Guide to Building Data-Driven Organizations in the Public Sector

Managerial Experiments

(Team 2) Matthew Simon and Carlos Lopez

Topic Overview

As we have continued to dive into the different aspects of data and technology in the public sector, we have been challenged to think about its applications in real life experiences. This collection of readings starts to challenge our thinking of how data, social networks and technology can impact the workplace and societal change.

Two of the readings (Social Physics and Reality Mining), really leverage each other and focus on the power of collective groups to increase societal change. For example, they discuss and analyze the power of social networks. In Social Physics, the focus is how social networks can create instant organizations that actually work effectively without having to create complex bureaucracies. In Reality Mining, they make more closely aligned applications to the workplace and social change with the use of data collection. One of the key connections for me is that they both include a sense of opting in. I mean this in a way that there was a sense of autonomy in contributing to this collective approach. One of the potential problems from a public sector government perspective is when these approaches no longer contain an opt-in function and they become compulsory.

The other two examples from Iceland and the schools are little bit different and show how data can be used for effective programs and outcomes. For me, these had a more practical approach of program analysis and implementation that could be used. I think that they show a clearer approach of how to use data effectively in effecting desired outcomes.

One thing that I think should be challenged was the notion of human interest and participation in Social Physics. They almost start to make the connection of a socialist economy and society and social networks show the altruism of wanting to do good or contribute. I would challenge human nature a bit more on this perspective. They even reference a political scientist to make this connection, but I think that they do so incorrectly. Humans want connection and purpose, but I don’t know how sustainable the power of the “red balloon” exercise is past achieving that one simple outcome for a short period of time.

Chapter Summaries

1) Duhigg, C. (2016). Smarter faster better: The secrets of being productive. Random House. CH8: This chapter gives a variety of practical real-life examples of how people absorb data. From examples in the school system, which were discussed in the topic overview, to examples about people being able to choose retirement accounts. He uses all of these examples to show that people need to be able to absorb and digest data in an effective way in order to process it and make a decision. He calls the human ability to make these choices and breakdown data as scaffolding and winnowing. When people are able to process data effectively it has huge implications for the impact that it is able to have on business operations and even the lives of students.

2) Social Physics: How social networks can make us smarter. CH7: This section of reading focuses on how social network incentives can be used to create organizations and be used for other purposes. They use an example of Red Balloon Challenge and how they used social media to create an immediate network to solve an almost impossible task. The break down this idea of social connections and the power behind them into three key components: instant organizations, organizations in stress and trust. The first component basically describes how utilizing social networks allows you to easily and almost instantly create a functioning organization of people all moving to the same purpose without really having to do much organizing. Consider Wikipedia, an immense online encyclopedia built by volunteers that is often cited as a great example of crowdsourcing; while many people contribute content there was a core group of dedicated editors who worked for years to organize the content as it was added who were driven by social network incentives rather than monetary (p.125). Pentland further takes this idea and talks about how the strength of the social networks are resilient when stress is introduced and how that helps the organization continue to function when something is injected, like layoffs. Immediately after layoffs, the level of engagement between employees skyrocketed as they began to adapt to the new situation by generation new patterns of interaction (p. 128). Interestingly, it was the employees with the highest level of engagement before the layoffs that had the easiest time adapting to the new patterns of interaction (p.128). The final component discusses trust and the critical social ties that exist because these people already have a bond and know each other from some previous connection and the power behind that social capital with one another. Cooperation is most effective when it leverages preexisting personal social ties, and the more active the social tie, the greater the level of cooperation (p.129). Building strong ties with people is good for idea flow, but strong ties also can be used to exert social pressure (p.129). This connection between engagement, trust, and people’s ability to act cooperative highlights the relationship between civic engagement and the health of society (p.130). We are traders in ideas, goods, favors, and information and not simply the traditional market thinking would make us (p.130). The section of reading ends with contemplating how this can be used in practical larger scale decision making and organizational structures like cities and larger societies.

3) Reality mining: Using big data to engineer a better world. CH4: This section of reading discusses the implications of using user generated data to create social change for the benefit of the provider of the data. The author uses two lenses to show how this can translate in the office space or in the city context. In the office context, they discuss how people can basically opt-in to a system where if they want to information share in order to support work efforts they can do so. It would be mutually beneficial because both parties have to opt-in in order to protect the privacy of both individuals. This is basically Facebook for an internal office. The authors provide a workplace example about Tacit a system that analyze employees’ work and communication behavior, helping them to make new connections with each other, sharing of knowledge, interest, and networks all while ensuring everyone’s privacy (p.70). In large organizations with thousands of employees this system could be helpful to connect people working on similar projects but are located in different office locations allowing them to create new opportunities that otherwise would have come about. The other component this translated to was in the city context. They discussed a variety of user applications that allow city residents to disclose or collect certain data points that can be used for the cities overall benefit. For example, this includes developing better transportation systems, cleaner streets and better services for residents. There is FixMyStreet app that allows people to send geotagged, time stamped photos to their city government (p.76). In some cases these photos connect to the workflow system and create work orders! Other applications allow users to share the best biking/jogging routes to other users. These efforts can improve citizen’s quality of life utilizing tools and mining projects. The main drawback from all of these benefits that was discussed was about the need for privacy and how the user needs to proactively opt-in to sharing this information. A parallel was drawn with dating applications and how people choose to share certain aspects of their personal life for their profiles and data about their locations. However, there are potential drawbacks to the overall benefits and these privacy concerns need to be discussed before a large-scale use and approach is used by government.

4) BBC World Service: “How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers” November 11, 2017: This section of content was a podcast from BBC in which the authors explore policies used in Iceland are potentially linked to the decrease in teen drinking and smoking. Primarily, Iceland used anonymous survey data of high school students to better understand their habits and identify high-yield protective factors into their everyday lives. To determine the protective factors that would be most effective they needed timely and accurate data. All Icelandic high school students would fill out an annual survey, which outlines their risk factors and how often they were engaging in the undesirable behavior. Honesty in the survey was key, which had a high rate because it is anonymous. This information and data were then fed back into local communities to implement programs and policies, which would increase the amount of activities which students were engaged in that were considered protective factors. This approach covered about 85% of young people in Iceland. Some of the protective factors included: spending time with parents, physical activity and organized activities, implementing a curfew for kids under 17 determined by parents and cultivating relationships between parents.

Key Take-Aways (for Yellowdig)

Discussion Questions

  1. Eagle and Greene provided a workplace example about Tacit a system that analyzes employees’ work and communication behavior (including emails), helping them to make new connections with each other and improve sharing of knowledge to improve communication and efficiency. Does your workplace have a similar system like this or would you be interested in participating in one?

  2. Pentland explains cooperation is most effective when it leverages preexisting personal social ties, and the more active the social tie, the greater the level of cooperation (p.129). What is an example where you have experienced this?

  3. Do you have any social networks that are available at work that make your work life better and more productive? Are they mandatory or optional? Why did you choose to join one of them in the first place? How does it contribute to your work?

  4. In Iceland, they used local data to make decisions about how to reduce teen drinking and smoking. They talked about data being quote “fresh” and being used quickly and timely. Do you feel that the data you use in your work environment is fresh and timely? Or is it old and stale by the time it gets through the bureaucracy? What are the implications of this if it is the latter?

References