# Introduction Many government leaders believe they need a “data-driven culture” to usher in more effective and efficient services to residents. They see managers rely primarily (sometimes exclusively) on gut instinct and experience to guide their work. Data seems trapped in silos. Employees are not using data to inform their work out of reluctance, fear, lack of awareness, or training. Tools used to manage and analyze data are intimidating, and very few people understand which tools to reach for first. All the while, technology becomes cheaper, the world becomes awash with data, and everyone wants to “work smarter” not harder. Compared to this reality, a “data-driven culture” seems appealing. But what does that really mean? And how do governments make the shift? The [Center for Government Excellence](http://govex.jhu.edu/) at Johns Hopkins University (GovEx), a partner in Bloomberg Philanthropies [What Works Cities initiative](http://www.whatworkscities.org/), created this practical guide to help governments advance open data, analytics, and performance management practices by shaping their organizational culture. The guide includes characteristics of cultures adept with data, diagnostic tips for understanding existing organizational culture, and practical suggestions for influencing that culture. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://govex.gitbook.io/changing-culture/readme.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.