What is Egovernment

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What is Egovernment?

• Use of ICTs
• Inside government departments.
• Between government departments.
• To interact with citizens.
• To interact with the business community.
• Change to the process of government
• Citizen centric
• Citizen involving

2
Why Egovernment?

• Citizen Expectations (if Amazon can do it, why
  not my government?)
• Competitiveness (competing for businesses to
  invest, people to reside)
• Cost (lowering transaction costs, purchase costs
  for goods and services)
• Consultants (trying to make a sale)
• Control (homeland security)

3
What is the eGovernment difference?Visionary
Goals (Rhetoric)

• Services need to be redesigned, to be
  citizen-centric (not government centric)
• eGovernment needs to be agile in its application
  of technology proactive, not inactive or
  reactive
• eGovernment is not just about automation, but
  re-engineering of services
• Not how many webpages, but how much
  functionality as well as critical mass

4
How do/could/should Governments create value for
their citizens?

• Convenience ease of use
• Better quality information more quickly
• End-to-end self-service for and by citizens
• Relationship building with citizens
• Does a Government want to change?
• Does a Governments monopoly position make it
  closed to change?

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Aspects of eGovernment efficiency

• Digital Loyalty
• To what extent do citizens use (or want to use)
  web-based e-services?
• Are digital services superior?
• Online options
• Do they improve government efficiency
• End-to-end
• Can citizens engage in entire processes online?
• Providing information, receiving feedback,
  receiving or making payments, receiving receipts
  all securely.
• Can individual citizen needs be addressed?
• Does anyone ask the citizens what they want?

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Adoption of the
Web by eCitizens
Only
Use
Digital Loyalty
Online
Services
Prefer to use online services
Retention
Will continue to use online services
Recog-nition
Use more than one online service
Value
Use an online service once
Aware-ness
Access
Know about online services
Have Internet access
Adapted from Deloitte Research
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How e should a Government be?

• eTransactions?
• All information and services online?
• Is it feasible?
• Can the govt departments cope?
• Just those services that a critical mass of
  citizens ask for?
• If services are provided, will citizens use them?
• Not if the business model is weak.

8
How e should a Government be?

• Currently there are many delivery channels for
  information/services
• Web, fax, email, mail, ATM, counter,
• and probably they are all used, because
  different citizens have different preferences.
• How can this be transformed, and what costs are
  involved?
• Is e-government necessarily any more efficient
  than traditional government?

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What are the Barriers to Online Services?

• Citizen apathy
• Why bother? The Government is irrelevant.
• Comfort
• It is easier to do it the old way
• Security
• I dont feel safe online. I dont trust the
  Government.
• Functionality
• Can I do what I want or what the Govt wants?
• Some services are inappropriate for online access.

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Costs of Going Online

• Initial costs may be higher than for traditional
  channels
• It takes time to get a critical mass
• Savings come through scaling down/abandoning one
  or more channels

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Early and Later Costs of eTransformation
Adapted from Deloitte Research
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Strategic eGovernment Planning

• Focus on end-to-end planning, not just front-end
  enabling
• Consider bundling epayments across departments
  integration
• Encourage the whole community to participate
  starting at the top

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Transforming eGovernment

• How does eGovernment change from traditional
  forms of Government?
• What is the transition process?
• Do B2B and B2C models apply?
• Why should we care?
• Guidance for government leaders on policy and
  management
• Where am I now, how far is there to go, which
  step comes next?

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Maturity Models
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Nolans Stage Model
4 Stages (later 6) based on IT expenditure (later
learning) Different principles for budgeting,
control, use, location, based on stage.
home.ubalt.edu/abento/ 641/3plan/plan.html
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Hodgkinsons Learning Curves

• Governments mature through learning curves

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Accentures Stage Model

• Tracked the progress of various eGovernments
  world wide
• Methodology (interviews / scoring model using 100
  questions)
• Results
• early leaders to the late followers
• innovative contenders to the excellent performers
• those who are left far behind

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Accenture

• intends to help government leaders chart their
  future paths more effectively
• But Accentures reports are primarily
  descriptive,
• not predictive
• They use historical measures rather than future
  orientations

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Accentures eGov Maturity Model

• Publish, interact, transact Accenture I
• Publish, interact, transact, transform Accenture
  II
• Online Presence, Basic Capability, Service
  Availability, Mature Delivery, Service
  Transformation Accenture III
• Stage transitions are characterised by hurdles
  followed by plateaux
• To move to the next stage, a government has to
  do something different

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• Stages are characterised by hurdles and
  plateaux,
• Moving to the next stage involves doing something
  different/better

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Accenture's Five-Stage Plateau Model of
eGovernment Maturity
Service Transformation
Mature Delivery
Service Availability
Basic Capability
Online Presence
Time
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Transitioning along the Stages

• Is higher always better?
• Which stages are easy, which ones difficult to
  master?
• Which ones are inexpensive, which ones expensive?
• Political comfort?
• Social acceptance?

