Clash!- the open data policy meets an organizational context

In this paper we explore the on-going implementation of the Public Sector Information (PSI) directive in the Swedish National Archives. The directive is in line with current trends of opening up data for re-use, innovations and new digital services. The PSI directive has applied since 2003; the process of implementation is still, however, on-going, more or less successfully. We focus on the policy implementation process and analyse and discuss reasons why this process can be time-consuming and as a result, also delayed. Our findings build on research from a case study consisting of two projects that focussed on creating digital services based on archival material. We use a sociotechnical perspective as an analytical lens, and reason that the open data initiative clashes with the professional culture among archivists and the organizational culture found in archives. The mission of an organization is reflected in its professional and organizational culture, and when these cultures (with related values, behaviours, artefacts and functions) are not in line with the intentions in a policy, the members of the organization need to reach a common understanding before a successful policy implementation can take place.