This is key. While the drive to do IT differently, more cheaply and more transparently is clearly emanating from the folks now holding the reigns of the government, this notion easily be lost somewhere deep in the opaque depths of the IT procurement process. If there is one thing that some government technology contractors have come to appreciate, it’s that building a system that is expensive, difficult to retire, and complicated can often serve to lock in years of future revenue. As one presenter put it, some companies consider building bad enterprise software “a competitive advantage”. In some cases, this has become the only way they know how to operate. Think of the billions in contracting vehicles now rendered useless by a government who only wants to buy lightweight, open source software built on flexible data exchange standards – software that many of its legacy contracts aren’t able to provide.

Some will adapt. Some won’t. But, this opens a tremendous opportunity for smaller, more agile firms that have concepts like OSS, sound UX design, and web services built into their DNA. At Government 2.0, people like Peter Corbett of iStrategyLabs showed the feds that massive, data-intensive websites can be built quickly, and even crowd sourced to citizens who feel engaged by this approach. His Apps for Democracy project exemplifies this (in fact, Vivek Kundra sponsored this project when he was DC’s CIO). I’m confident that we’ll see the new administration work with IT vendors that can deliver projects that follow this model, big or small.

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During our conversation I brought up the idea of bringing data exposition and mashup contests (is that what they are called?) to the developing world. Often times when Jay or I are overseas working within Ministry this or trade association that, the root of our challenges center on getting data from one place to another. Hopefully, that other place being somewhere near Usefultown. (Ever been to Usefultown? Not many people, but there is plenty of parking.)  As such we spend a whole bucketload of our moderately expensive hours trying to solve data-related issues. Either there isn’t any data, the data that exists is bad, or what is produced from the data is typically not citizen focused.

As I spoke about this to Peter, it struck me that we could score a development hat trick by instead of developing these apps ourselves, running a contest sponsored by the IT trade association. 1) The recipient government and citizens would end up with a useful application. 2) An entrepreneurial developer would receive startup funding, spurring private sector growth. 3) The US taxpayer development dollar would have a greater direct impact on the recipient country. I think this idea might be especially applicable for the two projects I have worked on in Jordan. (For those of you just tuning in, one is focused on private sector development and the other on capacity building within a government IT Department.) Within the IT capacity-building program we will implement an executive information system to aid in the development of policy, decision-making, and overall information awareness by aggregating various data sources. As usual, we are slogging our way through the traditional approach of driving requirements, unscrewing data sources, and visioneering (Ha!) what this thing might look like in the end. But, seems to me that if we focused on publishing as much data as possible and ran an Apps for Democracy style contest, we would have a much greater chance at ending up with something spicy. Like I would rather us focus on making the data available and harnessing the collective (and growing) crowd of IT talent, than beating our way through a traditional waterfall, black box implementation.

If I had a nickel for every time I spent months building a “projects database” or “management information system” that ended up serving the needs of 3 people tops, I could buy Montana. Or maybe just a Big Montana. Whatever. Too many nickels either way. It strikes me that the spirit of something like Apps for Democracy applied to international development makes a huge amount of sense. We should spend our nickels exposing government data (within reason) to its true owners, the citizens. Give them the tools to create useful applications and you will outrun any consultant-only driven model. Inspiring constituencies to participate in government and the resulting decisions will prove the centuries old adages of democracy by leveraging the years old approaches of all things 2.0. That, in my opinion is true development.

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The gym at the Intercontinental in Amman is respectable as far as hotel gyms go. Not usually crowded, it can be a respite to the weary/bleary/eerie traveler on their way through the middle east. I was all three the fateful morning I discovered a mildly cultish experience I have since bought into in a mildly obsessive fashion. Check that. Majorly cultish experience in an obsessively obsessive fashion.

I was huffing and puffing my way through a set of pullups when an ominous, somewhat bearded man of significant magnitude approached from the far side of the gym. He was clearly (hiding being) American but with a smile and an overly firm handshake he said to me…

“How long you been doing CrossFit?”

