Empires, Confederations & Federations: Three Web Governance Models That Work
6 likes1,505 views
The document discusses different models of web governance: confederations, empires, and federations. Confederations have loose or formal decentralized standards and execution, empires have centralized standards and execution, and federations have centralized standards but decentralized execution. The models are evaluated based on when they may work best considering factors like business culture, need for control, scale needs, and opportunities for innovation versus quality control. Hybrid models are also possible.
Empires, Confederations & Federations: Three Web Governance Models That Work
- 1. @lwelchman Empires, Confederations & Federations: 3 Web Governance Models that Work
- 2. Agenda Lisa on Governance Some Governance Models Questions © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 3. Strategic goals Accountability Autonomy Web Governance Quality © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 4. Tactics Formalization of Authority Policy Standards Standards Policy Governance Framework © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 5. The language Governance Model Governance Framework Formalization of Authority Digital vs. Web © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 6. A governance model details Who codifies policy. Who defines standards. How resources for digital development are allocated. How disputes about digital are handled. Who evaluates performance. How “digital” relates to everything else. © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 7. Lisa’s answers Who codifies policy? Legal and Sr. Management Who defines standards? People who are experts Where are development resources? Everywhere How do we settle disputes about digital? Iron/Escalate Who evaluates performance? Everyone How does “digital” relate to everything else? Hmm © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 8. Let’s push through these concerns. The challenge lies in figuring out exactly how these answers will play out in your organization. © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 9. 2 points In the following models, I will focus on decision-making for standards and where digital work is executed because that’s about feature, quality, and resource control (and that’s what folks like to fight about). I will try and convince you that where the web team sits is less important than the above. Web team placement is relevant because there are usually politics involved; but, placement is usually not the first cause of governance problems. © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 10. Confederations © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 11. Loose confederation Organic standards Decentralized execution “Ring Leader” “We’re not all the way sure Web Manager how we’re going to do what we’re doin’ but we’re doin’ it” Ring-Leader’s “Come on in if you wanna play. Just be nice.” sidekicks Cowgirl(s) Cowboy(s) Cowperson(s) © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 12. It could work when You have an innovative business culture You are mature about effectiveness measurement When the business model or culture does not require extreme control You have a clear goal Chief Benefits: Innovation; Development can be rapid Chief Drawback: Can cycle through a lot of wrong; Quality can suffer; Doesn’t scale well © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 13. Formal confederation Decentralized standards Decentralized execution “Ring Leader” “We’re not that connected but Web Manager it’s in our best interest that the other guys look good.” “We care about brand Ring-Leader’s integrity and not getting sued.” sidekicks Cowgirl(s) Cowboy(s) Cowperson(s) site social mobile © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 14. It could work when You are a holding company A university with large distinctly branded schools A department in the Federal government Chief Benefits: Execution localized to knowledge experts; standards locally relevant Chief Drawbacks: Could miss opportunities for efficiencies; Organizational view of itself may not be the customer view © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 15. Empires We are Webmaster © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 16. Empire proper Centralized standards Centralized execution Emperor “I make all the rules. I’ve got Web Manager all the money. Give me your stuff and I’ll make good digital out of it.” The “Now, go away.” Web Team Court Minions who Minions who Some other provide provide data Minions information © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 17. It could work when The website is small or not complex, or no one else cares When the business model or culture requires extreme control When digital is just a “side show” Chief Benefits: Quality Control; Controls size Chief Drawback: Production Bottleneck; Myopic view; the organization stays in digital darkness; Doesn’t scale well © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 18. Delegated empire Centralized standards Limited, decentralized Emperor “I make all the rules. I’ve got execution Web Manager all of the money. I will set things up so that my minions can help out with the grunt work I don’t want to do.” The “Now, go away again.” Web Team Court Minions who can Minions who can Some other use a WYSIWYG crop images minions editor © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 19. It could work when For all the Empire Proper reasons and When everyday updates get caught in a production bottleneck. When editorial immediacy is required. Chief Benefits: Quality Control; Controls size; puts content in the hands of knowledge experts Chief Drawback: Not a lot if the model works © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 20. Federations © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 21. The federation Centralized standards Decentralized execution Web “It’s important for business President units to be free but there are some common values that we all share and it’s my job to make sure we keep those in focus.” The Web Cabinet “Now, go away but I’ll be watching you.” Mobile Web Social States Provinces Territories © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 22. It could work when You have a way to measure standards compliance The organizational digital budget is rational There is a culture of autonomy Chief Benefits: No central production bottleneck; Increased autonomy can increase business relevance and reduce deployment time; Can scale well Chief Drawbacks: Portfolio management can be difficult; horizontal efficiencies not always realized; uneven quality © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 23. The partially devolved federation Some Decentralized standards Some Decentralized execution Web “It’s important for business President units to be free but there are some common values that we all share and it’s my job to make sure everyone is able to get their job done well.” The Web Cabinet “Now, go away but my door is always open.” Mobile Web Social States Provinces Territories © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 24. It could work when There is value in maintaining some horizontal applications The need for total standards compliance is limited Chief Benefits: Allows sub-units to govern how they like; Controls crucial quality elements; Scales well Chief Drawback: Requires the most management discipline; Digital budge may not be rational; May seem fiscally unfair to some © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 25. Hybrids You might have or need a hybrid model © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 26. Questions & Answers © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 27. Some news Web Governance Journal Because it’s not just about pixels, prose, and platform Coming Fall 2011 © 2011 Lisa Welchman
- 28. Lisa Welchman @lwelchman lisa@welchmanpierpoint.com www.welchmanpierpoint.com © 2011 Lisa Welchman