E-Government needs e-people?

Introduction

E-government is unlikely to become a reality unless people are included in the migration plans. This article takes a look at the surrounding issues and possible solution.

The Problem

It is generally accepted that organisations with sustainable business models that embrace the web have the greatest chances of success. Businesses will survive or die on that basis. Similarly Government organisations face ‘bankruptcy’, if they cannot improve their services whilst at the same time reducing costs. E-government provides a coherent framework to address both challenges.

It is also accepted by many that making public services more accessible is more than just a case of developing an animated website. Whilst a responsive and navigable website is key to this, it is the associated changes to the way government is conducted behind the site that will cause major upheaval.

There are a number of associated issues:

• Overcoming the human barriers to progress in e-government
• Making staff aware of how it is possible to survive what they may see as a cost cutting exercise Explaining the issues and opportunities so that staff can talk intelligently to suppliers, customers and people in other departments
• Ensuring everyone can speak the language of e-government, so that they have credibility when dealing with others (for example, a recent Socitm survey shows only 14% of councillors understand e-government requirements)
• Integrating web initiatives with existing IT investment
• Harnessing the knowledge that exists within the organisation
• Integrating Citizen Relationship Management systems with web and knowledge management initiatives
• Integrating e-government initiatives with e-treasury and e-supply chain management
• Managing private sector partnerships and contracts.

Government organisations are well on the way to addressing some or all of these. However the issue of alerting the staff to the changes ahead may be tarnished by the fact that:

• Staff may be suspicious of  ‘in-house’ briefings that affect their professional life
• The messengers may not have the correct combination of technical/e-business knowledge and communications skills, which exacerbates the problem, causing further confusion and uncertainty
• Witness an IT person explaining a technical term to a non-IT person to get a feel for the potential problem.

This is a delicate matter, which needs to be managed with sensitivity.

A solution

The nature of the challenge has unique characteristics:

• The transfer of ‘technical’ knowledge to primarily non-technical
• They need enough information to give them confidence and credibility, but not so much that they get lost in the detail
• The need to incorporate e-initiatives that only pertain to the appropriate e-government organisation/service
• The need to address the complete spectrum of staff, from chief executive level to administrative.

The emerging model for preparing organisations for the e-revolution has 3 tiers:

• Awareness level – To get all staff to a level whereby they can ‘hold their own’ in discussing e-business/e-government matters
• Application level – To give the staff whose roles will be directly affected by e-government the knowledge they need to do their job confidently and effectively
• Direction level – To get the leaders sufficiently aware of the strategic impact of e-business/e-government such that they lead the e-revolution from the front.

Auridian has helped many organisations and thousands of staff prepare for the e-revolution. We recommend that any e-culture change programme has the following:

• A user-friendly explanation of the relevant e-terms
• Some history, which puts the whole dotcom/e-business evolution into perspective
• The importance of portals in branding and communication
• The link between the Cabinet’s view of e-government and its local implementation
• Details of internal e-initiatives, with appropriate expectation management
• Details on what is happening ‘over the fence’ in the government sector and beyond
• The relationship with knowledge management and citizen relationship management.

E-government is moving at lightening pace. It is imperative that e-culture change programmes are kept up to date and reflect the latest developments.

Consideration needs to be given as to whether:

• This is handled in-house
• The incumbent training company, which handles technical courses, is invited to put something together
• A specialist organisation is sought out to handle this delicate exercise.

In summary

E-government constitutes a revolution in both government working practices and citizen communications. This article has focused on government staff. But it equally applies to politicians, councilors and citizens. The degree to which all the stakeholders are embraced by the revolution will determine its success.