Racing through my memory bank, cluttered by the trans-Atlantic-business-class-all-you-can-convince-that-nice-woman-who-works-for-United-wine-fest of last night’s flight,  I stuttered something that hopefully would garner an iota of respect.

“Yeah…it’s cool. I just uhh…started but am not really…umm…sure yet.” (cue man shrug and realization of complete idiocy).

He stares at me quizzically. Perhaps wondering whether English is my first language and after what might have been against his better judgment, smiles again and says, “Keep it up. It will change your life.”

We exchange another (awkward on my part) handshake and he moves on to what I assume is a day consisting of a flight directly into the IZ. However, I was intrigued by this thing he referred to as “CrossFit”. Was I doing that? Should I be doing that? Why am I not doing that now? Do I need to grow a beard? After completing the balance of my paltry workout, I immediately set to googlin’ and came across a phenomenon that in fact, has changed my life. And maybe, just maybe, might provide a corollary to helping spread the goodness that is Enterprise 2.0.

In short, CrossFit is an open source “strength and conditioning fitness methodology”. There is a website/blog where daily workouts are posted and in turn, the participants post their results. The key differences between this and other programs that may sound similar is that these workouts are blow-an-o-ring difficult, usually require little equipment, and encourage competition through public reporting of performance or achievement. As a result of this, the community that has developed around CrossFit is extremely loyal, passionate, and somewhat insubordinate with respect to the “old way” of exercising. “Forging Elite Fitness” is more a badge of honor than a slogan, and gyms catering to xfitters have sprung up across the world. In my experience, the approach produces superior results yet is often shunned by the traditional fitness complex, starving for consumer dollars. It can be argued that CrossFit is the land of zealots. Yes, we are in excellent shape. Yes, we are training not to suck at life. Yes, we have a supportive community and almost limitless, free resources. Yes, organizations like the Marine Corps, law enforcement, and emergency services have adopted the approach. Yes, all indications seem to point to the fact that CrossFit might be the best way to get your widening derriere off the couch and into those hipster jeans. The results form a somewhat bulletproof business case.

Yet…we are the minority. We are overshadowed by Zumba classes and Bowflex. We are surrounded by Old Country Buffets and other food borne assaults on the human condition. Critics have painted us as cultish, a fad, and lacking rigorous certification standards. Despite what I have seen as overwhelming success in my own life as well as those around me, CrossFit is still not yet mainstream. In some instances, traditional gyms have banned its practice altogether.

In preparing for my participation in the “Reality Check” session at the E2 Conference this year, it occurred to me that this is not a dissimilar situation from the state of transparency within the enterprise.

In my current (past?) company, the use of our Enterprise Wiki to peel back the layers of otherwise tacit knowledge bears the same characteristics of the situation surrounding CrossFit. We are a somewhat cultish group of contributors who passionately believe in this way of working. We have wholesale adopted the practice of creating content in the clear, seek and use input from across the organization, and raise an indignant grimace to the “old way” of collaborating. Our approach requires little client side equipment, a puny corporate investment, and focuses on driving value from the crowd by changing yourself first. Yes, we are writing more informed deliverables. Yes, we have a supportive community and almost limitless free resources. Yes, organizations like IBM, Cisco, and the DC City Government have adopted the approach.  Yes, all indications seem to point to the fact that Enterprise 2.0 might be the best way to get your darkening corporate knowledge base out of Exchange (or whatever) and into the light of utility. The results form a somewhat bulletproof business case.

Yet…we are the minority. We are overshadowed by large corporate investments in permission-granted, file-driven technologies. We are surrounded by the easy and familiar technology mega buffet of so called collaboration suites. Sure, there might be grilled chicken in a steam tray somewhere, but in comparison to the volume pumping through the mac and cheese hopper, the healthy options look a bit lonely. Criticism is not as vocal, but passively manifested in lack of participation or continuation of traditionally opaque practices. Depite what I have seen as overwhelming success in my own life as well as those around me, Enterprise 2.0 is still not yet mainstream.

