Technological Innovation and the Public Sector Week 10

“Ottawa to permit foreign control of small wireless firms” Globe and Mail, March 14, investor/ottawa-opens-telecom-to- foreigners/article / investor/ottawa-opens-telecom-to- foreigners/article /

Impact of Web 2.0 and Social Media What is the relevance of social media for politics?

Technological Innovation and the Public Sector A) Social Media and the Public Sector B) Barriers to Social Media C) Francoli’s (2011) Recommendations

A) Social Media and the Public Service Potential benefits 1. Internal collaboration 2. Citizen engagement 3. Improved service delivery 4. Transparency

1) Internal Collaboration Example of GCPEDIA initiative

2) Citizen engagement DFAIT’s Foreign Policy Dialogue Industry Canada’s consultations on the digital economy Online consultation on Open Government

3) Improved service delivery HRSDC – “corrective blogging” Canada Post’s use of Facebook

4) Transparency Stephen Harper, 2005: “Information is the lifeblood of a democracy… without adequate access to key information about government policies and programs, citizens and parliamentarians cannot make informed decisions, and incompetent or corrupt governance can be hidden under a cloak of secrecy” (cited in Francoli, 2011: 286).

B) Barriers to Social Media 1. Political environment not supportive of openness or transparency 2. Dated policy environment 3. Security and privacy 4. Organizational culture of large bureaucracies

1) Political environment not supportive of openness or transparency Information Commissioner: the “amount of information being disclosed under the access law has decreased during Harper’s tenure, at the same time that release times have increased” (cited in Francoli, 2011: 287).

2) Dated policy environment Public servants must comply with the Communication Policy of the Government of Canada, which has not been updated since 2006 (and has remained largely unchanged since 2002).

3) Security and privacy “There is a worry that government information will be misused or abused, that inappropriate information will be inadvertently leaked, or that doing business in the online environment will make the government increasingly vulnerable to online crime, such as hacking” (Francoli, 2011: 288).

4) Organizational culture of large bureaucracies Slow and cautious

C) Francoli’s recommendations 1. Adopt and communicate social media policy 2. Use social media properly 3. Recognize that cultural change is required if social media is to be used effectively and widely

1) Adopt and communicate social media policy “direction is needed…so that employees know how and when best to use social media” (Francoli, 2011: 290).

2) Use social media properly “those thinking of using social media must identify their goals and rigorously evaluate whether social media is an appropriate tool for reaching those goals” (Francoli, 2011: 291).

3) Cultural change is required “Interviews done with public servants highlight three issues related to the idea of cultural change that need to be addressed: trust, perceptions of social media, and leadership” (Francoli, 2011: 292).

Conclusion: How will social media transform Canadian public administration?