Designing an Effective Governance Model for Data Collaboratives

Abstract

Overview: Data Collaboratives have gained traction as interorganizational partnerships centered on data exchange. They enhance the collective capacity of responding to contemporary societal challenges using data, while also providing participating organizations with innovation capabilities and reputational benefits. Unfortunately, data collaboratives often fail to advance beyond the pilot stage and are therefore limited in their capacity to deliver systemic change. The governance setting adopted by a data collaborative affects how it acts over the short and long term. We present a governance design model to develop context-dependent data collaboratives. Practitioners can use the proposed model and list of key reflective questions to evaluate the critical aspects of designing a governance model for their data collaboratives. Practitioner Takeaways: Practitioners can develop a detailed understanding of the governance factors that influence the successful creation of data collaboratives. The governance design process model offers practitioners a tangible roadmap and concrete activities to help them revamp an existing data collaborative or create a new one. The list of reflective questions can guide practitioners’ initial design efforts and help them assess the robustness of their data collaboratives’ current governance models.