More respectable and knowledgeable bloggers than I have pointed out too many times to cite, that this may have something to do with fear. While I agree fear is a part of it, perhaps transparency, the core of Enterprise 2.0, is avoided for the same reason we choose a leisurely twirl on the elliptical machine over a fight gone bad.

Simply put – transparency is hard. Transparency might hurt while you are doing it. Transparency might actually injure you if not practiced with common sense and an objective view of your capabilities. Transparency requires you to think about work in a different way, not a different place. Sure, you can check the transparency box by standing up a corporate-apedia, viewing it a couple times, and maybe adding a link or two. But immediately sending a status report as an attachment thereafter is like doing a single pushup before riding a desk all day. Might make you feel good about yourself, but the marginal gains are lost in the grand scheme of things. Much like CrossFit, I believe transparency can only improve both an individual and an organization. With time, it becomes easier. With time, you begin to better understand your capabilities. With time, the community helps to gauge your performance and ultimately drives a greater, leaderless good. With time, you can forge your own brand of elite organizational fitness.

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As I stare out of my hotel window at the aged, white boxes of the Amman skyline submersed in the passing clouds, my thoughts wander to my latest assignment. I am in Jordan to start a project focused on merging three separate IT organizations into a single, private, shared service provider. During the upcoming years, a team comprised of expatriate and local consultants will aim to build the people, processes, and technologies of a government ministry toward world-class standards. 

The project began with the age-old tradition of gathering all of the soon to be affected for a kickoff meeting. Slowly they arrived in a room sized for triple the number invited, cautious not to sit to close the front, to the back, to the other departments. With some jovial goading from the presenter, the crowd eventually moved toward the first row. I stood at stage right, watching the fluctuating social dynamics ripple through audience, attempting my best “I am here to help” face.

The meeting went as all kickoff meetings go. There was a presentation that by all accounts was a touch too long, followed by pointed questions with answers that were a touch too short.  However, the overall theme of the project was presented in no uncertain terms. The change you asked for, and need in order to function, begins today.

Just as the integrity of buildings and roads is tested during a rare storm in Amman, this emerging IT department will also undergo a unique and infrequent event that tests their mettle. The change they seek will not come without the equivalent of leaky windows being exposed or unplanned infrastructure causing floods. As a fellow “IT guy” who has done his fair share of trench work, I can understand what my brothers and sisters are going through. Change is hard. Change can be painful. But change is necessary. Change must happen in order to survive. 

We think Enterprise 2.0 can help. Is your organization ready for the rain? 

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Once I sort of moved past the “neato” factor (which for me can usually take quite some time), I took a look at the data. Couple things jump out at me. Some good, some bad.

Good Things:

•  9 of the 10 are actually work related. Google Reader and Skype may be a bit of a stretch, but for the sake of argument, let’s consider those in the tent. 
• App (site) number 2 is the BearingPoint Wiki. Transparency is always a crowd favorite, so spending this much time in the clear is probably good. 

Bad Things:

• Email. Look at all of that email. And I am pretty militant about not using email. But it is safe to say that the vast majoirty of information I produce is opaque, temporary, and otherwise non-resuable. That is a check minus on the E2 report card for sure. 
• Twitter (twhirl). It is microblogging right? I seem to spend way more time there than on my macro blog. I tend to think that I am getting distracted by the noise. But those Hoosier Stats are hard to ignore!

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Awesome. Let’s implement some E2…

I suppose I am built for cooler climates, but alas I find myself in a tropical metropolis. It is not technically that hot. However, it is extremely technical when it comes to atmosphere. The humidity, smog, and millions of people everywhere fit like a moist, size too small glove, squeezing you into anonymous exhaustion.  On this particular day Jay and I are presenting our progress on a new portal and KM prototype. The majority of the presentation was your usual schnauzer and quarter horse, but I found a specific snippet of dialog worthy to resurrect this rustbucket of a blog.

