[foundation-board] Reporting back from the summit
Pavel Richter
pavel.richter at okfn.org
Wed Oct 14 13:00:53 UTC 2015
Dear members of the board,
please find below my report on the summit that took place in Brighton last
week. If you have any questions, please let me know. The full text is also
available as a Google Doc here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-pffnE0nXZ0GwGdqpkn3-YxyEsr4r6NsJB-yPEhBof8/edit?usp=sharing>
.
Open Knowledge International Summit - October 2015
Executive Summary
A Summit is an in-person meeting of staff at Open Knowledge International
(OKI). This event was significant as the first Summit Pavel attended, and
the last that Rufus will attend in an executive role.
The agenda was formed by Pavel, who solicited suggestions for topics from
staff in advance and based the sessions on his assessment of these and the
broader needs of OKI. The organisation’s new shape was shared, its position
in the open space was discussed, and roles and product focuses were
clarified for the present and near future. The emphasis was building on
where we are now to create an exciting and sustainable future.
The tone was relaxed, and - although there were some aspects that
demonstrated ongoing concerns by staff members, and moments where further
clarity was required - feedback positive and constructive.
The slides Pavel used during the summit can be found here
<https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_0X7BFGxfiK1nWdbHFe9vYZFxD-g0hZULEzPaP6zcRM/edit>
.
Welcome & Introduction
A welcome was given by Pavel explaining the agenda, the rules for the
Summit (including "keep it positive"), and began by explaining his own role.
People & Projects at Open Knowledge International
An overview of key projects and the people who work on them was given. Team
members who had not been involved in those projects introduced themselves
and their roles.
Mapping the Open Landscape
A mapping exercise was undertaken of friendly organisations and opponents.
Discussion focused on partnerships, in terms of who we would want to
partner with and how to approach them, thinking strategically and in terms
of over the next 2 years.
Focus in terms of both geography and theme was considered. Concerns were
raised about limiting our appeal and losing broader perspectives, but that
focus is helpful wasn’t challenged. The conclusion was to establish a
thematic focus and then assess whether a natural geographic focus follows
(for reference, the themes which were most popular were 1. Governments, 2.
Finance, and =3. Environment, Data and Human Rights). Pavel offered the
opportunity to form a working group to debate themes and inform his
decision as to what the theme should be; however, no volunteers were
forthcoming by the end of the day (this may be related to timing as opposed
to interest, and will be followed up).
Open Knowledge: an Honest Assessment
Pavel presented a summary of his learnings since arriving at OKI. The topic
of values was discussed, and feedback was given that many people felt
values had been dwelt upon extensively in January - there was reluctance to
approach the subject again, particularly given there had been no perceived
impact of agreeing values previously. Rufus presented 4 proposed values - 3
taken from the agreed internal values from January (integrity,
productivity, leadership) and one from the stated external values on our
website (pragmatism). Rufus noted that the top internal value of 'make a
difference' was implicit in working at OKI and represented our mission
rather than a value, which led to discussion around the benefits and
practical application of values. No consensus was reached that these 4 were
representative of what the organisation wanted to commit to.
Addressing concerns raised around decision-making, Pavel clarified his
expectations around who-does-what. He explained that the organisation will
not be group-run, but that taking initiative and self-organising can be
very positive. Pavel made it clear that there is room for mistakes and
learning, and encouraged people to take the opportunity to participate; he
also made it clear that he values people who are not interested in doing
that - but that if they choose not to participate, they cannot complain
about decisions afterwards.
Organisational Structure
The revised structure was well received; however a significant diversion
from the agenda occurred around the topics of CKAN, the spin-out and OKI
tech work. Clarity was given to members of the Tech Team around next steps
and options around ongoing work, confirming there will be tech work at OKI,
that CKAN work will be within the spin-out once set up, and that there will
be future CKAN work at OKI delivered by the spin-out. (It needs to be noted
that the Tech Team has been involved / informed about these decisions by
Rufus, Pavel and Sebastian over the last few weeks. But it turned out that
this needed to be done again, at the summit). Discussion around how tech is
managed at OKI in the future prompted a discussion about whether a CTO at
OKI would be required, and a 'technical' category was added to the 'office
of the CEO' on the org chart to address this in the short-term.
The new Senior Management Team was confirmed as comprising Pavel as CEO,
Sander as Portfolio Director, and the new (vacant) position of COO (the
latter two positions reporting to the CEO). It is expected that the COO
position will be filled by the end of the year, at which point this
organisational structure will be operational, including Michelle as Chief
of Finance, reporting to the COO; however, Naomi's role as Acting Executive
Assistant became effective when announced (her line-reports moved to Sander
until Portfolio Managers are in place). The new positions of COO and
Portfolio Managers will be available to internal and external candidates
and will be advertised over the next couple of weeks, as will other roles
to follow, including a Communications position and Project Managers. Pavel
confirmed the decision regarding international employment stands (including
applying to himself) and that new roles will be advertised broadly.
