While not the mainstream, despite what advocates would like to think, web2.0 technologies are occupying more and more of government workers’ attention!  The potential of these tools to help in communicating and sharing knowledge with colleagues, and in engaging partners and citizens across the firewall has gotten a large number of us enthusiastic and passionate about their use, and has prompted some executives to exclaim “there is no going back”.   At the same time there is an emerging question as to whether the knowledge created in these technologies is valued and captured as a government asset.

Knowledge management and Web2.0

Knowledge management types are generally interested in social media, seeing them and often describing them as knowledge management tools.  There are a few good reasons for this. 

First of all Web2.0 tools are open and allow for broad participation and contribution.   Government departments can tap into the collective knowledge and intelligence of their workers on a much larger scale and share knowledge, whether its forestry scientists mashing up maps to plot boreal forest research or GCpedia users ‘crowdsourcing’  an issue of common interest. 

Second, and I think more fundamentally Web2.0 tools aim at capturing thoughts, considerations, decisions and points of view as they evolve and change.  A good example is a wiki page on a new policy that not only contains the policy itself but also the discussion page which records the background discussion and exchange of ideas.  Extend this out and there may be Twitter feeds and blogs that provide ongoing input and commentary on the same policy.    

Taken collectively not only do you have the final result but also a rich source of information containing considerations, discussion, debate and decision, in other words the stuff of knowledge management.  Contrast that with traditional office tools that are focused on the creation of final documents and not on valuing the in-between or ‘transitory’ versions.  While knowledge managers may be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Web2.0 tools there is a significant challenge:

There is a little recognition given to the value of web2.0-created information and knowledge - few recognize, for instance, that a Twitter feed or a blog post would be considered a knowledge resource that needs to be preserved and managed as would any other record or document.  There are cases already of groups and individuals using the new tools and approaches to create communities and generate knowledge only at the end of the process to find that the results have not be considered as assets to be integrated into the government knowledge and information repositories.

Instances particularly worth noting are those where tools have been used to conduct conferences and internal consultations and at the end of the process it is not clear that the information and knowledge has been preserved.  In fact, in a few cases where external services have been used, rights to access this information may have been lost when the service is no longer under license.

While the government is taking steps to recognize the value of knowledge created through Web2.0 such as new policy instruments like the Government of Canada’s Directive on Recordkeeping, there is mindset that has to change.  What we should do first and foremost is recognize that we ARE creating valuable knowledge resources via these technologies and take steps to ensure that the resources be preserved as part of the government of Canada’s historical record.    

In our last blog, we discussed four ‘enabling practices’ that can help governments share responsibility for outcomes with their citizens, build more productive relationships between citizens and governments, and bridge the gap between expectations and reality.

Here are some examples of how Canadian governments align their policies and programs with these four principles. 

The principles, and supporting examples, are as follows:

1) Leverage insight into customers’ needs to improve equality of outcomes

To achieve the balance between equality of outcomes on one hand and choice and flexibility of service delivery on the other, public service providers should undertake detailed customer segmentation studies to understand their customer base better and use this understanding to inform all aspects of their services, including resource allocation, service design, channel strategy, and communications and engagement strategies.

For example, the Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services in British Columbia recently conducted extensive, needs-based segmentation among its large and growing new immigrant population, to understand better and respond to this population’s needs.   It then worked extensively with immigrant support organizations and community groups to develop the WelcomeBC portal (welcomebc.ca).  This portal is organized by broad customer segment (temporary workers, international students, etc.) and according to specific needs (for instance, ChooseBC; Come to BC; Settle in BC; Enjoy BC; Diversity in BC; and Regions in BC) with services in several languages.

2) Engage citizens, service users and other stakeholders to define outcomes and design services

At the federal level, Canada has also taken steps to improve and enhance the level of feedback and input it receives from citizens.  Its service charter outlines the government’s commitment to its citizens and describes the services offered to them.  Nine service standards establish the level of service to be provided, as well as the protocol for an annual performance scoreboard.