I loudly clear my throat, hoping to startle open the drooping eyelids of the unlucky meeting attendees. I bat .500 on the try, but figure it is better than a wholly unconscious audience.

“After interviewing stakeholders from across your organization, a single, shining beacon of a requirement has emerged. That beacon my friends, is the guiding principle by which we have developed your prototypes. From the most senior director down to the interns, your organization’s needs can be summed up in a single phrase…. ”

I pause for effect as fluttering eyelids and the squeaking of uncomfortable people adjusting uncomfortable chairs creates the desired climatic precipice. (In case it isn’t already blatantly apparent, I tend toward the dramatic. Come on…anybody can do PowerPoint. Let’s cook with jet fuel for once.)

“Nobody can find anything. Ever.”

A full room of vigorously nodding heads confirms the statement. A man leans forward from a particularly rickety chair in the back of the room and slightly raises his left hand. I acknowledge his question as he unknowingly blasphemes, “We need a logical structure! Just like my hard drive. Is this what you have created for us?”

I now have 2 reasons to sweat. The aforementioned climate and my answer to this question.

“You don’t need organization. You need transparency. Your guiding requirement is not a new place to put things. It is a new way to do things. The effectiveness of this organization is stifled through the corralling of people, process, and technology into utterly unusable pockets of opacity. We propose transparency as the guiding principle for change, affecting all aspects of the organization, technological or otherwise. Your complete organization states the inability to quickly find information as a chief concern. This is not caused by ineffective execution. This is caused by ineffective dogma.”

Glasses, ties, papers, feet, eyebrows are adjusting. The room is exploding with minor adjustments. Everyone in simultaneously slightly adjusting something. I am wondering whether I should adjust my flight home to account for the looming stage hook. Slowly the lesser vibrations cease and the same man  speaks again.

“But my department needs control. My department has very sensitive information that can’t be shared. I need to be able to find information from the other departments, but our documents are confidential.”

The nodding quickly reaches a fever pitch, heads bobbing like chop after a summer squall. I launch into a pointless rant about what actually makes information confidential but it is relatively clear to me the stage has been set. No matter where we go from here, this implementation will be about air-conditioning in the tropics. You see no matter the intent or design of air-conditioning, there is always a lingering wisp of the natural environment. Sometimes it is barely noticeable, other times it is overwhelming. I am confident that the “guiding principle of transparency” will not be watered down to a “suggestion of translucency”, but there is a long road ahead. In order for complete success to occur, there must be an organic change in the environment, not a temporary, man-made attempt at cooling things off. Without the underlying shift in the organizational climate surrounding transparency, there will be rooms that are too cold or too hot, depending upon your perspective and location. Change is difficult indeed. However, addressing the root cause will make for much longer lasting results. Dropping a wiki on a group of people without first seeking to alter their method for work is like wearing a suit in the rainforest. Looks decent from afar but is completely uncomfortable up close.

Luckily, the organization is committed to the concept (at least), and starting to warm up (pun intended) to the prospect of change. We are committed as well, but should probably look into procuring a few linen suits.

UPDATE: This entry cross posted on http://newthinking.bearingpoint.com 

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He asks me this as I blink into the unbelievably bright sunlight filtering through the eerily still, gauze-like drapery and curls of smoke rising slowly from his cigarette. During the time it has taken him to ask this question, I have been served what seems like my 12th cup of tea and he has answered a cell phone call, signed a requisition for a printer, and seemingly fired someone. I am somewhat distracted.

“Have you ever heard of Facebook?” I say, cautiously waiting to tip my E2 hand.

He chuckles, lights another cigarette, and adjusts his position in the comically oversized chair. His squint and deep drag of the Marlboro Red fronts his clear contemplation of whether his amusement/annoyance is caused by my youthful response or my youth itself.  I am used to the reaction, having added the translation of “very young” to my limited Arabic lexicon long ago. Despite the incredulity of my question, he bites.

“Facebook…very popular. Is this your solution?”

