Paul Maltby: ‘I’ve had to unfollow civil servants who tweet only about meetings’

This interview, conducted by Helen Crane, originally appeared on the Guardian’s Public Leaders Network.

You joined the Cabinet Office as director of open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... and transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More in January. What will be your biggest challenge? 
Promoting open data on the international stage. The UK is president of the G8 summit this year, and forming a collective, international agreement on open data is one of our central aims. We are also lead co-chair of the Open Government Partnership [committed governments to curbing corruption and promoting human rights]. Looking worldwide has been a learning curve – not all countries have a central authority on open data, so everyone starts on a different page.

And your biggest achievement so far?
Month by month, we are releasing more data sets. I think the UK has a legitimate claim to being the world leader on open data. Gavin Starks of the Open Data Institute says that 2013 is to open data as 1993 was for the internet – people are experimenting with what is possible.

What’s your next priority?
The Shakespeare report [the review of public sector information] has given us fire in our belly to face the next challenge – opening up more data to domestic businesses so that British companies can really succeed. To do this, we need to get the core data out from each government department in an organised form. We will also be announcing more of our plans at this year’s G8 summit.

Other than economic growth, what are the biggest benefits of open data?
Helping citizens access services and interact with the state in different ways, and increasing government accountability. Over the next decade, data will change the way we live, work and think. Then there are fledgling public services apps such as GP Ratings which let people get a sense of how their GP is performing. Things like travel apps which let you know which train to catch before you’ve even decided to catch still seem futuristic to me.

Your background isn’t in tech or data – how did you find yourself in the role?
My background is as a public service reformer. I worked in the Cabinet Office’s Strategy Unit from 2006-7 at the time of the Power of Information Review. It was exciting, cutting-edge stuff – this was essentially year zero for the open data movement taking off. I’m not a tech person by background, but I have forced myself to put down Candy Crush Saga in the evening and start using Codecademy, a series of logical puzzles which teach you how to write code. I do recommend it; it’s better than playing those pointless but addictive iPad games.

Research has shown that many civil servants don’t fully understand the benefits of open data. Do you still have to ‘sell’ open data within government? 
There are 440,000 civil servants, and many won’t touch the open data agenda day-to-day, so I think it’s actually quite encouraging that around half of those are aware of the benefits. We do need to spread the word, though. This is a big cultural challenge. We are trying to make sure that this isn’t just a Cabinet Office push, so there are transparency boards in each department. The difficulty is making sure that we get core data out of all these departments.

You use social media. Many civil servants don’t, or have their accounts managed by PR. Should more government employees be socially active?
It’s difficult. I must admit I’ve had to unfollow some civil servants who just use their accounts to say “Today, I’m going to have a meeting with some other civil servants”. But I don’t think it would have been credible to take on this role and remain silent on social media. It’s easy to overstate the extent to which technology can influence democracy, but I do think that social media has changed the way I think about my role; I feel much more accountable to those outside of the system. I do get butterflies before most tweets I send, so I can understand why some civil servants choose not to engage. But as long as you follow the same rules as other professionals on Twitter, I think the benefits outweigh the downsides. It’s nice to think that I’m not just a faceless bureaucrat.

You worked on secondment at Leicestershire county council in 2010. What did you learn there?
It opened my eyes to the other end of the telescope. I would really recommend swapping between roles. Working in central government, I have often been frustrated with the length of the process before reforms get brought to life. But at Leicestershire I was given the space to get on with making practical reforms happen, with none of that semi-colon-altering or policy writing by committee. It’s a top-class local authority and definitely leaner than most central government departments.

What has been the best moment of your career to date?
A decade ago I worked in the early stages of developing personal budgets for elderly people’s social care, then, years later, my family was able to make use of the scheme. My grandma was able to receive care from a person she trusted outside of the contract with the council. I think it was part of a quiet re-balancing of power towards the citizen, and a default policy of choice for adult social care. I had a small role, but I am proud to have been involved.

What is your leadership style?
Clear, passionate about the direction of travel and as transparent as I can be. I try to offer praise and encouragement, both inside and outside my immediate team, and give space for people to find their own solutions. I also think it’s important to keep in touch with the wider world, pulling in ideas from other bits of government and the wider world.

What do you do to relax in your spare time?
I live 100 miles from work and tend to work long hours, but when I can I like to have an early breakfast with my two young children. I also spend more money than I should on classic cars – I’ve recently restored an old 1970s Mercedes.

What three things would you take to a desert island?
My iPhone, laptop and a strong Wi-Fi connection