All Hands on Tech

14Governance

As Max Malloy, assistant vice president of enterprise digital experience at ProAssurance, said to us, the critical factor in any successful citizen development initiative is “governance, governance, governance, governance.”

While we have expressed our concern with the controlling connotations of the word governance, we recognize the need for it. Measures to ensure the stability, safety, and scalability of citizen projects are essential. Governance structures make it easy for citizens to make good decisions.

According to the vendor Betty Blocks’ guide for governing citizen development, “A solid governance model should serve as the backbone of any citizen development program.”¹ But it is imperative to adapt the governance model that you adopt. There will be no one-size-fits-all. A high level of draconian control will likely drive citizens right back into the shadows. Designing the right level of governance is a balancing act between autonomy and control.

Each enterprise must choose the right levels of control and constraint to suit their needs. As Amtrak’s Michael McCullough explains, “Your governance will fit where you are on your journey. Once citizen development becomes more established, your governance will adjust accordingly.” Regardless of the maturity of your citizen development programs, you will need to make decisions early on about your relationship to risk, where your governance comes from and where your governance lives.

For each of these decisions, the ...