“Somewhat. Seems to me a vibrant, online community of practice dedicated to the open exchange of ideas and problem solving between the private and public sector would be more valuable than a survey with respect to collecting economically significant information about disparate constituents of the IT industry. How accurate do you think your survey data is?”

The half finished cigarette is put out. Barely visible but ultimately unnerving beads of sweat appear on my forehead. He leans in, looks at my business card again and smirks a bit. In a good way, but a smirk nonetheless. On the fence is better than out the door.

“Interesting…Go on,” he says, eyeing the ever increasing delta on the clock between my scheduled end time and now.

“Imagine a website where individuals executing within an IT discipline can connect, discuss common questions, find answers, and establish an online reputation. In the same way you think about Facebook using social means for social ends, this community would leverage social means for professional ends. Furthermore you forget the silos of government, private sector, and academic institutions and drive the community around the focal point of practice. Tupac lived the ‘Thug Life’. Well this is the ‘IT Life’. Topics ranging from daily troubleshooting to industry mobility can be surfaced and addressed at the personal level, before they reach the departmental or ministerial level.”

He orders me another beverage to make my daily tea count an even baker’s dozen. It’s 11:17 in the morning. I am convinced that I can flap my arms fast enough to opt for the aerial route back to the office. Despite my teeth performing jumping jacks from the caffeine, I know he is sold with his next question.

“What do I get from this website?”

I pause. Mostly for effect. Partly scrambling for an answer.

“You get more and better information about the IT industry than was ever possible with a survey.”

Another pause. I lean in. Mostly for effect. Partly because my spine is going numb. I go on.

“Each participant in the community must register to participate. You ask some very basic questions to establish a profile and learn a bit more about the user. Nothing too difficult or overbearing, but enough to create a baseline. As they interact with the community, two things will happen. One, their content is rated and they ascend to arbitrary levels of expertise within the IT community. Two, you can analyze whether their stated area of expertise is congruent with their demonstrated area of expertise. Next time you want to analyze the industry, you mine the profiles according to your desired parameters. Spot trends, focus growth initiatives, identify sub-industries ripe for foreign investment or impending unemployment. As the system advances you may want to consider only mining the profiles of users at a certain reputational level. This way you will get seemingly more accurate data, as verified by the community at large. Seems to me this would be way more valuable than a survey with limited participation and unverifiable results.”

He puts his cigarette out. I finish my last gulp of tea. A minion of sorts escorts in the next meeting party. We both stand. He reaches across the table to shake my hand, lowers his voice and asks a question.

“What do you call this concept?”

I smile and proudly state “We call it Enterprise 2.0.”

He smiles as well. “You have my support”.

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I may be reading a bit too much between the lines here but the idea of the opening of the enterprise, to be a more transparent organization, and relinquishing its IP to the world at large could represent a real sea change for large professional services companies. There are inklings of such things afoot already, but my sense is that the majority of IP is still locked behind the steel curtain of questionable hourly rates. (I will include myself in this).

This “opening” seems inevitable though. Proprietary methodologies and solutions (of which most are neither proprietary, nor all that methodical, and rarely seem to solve anything) sort of harken to the days of the $435 hammer. Are we that expensive because we are that “custom” or “tailored”? Did someone retool a manufacturing line for just one deliverable?

Hogwash I say! Professional services firms should be about selling a capability, not a spec. The capabilities of their people. And the best way to determine someone’s capability is to see it for yourself, open and public on the Internet. To Jay’s point about corporate blogging, companies who expose their capabilities (read: people) to the greater community will reap significant rewards. I am willing to bet a 100kg bushel of bananas that a smart consumer will hire the consultant who shows his IP cards from jumpstreet and furthermore, offers the intellect required to develop that IP, than a firm hiding behind a proposed proprietary methodology, and betting on the come that the possible knuckleheads behind it can implement. I mean, you test drive your car before you buy it right? Why not your consultant?

So anyway…perhaps I have rambled a bit and drawn some spurious correlations, but at least you learned that yes, in fact Iceland does export bananas. Oh and I can’t wait for the lawyers to jump all over this…

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