If you’re like me, the mere mention of the word governance has you wishing you surfed for a living rather than trying to lead your organization in building transformative digital experiences. Something like what cough medicine conjures. Something we all need once in a while, but don’t actually enjoy. I mean it sounds good, but oh, that aftertaste is wicked awful. If I don’t really have to do it, I’ll avoid it as long as I can.
But here is the secret; high performing organizations utilize smart governance to create great results. Results that also improve the working happiness of their organizations. It’s the secret sauce of great digital experiences and the organizational cultures that create them.
What does it take to create outstanding digital campaigns, communities and movements? Many organizations want movement building Internet experiences. We watch other organizations that create Internet experiences or campaigns that capture the imagination of their intended audiences, and we ask ourselves how we could do it too?
This challenge of governance increasingly finds its way into our work and is a vital component of the success of smart Internet programs. When you experience a great digital campaign, site or program, it’s very likely that it is the result of the organization behind it having wrestled with the thorny and sometimes bitter tasting opportunity of governance; the structure of people, positions, authorities, roles, responsibilities, relationships and agreements that power the creation of many great user experiences.