The federal government has also created an Office of Client Satisfaction, a neutral and autonomous body that receives, reviews, and implements suggestions.  The government also conducts feedback studies including a Public Awareness Baseline Study, which examines the service delivery expectations of Canadians.  In addition, the government conducts a Client Satisfaction Survey, which assesses clients’ level of satisfaction with services delivered.

3) Coordinate resources across and beyond government to deliver outcomes

In 2006, the Ontario government created ServiceOntario as a means of giving Ontario’s citizens and businesses an easier, more cost-effective way to access government services.  ServiceOntario acts as a one-stop shop for government services and information.  Everything from birth, marriage and death certificates to health card registrations and driver and vehicle licensing is now delivered through this one organization.

Coordination of resources is essential to ServiceOntario’s success.  ServiceOntario provides unique and integrated services, enhanced by the migration of services from different parts of the government.   Responsibilities were transferred, for instance, from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, which oversees ServiceOntario.  The migration plan deliberately started with the highest-volume services first, moving on to lower-volume services over time. 

The integration yields greater efficiency, but also provides opportunity for outreach and interaction.  Now, customers who go in person or online to register a birth will also be asked if they wish to apply for a Social Insurance Number at the same time.

4) Focus on improving transparency and accessibility of information, so that customers can hold governments accountable, and provide mechanisms for public recourse.

Service Canada demonstrates its commitment to excellence in customer service through its approach to managing complaints via a highly transparent, three-step public recourse procedure.  All Service Canada offices have client feedback cards (both physical cards and web-based forms) which customers can fill out to pay a compliment, make a recommendation or register a complaint.  If the customer does in fact have a complaint, it is the responsibility of the office manager to handle and resolve the issue, or to bring it to a level at which it can be addressed. 

Customers who feel that they are not getting redress at the local level can make their complaint or recommendation to the Office for Client Satisfaction (OCS) which has a commitment to respond to all complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within seven working days.  To date, both of these targets have been met 100 percent of the time.

In our previous blog posting we discussed the Canadian research findings of Accenture’s latest Leadership in Customer Service study and how Canadians want to increase the dialogue with their governments – to explain to politicians and policy makers what they want and need. This week, we want to provide some insight on how government can share responsibility for outcomes with their citizens, build more productive relationships between citizens and governments, and bridge the gap between expectations and reality.

People who participated in our research told us that they want more opportunities to be involved in the process of setting government priorities, defining desired outcomes and planning public services that help improve their quality of life. They do not accept the idea that politicians and civil servants can effectively shape public services simply on the basis of their own assumptions of what is best for citizens. Instead, they want access to channels that will offer them the chance to engage with politicians and public managers, influencing public policy and shaping public services in ways that meet their personal needs and the needs of their communities.

In our research, we have identified four ‘enabling practices’ that can help governments share responsibility for outcomes with their citizens, build more productive relationships between citizens and governments, and bridge the gap between expectations and reality.

These four enabling practices are:

1) Leverage insight into customers’ needs to improve equality of outcomes

2) Engage citizens, service users and other stakeholders to define outcomes and design services

3) Coordinate resources across and beyond government to deliver outcomes

4) Focus on improving transparency and accessibility of information, so that customers can hold governments accountable, and provide mechanisms for public recourse.

In our next blog, we will examine examples of how Canadian governments align their policies and programs with these four principles.

In my last post I talked about pace of change in the IT world. There is no doubt that we have seen enormous gains in every aspect of IT development and usage, but… I have to say the thing I hate most is change that seems to be done just for the sake of change… at least that is how it seems to me whenever I open a new version of my working software to discover that some brainchild somewhere decided that those menu items that I used to know so intimately needed to be moved … to some place where, in his/her vision, they would be of better use to me.

