The challenge of speed government in europe

The challenge of speed: Government in EuropeOnly a minority of government managers in Europe report a sense of urgency about the need for executives in the public and private sectors con

The challenge of speed: Government in Europe

Only a minority of government managers in Europe report a sense of urgency about the need for

executives in the public and private sectors conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit

managers believe that rapid organisational change is important

Compared with their counterparts in business, a sizable proportion of government managers appear to

However, while governments may not feel the pressure to change, change is certainly coming

to governments Technology-led change in the private sector has transformed the way in which

people expect to deal with organisations, at a time when European governments are facing resource

constraints In parallel, change-resistant public bodies are in danger of missing out the advantages of

the new paths to improving service-delivery opportunities that are opening up

Fortunately, Europe’s governments can rise to this challenge

AN ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT RESEARCH PROGRAMME SPONSORED BY

government leaders, as well as substantial desk research This article aims to offer some guidance to managers in government hoping to drive greater process speed as well as harness the potential of changing technologies to better serve the goals of their stakeholders

from the government sector The government

sample is senior, with 50% at C-level or above

In addition, The Economist Intelligence Unit

(EIU) conducted three in-depth interviews with

About the research

Not enough money and too much to do

In a climate of lingering austerity, governments are being asked to do more with less Public spending cuts have come at a time when high unemployment and ageing populations are boosting the need for services This combination has led many European governments to invest in online services as a substitute for expensive personal interactions

For instance, the Danish capital, Copenhagen, has estimated that face-to-face interaction costs on

Heath, spokesperson for Neelie Kroes, the vice-president of the European Commission responsible for Europe’s Digital Agenda

expected to come from the more effective use of information and communications technologies (ICT)

In Spain, three out of four administrative procedures are now initiated online This cuts red tape and delivery online can be found in the UK and the Netherlands

Meanwhile, constituents are demanding easier ways to interact with government Citizens have little patience for multi-layered, paper-dependent bureaucracies when they have become accustomed to dealing with their friends, families and private-sector entities using computers or mobile devices

In the government sector, fewer executives feel under intense pressure to change: How much pressure do you personally feel to adapt to rapid changes in your organisation?

(%)

Government All sectors

2

Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Extreme pressure Significant pressure

Moderate pressure Limited pressure

No pressure

5

19 25

41 43

35 27

3 0

“There is a huge demand for e-services from the side of the citizens,” says Mehis Sihvart, director of the

agency to agency,” adds Mr Heath The private sector may have led the way, but public expectations have only risen as a result

processes to use them effectively can foster innovation elsewhere “Government itself creates new business opportunities when it allows the reuse of its data by third parties in order to provide better, more personalised and value-added online services,” according to Mr Heath

This can deliver new applications, more open government and enable tailored private-sector products and services, he says “Plus, if you make these online services available across borders, we strengthen the digital single market by removing electronic barriers in key areas of business and citizen mobility.”

reducing costs, thanks to a combination of data integration and automation

One example is Estonia, a recognised leader in e-government, which is beginning to deliver public services automatically

“The big change in the last year or so has been that our citizens are demanding automated processes,”

This shift has been made possible by the fact that data interoperability is mandated by law “It is written into the law that if a citizen or entrepreneur has entered some kind of data once, in any state database, the state has no right to ask for the same information twice,” says Mr Sihvart “The data has

to come from where the information was already entered.”

This mandate means that data integration is a fundamental principle of public service in Estonia “All

through a legally mandated data-exchange layer This interoperability has enabled us to provide about 2,500 e-services.”

Similar legislation has been passed in the Netherlands, where “it is illegal for any public body to ask twice for information or data that it already holds,” according to Mr Heath “So it is the data that circulates, not the citizen from agency to agency, or form to form.”

Small steps towards a big change

Despite these pioneering examples, many governments have been slow to adapt Worse yet, many seem to think that the change is behind them

Over half (55%) of European government managers polled in the survey expect little or no disruption

in their sector in the next three years This is despite the fact that the clear majority of respondents operate in the last three years—and that digital advancement shows no signs of slowing down

Moreover, the challenge for e-government is only set to rise in the coming years Within the EU, the Some member states have even greater ambitions

Yih-Jeou Wang, head of international co-operation at Denmark’s Agency for Digitisation, explains: Denmark, progressing to use a digital channel for at least 80% of all written communications between e-government action plan.”

Most government executives expect tech-led disruption to slow down over the next three years:

To what extend has the government sector been exposed to tech-led disruption over the last three years What do you expect over the next three?

(%)

Next 3 years Last 3 years

Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Extreme Significant

Moderate Slight

Not at all

9

27

32

23

9

As e-government becomes the norm, disruptions are not limited to

government workers but also affect the lives of those citizens who have

trouble adapting to a more digital world The proliferation of available

channels makes connecting with the public crucial At the same time as

opening online paths, governments still need to reach the whole population,

making their public communications a key risk factor

an area of concern Ensuring that all citizens know how to engage with

their governments is vital if IT-enabled advances are to deliver real value

The real challenge in pursuing these goals is adapting the organisation to

Danish public sector’s ability to change

and effective.” This is a challenge, but leading organisations are already

embracing it

services In fact, we see the smart use of ICT as a way of empowering our citizens in the sense that they

are experiencing more freedom in living their everyday lives.”

As the author William Gibson once joked: “The future is already here—it’s just unevenly distributed.”

There are initiatives moving ahead, but too many European governments still lag behind The way

forward isn’t simple, but there are concrete lessons available to those aiming to improve In the private

sector this means customer centricity, but for the government it really is a focus on making the lives of

its citizens easier Getting your internal processes right should ensure ease and simplicity for the end

user The motivation to do so can take legislative mandates, but it shouldn’t have to

public services In fact, we see the smart use of ICT as a way of empowering our citizens in the sense

that they are experiencing more freedom in living their everyday lives.”

In which of the following functional areas does changing at speed, without full consideration

of all elements, present the most risk to your business operations?

(%)

Government Overall average

Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Marketing

IT

43 45

29

45

About the sponsor

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www.ricoh-europe.com

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