7 Truths of Dating Sharing

This is a series by David Goodman, VP of Learning and Impact, on data sharing. Over the next week or so David shares what he's learned over the past decade about sharing data within and across organizations in a series of posts. The 7 Truths are based on David's work in research; evaluation; collecting, managing, and governing data for organizations; and leading collaborations to share and use their collective data.

Truth #1: There is No One Data Sharing Model "to Rule Them All"

The reason for this, however, makes complete sense: each agreement must be tailored to each organization's specific needs, requirements, preferences, and capacities. There are simply too many factors that influence whether two or more organizations should, can, or will share data. Consider the type and amount of data being shared (individual vs. aggregate; sensitive vs. confidential), the proposed uses of and access to the data, the experience and expertise of the organizations, and even the trustworthiness of your potential partners. All these factors will result in different requirements, permissions, conditions, and constraints for each participating organization. Once you have these for each organization, you must find alignment and agreement among your data sharing partners. This takes time and requires adjustments and considerations to meet each organization's needs—especially for organizations that haven't previously worked together.

Are there tools, guides, or templates that can help speed up the process? Of course, but even those should be used as guides or baselines to build from. Find a similar data sharing agreement or how-to guide (ask me for one!) and figure out what works and what doesn't, what can be leveraged and what needs to be changed or adjusted. This is an excellent exercise for aligning with your data sharing partners, as well as internal teams within your organization.

There's simply no way around this part of data sharing. Is it difficult, tedious, and sometimes frustrating work? Yes, but having this clarity and understanding—both internally and externally—will significantly improve and expedite the data sharing process. It can also be iterated upon and updated to make the process more efficient and effective over time. I promise it gets easier the more you and your staff engage in the process, especially if you choose to work with the same organizations repeatedly.

Even more important, however, is that this process of identification and negotiation is where the true value lies: the ability to learn and compromise builds trust, understanding, and appreciation among partners (and colleagues!) that can lay the foundation for sustained and respectful sharing over time.