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Punctuating the Equilibrium

• In moving to the fifth level, Canada for instance
  demonstrated these differences in its
  application of leading edge practices, such as
  involving customers in service development and
  identifying/focusing on high value services.
• Could that happen in Hong Kong? Or China? Or
  Zimbabwe?

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Another Lens Strategic Alignment
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Strategic Alignment

• Henderson/Venkatraman (1993)
• Model to explain the interaction between
• business and IT strategy
• and the
• corresponding organisational and IT structures,
  processes, and systems (including value system)

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Original Alignment Model 4 Areas

• Business Strategy
• Scope What business are we in?
• Distinctive competencies What do we concentrate
  on doing well?
• Governance What external business
  relationships/JVs do we depend on?
• IT Strategy
• Scope What technologies support/create business
  opportunities?
• IT or systemic competencies What IT features
  create business advantage?
• IT Governance What external relationships do we
  depend on?
• Organization Infrastructure
• Structure/culture What is the structure/culture?
• Processes What are the organizations key
  processes?
• Skills What HR does organization have/require to
  achieve competencies?
• IT Infrastructure
• Architecture What are organizations choices of
  platforms, hardware, software, network, etc.?
• Processes What are organizations IT processes
  (development, etc.) ?
• Skills What skills do IT staff require?

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Strategic Alignment Model (Henderson
Venkatraman)
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eGovernment Alignment Model

• An integrated model that combines the insights of
  both the maturity and the strategic alignment
  perspectives

29
Alignment Based Maturity Model

• While the eGovernment Strategic Alignment model
  illustrates the relationships, it does not
  demonstrate how eGovernments develop.
• Thus, there is a need for an eGovernment maturity
  model which is also aligned to strategy.
• This model illustrates the different paths that
  governments may take as they move towards
  fully-fledged eGovernment.

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Staged Alignment Model
1 eGovern-ment Rhetoric
2a Strategic Vision
2b eGovern-ment Vision
2c Systems Focus
3c eGovernment Automation
3a Strat-egic Plan
3b IT Plan-ning Gap
3b IT Plan-ning Gap
3a SP
4 eGovernment Integration
Alignment
Weak Alignment
Preferred Path
5 eGovernment Transformation
Less Preferred Path
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Stages Illustrated
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Stage 1 Rhetoric

• Many governments can be said to be at the
  rhetoric stage
• These are governments who have thought about
  going online, that have initiated discussions,
  and that have made some pronouncements

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Stage 2 Visions or Simple Systems

• Strategic vision and eGovernment vision are
  extremely hard to identify, unless one has
  personal, inside knowledge of a Governments
  functionings. This information will not be
  available on a website.
• Systems focus can be identified in the existence
  of primitive eGovernment websites that
  disseminate information and perhaps offer a few
  interactive opportunities for citizens.

34
Stage 3 Plans, Gaps and Automation

• Now the potential for integration emerges between
  plans and actions.
• Most governments find it hard to resist the
  temptation to put something on the web, so eGov
  automation is a common move.
• If there is strategic planning without eGov
  planning but with IT implementation, a planning
  gap emerges a lack of alignment between eGov
  targets and implementation reality

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Stage 4 eGovernment Integration

• Here the strategies are aligned with each other
  and with IT implementations
• Services are integrated, as well as front-to-back
  end systems
• Intra-departmental collaboration (or at least
  cooperation) may be apparent
• Around 20 governments have reached this stage,
  worldwide

36
Stage 5 Transformation

• Full eGovernment alignment, with the
  transformation of eGovernment processes and
  systems
• Role redefinition is necessary here
• Civil servants, govt ministers, citizens

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Examples I

• Stage 1 North Korea http//www.korea-dpr.com
• Minimal evidence of eGov.
• Stage 2 Hong Kong 1998 eGov Vision
• digital 21 Strategy
• seamless electronic services to the public and
  business in an efficient and customer centric way

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Examples II

• Stage 2 Zimbabwe Malawi Systems Focus
• Basic websites, Information Dissemination
• Zimbabwe http//www.zim.gov.zw
• rather primitive and out of date, broken links
• Malawi http//www.malawi.gov.mw
• extensive links and information,
• 22 govt depts online,
• national stats office with pdf reports
• Emergent strategic thinking

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Examples III

• Stage 3 Tanzania - IT Planning Gap
• In late 1990s, major MIS systems, but with a data
  processing intention
• In 2000, public service reform initiative
• Emergent strategic planning
• eGovernment planning not evident
• Yet the information disseminated is useful,
  available in English and Kiswahili, with many
  downloadable documents.
• (http//www.tanzania.go.tz/)

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Examples IV

• Stage 3 China - eGovernment Automation
• Comprehensive central government website
• Links to provincial, SAR and city resources
• eGov services such as digital maps, tendering,
  handling of complaints
• (http//www.gov.cn/frontmanger/index.jsp)

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Examples V

• Stage 4 Hong Kong 2003 eGovernment Integration
• 1998-2003 major changes.
• From eGov Vision through Systems Focus to eGov
  Integration
• ESD Life 130 services with extensive
  interactive opportunities for citizens
• Critical mass? Citizen take-up has been slow.
• Focus on integrating services with eGov strategy
• Bridging the digital divide so that it is IT for
  all

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Examples VI

• Stage 5 Canada eGovernment Transformation
• Structural changes in govts internal operations
• Incentives for knowledge sharing among govt
  departments
• Capability building initiatives for the workforce
• A long way to go yet culture change takes time
• http//www.canada.gc.ca

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Discussion
44
Model Simplicity and Stereotypicality?

• Is it wrong?
• Can it be validated?
• What do we mean by Government of Canada? (In
  some eGovs where there is little in the way of
  central control, some departments may be far
  ahead of others)
• Value of non-alignment (or invisible alignment).
  E.g. PK, MW and TZ transparency in selected
  govt departments can have a positive impact
  elsewhere in the eGov structure and so push
  government towards transformation - but maybe not
  in other countries?

45
Model Value and Country Differences

• In Pakistan, the website of the CE Dept of the
  Punjabi State Govt (in English but not Punjabi)
  stresses the need for transparency and provides
  the formula used to calculate taxes.
• Pakistan has stolen vehicle and AK47 permit
  application websites
• http//nwfp.iqranet.net/vehicle_search.html
• http//www.nwfp.gov.pk/Home/Arms20Licence20Profo
  rma.pdf
• In Malawi, there is a detailed discussion (in
  English but not Chichewa) of the state pensions
  policy.
• In Tanzania (English and Kiswahili), some
  remarkably frank discussion of historical
  corruption.

46
Plateau Transitions

• Moving from stage to stage is not easy
• Many govts appear to get bogged down
• A significant effort is needed to move to the
  next level, where a plateau effect is observable
• Driving up usage and ensuring critical mass is
  difficult resistance to change
• Reliable statistical measures are hard to obtain
• Not just hit rates

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More problems

• Services for all?
• For eGov to succeed, it has to save - often
  achieved by layoffs and closing local offices
• But not all people want to go online, esp in DCs
• Language few eGov portals are offered in
  multiple languages
• Is eGov for the educated minority in DCs?
• HKs ESD Life is trilingual bridging the
  rhetoric-reality gap

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Strategies

• Focusing on front-end applications first is
  tempting evidence of action
• Are good plans essential or can ad hoc work?
• The cost-benefit relationship of basic
  information dissemination
• Dangers of developing complex transaction-oriented
  systems without a coherent plan

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eGovernment Futures

• Gov-2-eGov it seems inevitable for many
  countries (jurisdictions)
• Citizen-centricity is essential (if the elusive
  critical mass is to be achieved)
• Aligning strategy and systems is essential (for
  advanced stages)
• Accountability and transparency are likely to be
  key considerations
• Challenge eGov is not just about cutting costs
  it is about a change of govt culture, a change in
  the nature of govt itself

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ICAC investigates ESDLife

• ICAC 2003, 2004
• In the first nine months of 2003, 70 suspected
  bogus patrons had made more than 100,000 bookings
  through the Web site for sports facilities, but
  none of these facilities were actually used
  according to ICAC. These transactions involved a
  total charge of over 700,000.
• The arrested, including existing and former
  executives of ESDLife, were suspected of boosting
  the number of electronic transactions by
  recruiting a number of persons, who registered as
  users and conducted transactions on the Web site
  to meet contract requirements set by the
  government.
• Case came to court in November 2004.

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Discussion Questions

• Is it healthy for Hong Kongs .gov to be run by a
  .com?
• Commercial greed before public service?
• Conflicts of interest?
• Can Hong Kong both achieve a high quality of
  mature delivery and go beyond it?
• What will be needed?
• What will Beijing think?
• What might the Government be afraid of?
• Can government in Hong Kong change?