So what took me 2 minutes to do, now takes 45 minutes, most of it spent searching for the menu tool to do that 2-minute job. I can’t say if developers do much work with users before they change the location of things, but I can say that I wish they would leave well enough alone so that those of us who use programs on a daily basis – and who have bosses who expect us to accomplish a much larger amount of work than we used to, given the technology tools available – could get on with it.

No doubt about it, IT has impacted the productivity of the workforce in a positive fashion and government procurement staff are striving to make sure we all have the most up to date tools possible to get our work done… and truthfully, we all get excited about having a new computer or software to use. Then reality strikes and many find ourselves frustrated because we cannot do quickly what we did before… and may even need to take time away from our desks for special training. I do wish that the productivity of users could be a factor when considering the redesign of software. Users unite!!! Let the developers know that sometimes we like some things just to stay the same.

Every few years I make the trek to Las Vegas to Visit our sister event, Interop.  Much like Las Vegas, Interop was a bit of blur of innovation and I am leaving with a bit of a cloudy head, but not the kind of cloudy head you might be thinking of.

First, Interop is the grand daddy of all shows in the technology industry.  This is the place where companies sell uber-solutions to uber-geeks, where technologies can be promoted using a standard elevator pitch and fistacuffs (No, seriously, see Xirrus’ “Melée at Mandalay”: Xirrus, Booth #1331).  Outside of the excitement of the trade show floor, on the floor there was a palpable tension in the conference rooms.  Thanks in large part to the doom and gloom of recession talk, the real “melée” at Interop, for me, was the collision of inventive sellers with desperate buyers looking to save their way out of a recession with IT solutions.  Times are clearly tough, but many here see technology as THE means to getting onto a more profitable path. 

Everybody here is talking cloud computing.  Interop dedicated keynotes, a conference stream, an “unconference” (which you’ll see at GTEC too, in ‘09), a networking night and an exhibit area to the cloud.  In the conference rooms, most delegates admitted that they are only starting to leverage computing in the cloud, but Interop’s attendee survey showed that 40% of them planned to invest in it within the next year.  While some of the interest is definitely from technology enthusiasts, I got the sense that most CIOs are having a hard time ignoring the cost-benefit analysis supporting the cloud.  (Here’s a link to some good information from the Enterprise Cloud Summit).

Putting my public sector hat on, I was impressed by IBM’s VP of Cloud Services, Ric Telford, when he told the story of the Pike County School Board, an IBM client that virtualized desktop computing in their schools.  This was not really earth shattering news, until he dropped the statistic that the board cut desktop computing costs by 62% through the virtualization process.  Any parent with kids in school can relate to the value of a 62% savings for cash strapped public schools.

Pike County is only one of many examples presented at Interop.  It’s also one of many news items on the cloud that has crossed my path in the last week or so.  And, it’s not all just “business” news.  Last week, the US government issued this RFI. This week, Fast Company has named the CIO at the US Defense Information Systems Agency, John Garing, as one of the top 100 most creative people in business.  Why?  Garing was said to have “powwowed with such luminaries as Amazon’s Werner Vogels and Salesforce.com’s Marc Benioff to bring cloud computing, network services, and Web 2.0 tools to the Department of Defense.”   It seems to me like everyone, small or large, is taking a hard look at cloud computing.

My point is that cloud computing is clearly “the” hot topic right now, but Canadian governments who are not already looking into cloud computing might want to start paying attention to what others are doing.  If technology is really the enabler of government services, it might be time for government CIOs to get their heads around the cloud as one of the next big things in service delivery.

At GTEC 2008, I presented a seminar called “Managing Corporate Memory in Public Sector”.  The well-attended session explored the pending shift in workforce demographics as the Boomer generation approaches retirement age. Sectors at most risk included government, utilities, engineering, transportation and manufacturing. I sought to explore how IT and IM professionals could play a strategic role as our workplace transforms and to minimize risk of information and knowledge loss.

