Idea to retire: Technology alone fosters collaboration and networks

[Commentary] Many think the Internet guarantees networked government, as if information systems endowed agencies with a strong capacity to collaborate on important challenges. Many still think that computing reduces layers and blurs boundaries within and across organizations. It is true that some roles, tasks, and entire swathes of organizations have been automated (file handling, information sharing, printing) or externalized (e-mail, social media, cloud services). However, computing is merely an enabler for networked organizations.

The fallacy that technology alone fosters collaboration and networks is so pervasive that I’ve written a white paper for the presidential transition recommending that the next administration include “management” as a key part of transition, specifically management to develop and sustain interagency collaboration. This paper notes the technology’s inability to foster collaborative networks by itself, and highlights an emerging ecosystem of institutions that support effective and sustainable collaboration across agencies. In the ecosystem, each organization fills a niche or specific role. These niche organizations interact to implement policies and manage initiatives across the federal government. While some dimensions of the ecosystem focus on information technology, most reinforce and support the many organizational changes that make interagency initiatives feasible and sustainable over time.

[Dr. Jane Fountain is distinguished university professor of political science and public policy, and the director of the National Center for Digital Government, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst]