Study on Digital Transformation in the Public Sector
Why do some countries do digital better than others? This was our starting point as we began initiating this study at the end of 2021. We are a consultancy whose business is shaping digital transformation in several European countries, and, in 2021, we were seeking a deeper understanding of the factors that help transformation initiatives succeed. After analyzing 357 surveys responses, 22 interviews, 8 internal review sessions, and 2 panel discussions, three topics stood out:
1. IT has become a part of politics.
Powerful technologies such as cloud, big data, and AI raise difficult questions for governments regarding their economy, sovereignty, and innovativeness. We see the alignment between politics and IT as a crucial factor for successful digital transformation.
2. A new type of business-minded leader drives digital transformation.
We discovered a new type of manager in key roles. These individuals often have a private sector background, develop cross-agency collaboration, and reach out to players outside the system to gain trust, expertise, and innovation. They are also more successful with their transformation initiatives.
3. Organizational complexity is a drag.
We only found weak correlations to explain the e-government rankings in our survey data. Though, there is an elephant in the room: On average, more centralized countries have a better e-gov ranking. (And of course, some authorities have doubts as to how valid the rankings are in the first place).
These three topics will return in the subsequent sections of our study (available only in English). The study is directed at politicians as well as at managers working for public sector organizations. The extended Management Summary summarizes our full study. It contains a brief statement of the problem or proposal covered in the major document(s), background information, concise analysis and main conclusions.
We trust that this Study will provide valuable insights and stimulate thoughtful discussions.
