessly promote it; explain it; say if we don't do it we're not delivering on our strategy;

http://slay-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/06/overcoming-small-hurdles-in-digital.html

Notes from session: 50 obstacles to civic engagement

Carried out risk management exercise. Concerns about encouraging third party to place content on social media sites.

Start with a vision – articulate where you want to get to. Linking vision to organisational objectives.

Managers of services afraid children/young people will be identified. Done some audio recordings and not allowed to use children and young people’s voices.

Different types of local authorities, some are switched on/savvy. Need vision, need business to be committed to message.

For many local authorities this is a big cultural switch. Need to involve partners.

Issue is control – Local authorities want to control social media space. Worrying for many. The way the public engages with the local authority is controlled/limited. Not very easy to make comments.

Engage chief executive - gain support.

Could be very subversive. Lead on projects until someone tells you not to.

Need passionate people to drive the use of social media within local authorities further.

Need for more shared learning/discussion. Share policy/progress/barriers faced.

Tips

Be the link between what the business strategy says i.e. ‘asking young people this… engaging with these…’ references already incorporated. Make the connection, run a few pilots to demonstrate connections and how social media can support priorities. Be persistent, be shameless - promote it… – Carl Haggerty

Interested how services are being used as marketing tools. Need empirical evidence to push the use further.

Tim Tip: To discover local use visit Ads link on Facebook. Go on as if you’re going to set up an advert, it will tell you the population on Facebook with specific interests.

Demonstrate the dangers of not engaging in these worlds.

Brighton – carrying out a mapping exercise of what young people do online – using that to build strategy.

Can only understand its values by actually using it difficult to comprehend otherwise.

Language can be a barrier. Call it a service… whatever NOT a website or it will end up in Comms!

Be politically savvy – use services to build

Trendy bullshit is your friend – local government/councillors like this sort of thing.