I’m Paul Joyce, Founder and CEO of Geckoboard. AMA!

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Hi @davidhart. Thanks for your question, it speaks to a subtly that I believe is a genuine stumbling block for many orgs to embracing a more open approach to sharing data internally

  1. The first step is to understand why we even want to share data
  2. For me, it was all about trust - this is a shared endeavour, I want the people I’m working with to trust me, and I want to trust them
  3. If we want people to act like adults then the first step is to treat them like adults
  4. How we work was vital - my earlier answer to Rajaraman’s question goes into this in a bit more detail
  5. If we want smart, creative people working towards a shared goal in a collegiate environment, then it stands to reason that they will need ongoing access to all of the relevant information needed to do their job
  6. Exactly what that relevant information is will differ from team to team, so some thought has to be given to scope
  7. But I’d err on the side of slightly over-sharing than under-sharing data
  8. But this has to go hand-in-hand with some training/education on the context of that data
  9. The risk of that data being shared outside of the org remains, but a risk worth taking in my estimation
  10. On the other hand data-overload is real, and your point about people zoning out if you give them too much information is borne out in reality, time and again
  11. It can happen by accident, but I’ve also worked in environments in the past where oversharing of information was weaponized; give people too much data, copy them on too many email chains, referencing spreadsheet after complex spreadsheet and you’ll soon see their defences collapse
  12. This should be avoided at all costs - it’s a denial-of-service attack dressed up as being open: passive aggressive BS that nobody has time for
  13. One way around that is to make core data available to all in an easy to digest manner with ancillary data self-service, with a low barrier to discovery
  14. Ultimately, the test has to be whether you believe that by sharing some data/information, you increase or decrease those people’s decision making capacity
  15. You can confirm that by listening to how data is discussed by your team and by actively soliciting feedback periodically
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