Disruptive Proactivity

Some reflections on Friday’s UKGC12

1. Moments of transition.

The GovUK beta isn’t ready yet, and the frameworks that will let innovators outside GDS shine are also missing. We understand beta, but it’s usually govcampers who are in first, not waiting at the back. As the GovCamp ethos moves centre stage, we’ll have to get used to that feeling for short periods. That’s what scale means.

2. Mike said Thank You

There are few single-track sessions that really work at govcamp style events, and his was one of them. Mike could not have given that talk at any other event, and it says more that he wanted to give it than necessarily any detail. But the detail was better than it appeared. Even if it hadn’t been done as a plenary, I suspect no one would have wanted to schedule their session against it (but a few may have wanted to head to the pub). It worked.

3. People notice

Chatting to various GDS people, it’s clear that they get the power and potential that comes from knowing that #unacceptable stickers could appear on Mr Maude’s iPad. This lets them do things that otherwise wouldn’t be possible, and the Country will see the benefit of that work over the next weeks, months and years.

4. There’s only one way it’s can go from here.

Combining the three above, you campaign in poetry, but govern in prose. Or, as the policy wonks might say, you pitch in PowerPoint, but execute in Excel.

If the govcamp fans have taken over strategy for a while, reality always wins, and it does that by picking the winners.

5. The rocks are coming

If the rise of govcampers suggests a reduction in power of the SIs and the big contracts, they are fighting to maintain the status quo. It is incredibly profitable for them, and the revolving door makes it profitable for the people in the system now too. It wont be the Beta or GDS that gets given a public kicking, it’ll be the whole govcamp ethos.

For some similar scenarios, see this interview of Jack Abramoff by Larry Lessig: summary or full interview.

A recent UK example is the victory of No2ID on what they asked for, but not what they wanted.

6. GovCamp was different

At a moment of transition, with a load of hierarchies and roles shaken up, it’s still settling out who is where.

Some people are now working 3 roles, probably not sleeping, and that only lasts for so long. I suspect we have, at most, another year of that being possible.

7. The ethos is getting there

I’m pretty sure that no site for which Bracken has any responsibility (either directly or via influence) would ever ask people what they thought of the information they were given, and ignore the answers. Hopefully, once that’s been in place for a staff changeover, it’ll stay there semi-permanently.

8. I probably should have run a session.

I was tempted to offer something on “engaging with internet troublemaking”. The sort of stuff I’ve done for years. I had a similar conversation a number of times with a number of people. In short: figure out what your commentator actually wants.

My goal was always “make DirectGov good”, and now that’s being delivered in effect, I’ve shut up. However, no amount of discussions with the former DirectGov team/friends/whatever, would have given them the ability to make DirectGov good.

The fact that you can’t/shouldn’t deliver a pony doesn’t mean that outsiders don’t think you should be able to. Depending on what’s wanted, that may well be your problem. If you’re a vet, then you probably should deliver it, but a horse might do. How you manage that engagement in a social media etc world (hi Puffles!) is a constantly evolving question requiring talent and expertise.

All that said, sometimes, the critic is just a crackpot govcamper howling at the moon.

9. I seem to prefer the hallway track most of the time.

10. LinkedGov is ace.