U.S. Federal Government: Why Can't We Be More Like Google?

Although the public sector is full of its own challenges, challenges that grow even more complex at the federal government level, it can learn some lessons from the private sector. In the case of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Chief Data Officer Daniel Morgan said he wants the department to run ’more like Google.’

’We can,’ Morgan said of the idea of transforming to run more like the agile private sector company. ’We can do this in a responsible and efficient way if we’re thoughtful about how we want to get data from the private sector, or from crowd-sourcing, or from our state and local partners, in different ways.’

Morgan said the keys to the transformation include updating policy around how quickly the government can receive data from local municipalities and directing the department towards more user orientation and customer engagement.

’The government sometimes thinks that they can’t talk to their customers,’ Morgan said.

’It’s okay to talk to your users. It’s okay to get data about what works for them and what they need. And it doesn’t require a 90-day process of bureaucracy,’ he added.

Lastly, the government needs to focus on innovative technologies. Morgan said he has been releasing public data on information around bridge conditions in the same format – a fixed-width text file – for ages.

’Nobody has tried to innovate how we deliver that data. If you would like a fixed-width text file, we are happy to provide that to you. That’s not cool,’ he said.

’This game of running around in circles just does not work for trying to be more like Google, or just trying to be a 21stcentury data-driven agency,’ Morgan concluded.