Successful collaborative information management means striking a balance between facilitating a democratic approach where participating stakeholders have a say and role in the collaboration while at the same time maintaining enough order and control to support effective communication. In other words, frameworks, technologies, and protocols should balance the closure necessary for orderly practice with opening processes enough for stakeholders involved to understand decision-making processes, how they fit into other participants’ processes, and what they can gain from engaging with them that is necessary and unattainable alone. Revisiting the roles of data controller and data processor and looking at the evolving nature of any joint data controlling relationships can help to shape policy in this area. This can also be aided by on-going revisiting of the data protection impact assessment and updating it as relationships between stakeholders evolve.
Guiding Questions
How could negotiations between parties support coordination in ways that neither undermine authority nor require consensus?
What can you do to achieve a balance between keeping control while allowing multiple participants a say and role in the collaboration?
In some cases giving up control might be more beneficial than keeping control. To what extent, if at all, could this be true for the case at hand?