Reassurance was given that there are no demotions (ie pay cuts) in this new
organisational structure, despite some responsibilities moving to the new
positions.
Rufus's non-executive role was presented. This involves continuing the
responsibilities around being Founder & President, representing and
supporting OKI to others and opening doors to funders, as well as
developing the promotion and expansion of the space of openness through
public & private channels; Rufus will also continue to support Pavel with
input, wisdom, ideas and contacts. As a key person named on some contracts,
Rufus will continue his involvement in delivering projects and managing
relationships, but the day-to-day and project management aspects - where
staff would usually contact Rufus - are now to be directed to Pavel and
Sander.
Portfolios In Depth
Portfolios were presented and very well received with much positive
feedback. There are three, currently known as ‘planting the seeds’,
‘growing the trees’, and ‘ripening the fruits’. Each portfolio corresponds
to a different stage in the innovation life cycle:
-
The planting the seeds portfolio focuses on innovative, new and
exploratory products that are smaller in size, expected to be generally a
maximum of 1 year in duration, and may include advocacy and policy
activities
-
Products in the portfolio growing the trees are focussing on
facilitating and actually achieving the positive impact of open data in the
world. At the same time, the products work towards including external
stakeholders wherever possible to co-develop the initiatives with us.
Current products in this portfolio are OpenSpending, OpenTrials, and the
Open Data Index
-
When products have matured to a stage where other organisations are
committed to participating in the governance structure, they are
transferred the ripening the fruits portfolio. Here, the focus of the
product is to further grow and develop a self-sustaining model for the
product, while sustaining our own participation in it. Currently, CKAN and
School of Data are in this portfolio.
It should be noted that the nomenclature is less important than the
different approaches to projects and products at different stages. There is
ongoing thought around managing collaborations and co-ownership, mature
products spawning new products and projects (such as smaller and/or local
opportunities around the Index), and managing expertise and resource when
growing a product from one Portfolio to the next. In response to a question
it was made clear that the Funding Committee - developed to address a
specific problem - would not be necessary in this new structure; instead,
budgets would be forecast and managed through the funding process with
Portfolio Managers responsible for the budget around her/his Portfolio.
Questions around the portfolios and structure were answered as follows:
there will be a measure of 'matrix' inevitable in the management of
projects, where multi-sectional oversight occurs for themes and approach;
significant events (such as OKFestival) will be managed through ‘the office
of the CEO’ (the functions overseen directly by Pavel, as a service to the
Portfolios, including communications, research and development, community
and network, and technology), by a professional Events Manager and with
dedicated funding and staff; and communication and events will be closely
aligned; recurring projects (such as GODI) will be factored into products;
training and projects from clients are paid services to bring in funding,
and will not be managed in the same way (or possibly at all); Portfolio
Managers will decide whether opportunities should be taken up and how the
funding works.
Wrap Up & Next Steps
Pavel then invited feedback on the Summit. Responses were constructive and
positive, with the main input being that the time was too short and that
expected outputs shared in advance would have been helpful.
Pavel thanked Rufus for his past work and new role, and expressed
appreciation for the good foundation upon which the organisation can build,
and affirmed the ongoing working relationship. Rufus thanked Pavel and the
staff, and affirmed his presence with and for the organisation and
movement.
Pavel concluded by announcing that the organisation will now be known as
‘Open Knowledge International’.
As an aside: the question about physical office space arose - Pavel
confirmed that it would be unlikely to happen in 2016, but that working
conditions more generally are his top priority; also, Tuesday closed with
an optional Landmark introduction, and an evening meal which Karin joined.
The following are Pavel’s next steps:
1.
Hire COO;
2.
Hire Portfolio Managers;
3.
Hire Communications person;
4.
Hire Project Managers & experts;
5.
Decide on focus areas for the next 18 to 24 months;
6.
Develop a strategic budget process for the next financial year.
The following points are for Pavel to consider:
-
Coalitions and how we want to engage;
-
Strategic partnerships over the next 2 years, including people who turn
data into stories;
-
To what extent is data 'what we do' rather than how we assess / measure,
and if/when will we work with closed data;
-
How to get to a concise set of values for the organisation and get
everyone involved, including strengths / weaknesses / opportunities /
threats analysis;
-
Where and how a tech lead of some sort should be appointed (whether a
CTO is necessary or this will part of the service offering of the 'office
of the CEO');
-
How CKAN Association participation will be affected by the spinning-out ;
-
Contractors and line-management;
-
New Company Secretary (currently Rufus);
-
Future Summits - frequency, further planning, non-work activities;
-
"Open Knowledge International" trademark and web domain;
-
Communication of progress of the areas discussed.
--
Kind regards
Pavel Richter
CEO
Open Knowledge
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