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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

Data.gov (Abridged)

by Karim R. Lakhani, Robert D. Austin and Yumi Yi

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Abstract

This case presents the logic and execution underlying the launch of Data.gov, an instantiation of President Obama's initiative for transparency and open government. The process used by Vivek Kundra, the federal CIO, and his team to rapidly develop the website and to make available high-value data sets for reuse is highlighted. The case recounts Kundra's experience at the state and local government levels in developing open data initiatives and the application of that experience to the federal government. The case demonstrates the benefits of making government data available in terms of both engaged citizens and the potential for new innovations from the private sector. Potential drawbacks of open access including security and privacy issues are illustrated. Issues related to the role of government in releasing data and the balance between accountability and private-sector innovation are explored.      

Keywords: Safety; Rights; Data and Data Sets; Internet; Ethics; Cost vs Benefits; Innovation and Management; Information Management; Public Administration Industry; Information Industry; United States;

Language: English Format: Print 17 pages Educators

Citation:

Lakhani, Karim R., Robert D. Austin, and Yumi Yi. "Data.gov (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 619-043, January 2019.

About the Author

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Karim R. Lakhani
Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration
Technology and Operations Management

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More from the Author

  • Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

    Engineering Serendipity: The Role of Cognitive Similarity in Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Production

    Jacqueline N. Lane, Ina Ganguli, Patrick Gaule, Eva C. Guinan and Karim R. Lakhani

    We consider how the cognitive similarity between knowledge-sharing partners affects the knowledge-production process, namely knowledge transfer, creation, and diffusion. We theorize that knowledge production is systematically shaped by the field and intellectual similarity between knowledge-sharing partners’ disciplines of study and domain area interests. To estimate relationships, we designed and executed a natural field experiment at a medical symposium, in which exogenous variation was introduced to provide some of the 15,817 scientist pairs with opportunities for serendipitous, face-to-face encounters. Our data include direct observations of interaction patterns collected using sociometric badges, and detailed longitudinal data on the scientists’ publication records for six years following the symposium. We find both cooperative and competitive effects of cognitive similarity on knowledge production. While knowledge sharing increases the transfer of scientific concepts between scientists with some intellectual overlap, it reduces the diffusion of scientific knowledge between scientists from the same field. In contrast, cognitive similarity does not have a direct effect on knowledge creation, but we find that scientists who have initiated early-stage collaborations with one another are more likely to persist and publish together. The findings suggest that some cognitive similarity between knowledge-sharing partners can boost organizational knowledge production, but too much similarity may impede it.

    Citation:

    Lane, Jacqueline N., Ina Ganguli, Patrick Gaule, Eva C. Guinan, and Karim R. Lakhani. "Engineering Serendipity: The Role of Cognitive Similarity in Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Production." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-058, November 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsSSRN Read Now Related
  • Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

    Managerial Recognition as an Incentive for Innovation Platform Engagement: A Field Experiment and Interview Study at NASA

    Jana Gallus, Olivia S. Jung and Karim R. Lakhani

    Incentivizing employees to engage with novel innovation mechanisms and contribute to collective problem-solving can be difficult. We run a field experiment with NASA (N=11,192) to study two widely used classes of non-financial incentives: recognition (of managers, peers, online platform participants), and the prospect of advancing the organizational mission. Our analysis shows that managerial recognition has a significant positive effect on employees’ engagement with the problem-solving platform. The other incentives are not found to be effective. A follow-up interview study suggests that (1) managerial recognition works through signaling the platform’s legitimacy in a context of uncertainty, as well as through offering managerial attention and appreciation; (2) recognition interacts with workers’ job proximity to the organization’s mission and can be particularly motivating for workers with distant job functions; (3) organizations where the appeal of the organizational mission is already strong may face difficulties in using the mission as an instrumental incentive.

    Citation:

    Gallus, Jana, Olivia S. Jung, and Karim R. Lakhani. "Managerial Recognition as an Incentive for Innovation Platform Engagement: A Field Experiment and Interview Study at NASA." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-059, November 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsSSRN Read Now Related
  • Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2019

    TSG Hoffenheim: Football in the Age of Analytics (B)

    Feng Zhu, Sascha L. Schmidt, Karim R. Lakhani and Sebastian Koppers

    Keywords: football; soccer; Bundesliga; analytics; innovation; innovation and strategy;

    Citation:

    Zhu, Feng, Sascha L. Schmidt, Karim R. Lakhani, and Sebastian Koppers. "TSG Hoffenheim: Football in the Age of Analytics (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 620-055, October 2019.  View Details
    CiteView Details Related
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