A clear value proposition that speaks to a potential partner’s specific need and that is tied to a data sharing use case is the best way to communicate the value of an initiative to potential partners. It can be challenging to identify value propositions that speak to partners’ needs, as the chapter on shared value and benefits explains.
While a national statistical office might seek data for producing official statistics, private companies may be looking for ways to offset costs related to data sharing. In one example, a mobile network operator agreed to share data with the public sector in exchange for producing ICT statistics that reflected trends of 2G usage across the national telecommunications sector because it would help them plan a phase out of 2G service.
Partners in a data sharing initiative may include those who are directly involved in data sharing (including data producers and users) but also may include stakeholders with varying levels of engagement in the initiative. It may be important to recruit “champions” from both groups. For example, a data producer such as a mobile network operator is a necessary partner in a mobility data sharing initiative, but the initiative itself might raise the ire of data privacy advocates from the public sector or civil society unless their support and trust is specifically sought and developed. This is where individuals across stakeholder groups in the initiative who can act as champions for your initiative can be vital to developing a sustainable initiative.
Interviews and research suggest that inability to identify the correct champions can lead to the failure of the initiative. But what makes someone the “right” champion and how can data sharing partners identify such individuals? Look for individuals with the right level of seniority who can drive broad support for an initiative with an organization. This might be, but isn’t necessarily the most senior person. In fact, the best champions could be somewhat removed from the direct decision-making processes related to creating the initiative. A charismatic and knowledgeable data privacy expert within a company, for example, could reassure executives who lack the technical knowledge that the initiative will not raise concerns with regulators.
Making “stone soup” with data sharing partners
Beyond identifying a concrete value proposition and the right “champion” to support the initiative, how the value of this proposition is communicated to partners really matters.
Joone Kim-Lopez is the CEO and General Manager of a water district in California. She came on early as a champion for the CaDC and leveraged her contacts and networks to bring key partners on board. As an early champion of data sharing in the water sector, she took an approach which she describes as “stone soup,” referring to a traditional folk story. In the story, hungry travelers come to a village and can find nothing to eat. So, they fill a large pot with water, put a stone in it, and place it over a fire. Curious villagers wander by, asking what they are cooking, to which the travelers respond that they are making a delicious stone soup that simply lacks, in turn, carrots, cabbage, meat, spices, and more. One-by-one the villagers contribute ingredients to enrich the soup, until the travelers have assembled a hearty stew. Likewise, Joone’s approach was to start with the seed of an idea (she had met data analysts from a prestigious university who were interested in working on water-related issues) and use it to recruit people who could also contribute. Starting with nothing more than an idea, Joone says the key is to pitch a value proposition that is not technical. “You’re not going to get their attention talking about data,” she says. She explicitly recruited partners with legitimacy, seniority, and authority in the water sector by selling the idea that the data collaborative could solve real problems facing the state. The partners she recruited gave credibility to the initiative and led other agencies to participate in the data collaborative.