e-Government

1. e-Government Internal Perspectives

2. Internal Perspectives • motivation • why do governments adopt an e-orientation • why do departments/senior managers adopt an e-orientation? • requirements • what drives the standards governments must meet • what must be done differently? • challenges • what problems must be overcome? • perils • what hazards might be posed by this type of reorientation

3. Internal Perspectives – Motivation of Departments • client demands • efficiency and effectiveness • political support for e-government strategy • interdepartmental leadership

4. Internal Perspectives – Potential Uses • external • G2C • G2B • G2G • internal • communications • Intranets • integrated human resource management • e-procurement

5. Internal Perspectives – e-procurement • process costs for purchasing orders • currently $130 per order • anticipated return on e-procurement • 300% (Deloitte Consulting)

6. Internal Perspectives -- Requirements • external demands driving approach to e-government • e.g. private sector makes personalization the norm • ease of access – e.g. portals

7. The Crossing Boundaries Project • what boundaries do you think they are referring to?? • interdepartmental • intergovernmental

8. Internal Perspectives -- Requirements • improved access • adequate infrastructure • cooperation

9. Internal Perspectives – Organizational Requirements • “Portals are not just a better way for customers to access their government; they are governments’ blueprint to a new paradigm of operation.” Deloitte, 2001 • silo organizational structure transformed • networks – “collaborative clusters supported by centralised shared processes” • two caveats • single window delivery is not new concept • change in operation or organization? • is this just creating new silos?

10. Internal Perspectives -- Requirements • improved access • adequate infrastructure • cooperation • appropriate program design

11. Internal Perspectives – Technical Challenges • technical • integrated infrastructure • “federated architecture” • IT workforce • however...challenges are not primarily technical

12. Internal Perspectives – Political Challenges • internal resistance? • all organization changes (no matter how small) are political • generate winners and losers • potential losers will resist changes!

13. Internal Perspectives – Political Challenges • interdepartmental cooperation • “...in the private sector significant changes in organizational structure have followed technological investment. In governments, by contrast, technology investment has only led to increased transaction intensity and, in some cases, the slicing off of government activities to new forms. We have not seen the structure within government change – flattening the vertical nature of government, decentralizing dealings with the public and centralizing policy, to mirror private-sector adaptations.” Schachter 1999 • “Crossing jurisdictional boundaries – as the public would like – will be more difficult, positive rhetoric notwithstanding.” PWC 2001

14. Internal Perspectives – Political Challenges • barriers to interdepartmental cooperation • interdepartmental politics • different functions/mandates • turf protection • accountability concerns • why do we have “silos” in government?

15. Internal Perspectives – Political Challenges • barriers to interdepartmental cooperation • barriers to intergovernmental cooperation • “By their very nature, ICTs are hostile to the partitioning of the political world which is so important for federal states.” Gibbins, 2001 • cooperation on portal delivery raises all the age-old difficulties of federal-provincial cooperation • will generate some resistance • differ by program area • differ by province (e.g. Quebec)

16. Internal Perspectives – Political Challenges • barriers to interdepartmental cooperation • barriers to intergovernmental cooperation • channel-switching places organizational structure in question • competition within a department • e-business disconnects location of citizens and service providers • some delivery partners (e.g. private license issuers) may be “disintermediated” because citizens prefer electronic service

17. Internal Perspectives -- Challenges • barriers to interdepartmental cooperation • barriers to intergovernmental cooperation • channel-switching places organizational structure in question • cost-savings through workforce reductions • “Public sector managers are reluctant to commit to such large cost reductions.” PWC 2001

18. Internal Perspectives – Political Challenges • there will be obstacles to adoption of e-government technologies/approach • adoption will be uneven • across time • across policy areas • across departments • across jurisdictions

19. Internal Perspectives -- Perils • security/privacy • increasing cross-departmental cooperation (esp. sharing of data) will generate concerns for security and privacy • choice and coercion • reducing overlap through cooperation may generate concerns regarding coercion/reducing choice • “Realizing potential savings will require active encouragement of channel switching, whether through advertising, differential fees, or downgrading of service in existing channels.” PWC 2001 • NETFILE

20. Internal Perspectives -- Perils • security/privacy • choice and coercion • program effectiveness and quality • new program design criteria – outside in, seamless access, etc. • not the same as program effectiveness

21. Internal Perspectives -- Perils • security/privacy • choice and coercion • program effectiveness and quality • accountability • results-based accountability • “citizen as customer”