Though this is no longer a new topic challenging public sector management, the situation continues to grow in urgency and awareness.  Over the weekend, I noticed that Gartner Research VP, Jeffrey Mann, had twittered about a recent spike in his customer inquiries precisely on this topic.  He “tweeted”:  “three of this morning’s 4 calls are on knowledge management (two on capturing experience of retiring employees) who says KM is dead?”. Whether we call it knowledge management, corporate memory preservation, succession planning… whether the project is led by IM/RM, Human Resources or IT…  regardless of the tools we use to capture the intrinsic knowledge held in the brains of our most senior valued employees – we know it must be done. Public Sector is a knowledge-economy enterprise. Information, policies, and programs:  services are delivered to the citizens, residents, businesses within our jurisdiction to provide a stable infrastructure for social, commercial and political activities.  To not pay attention to prospect of losing mentorship, best practices, and institutional culture is to do a disservice to the investment we’ve made in cultivating depth and breadth of public sector experience.

We all have our “keep me up at night” moments. Mine is a story told to me at the annual ARMA Conference in 2006.  I was conducting a workshop on this topic of “Managing Corporate Memory” and a woman from an academic institution came up to me, very pleased to see the research I had done on the topic. As part of her Records Management responsibility, she was tasked with capturing the legacy paper and physical records of the scientists and engineers who retired from her institution. She told me the story of a scientist who upon his departure handed to her a large box of ore samples. He said to her very intently, “make sure you hang on to these… they are very very important”. And so she took them. And put them on a shelf, documented with the date and location and name of the scientist who left them behind.  She looked at me rather sadly, and admitted that she had no idea what those rocks meant, or WHY they were so important. There was no corporate memory preservation mandate to ensure the samples got to a new researcher who could continue the work. So to this day, they sit on a dark shelf.

Was the cure for cancer in that box of rocks? Did they tell us something about our world that could make our lives better? We may never know.

To learn more about this topic of Managing Corporate Memory, click here to listen to a recorded educational seminar we hosted earlier this year. Any comments or feedback welcomed.

By: Michel Rene de Cotret and Darren Nippard, Accenture

Once policy has been set, programs have been designed, and services have been defined it’s down to how services are actually delivered and how Canadians end up interacting with their government – the last mile of service delivery – that has a large impact on whether outcomes are actually achieved.  Ultimately, services which are organized in a meaningful way, easy to access, linked to other programs or initiatives end up being used by those who need it most and increase the level of satisfaction people feel toward government. 

For the past eight years, Accenture has conducted research in more than 20 countries to gain perspective on how governments can excel at serving their citizens.  Over years of extensive interviews, public opinion surveys, and a methodical review of government services, we have found that high performance and a greater affect on outcomes can be achieved when services have four critical elements in place:

They are citizen-centric; that is, they organize their services and information around their citizens’ needs and circumstances.

They use a variety of channels to provide information and services to people and strive for seamless coordination between these channels.

They work together at the local, regional and national levels to provide integrated services.

They actively reach out to their customers; working to ensure that people are well informed about the services they offer so that customers can use their services easily, and understand what is expected of them in return.

Although many governments have been striving to put the above four elements in place and build trust through better services, our research shows that in many countries, citizens are still far from satisfied that government services are helping to improve the quality of their lives.  In our research conducted in 2008, we surveyed 8,600 citizens around the world to explore citizens’ expectations of and experience with government in more detail.  In the next weeks, I’ll discuss the results of our research and provide insight into Canadian survey findings in particular.

Recently on blog radio, I was asked about the perception of procurement today as opposed to 10 years ago when we began Summit: Canada’s magazine on public sector purchasing. It has changed.

One of the driving factors of creating the magazine in the first place, was that, as contract publishers, we found ourselves continually educating our government customers on how to do business with us in a changing technology environment. 

Web publishing, print on demand, and tools like CDs were all quite new 10 years ago (to someone over 50 that is pretty amazing). As publishers, we had to learn how to use the technology to survive as a small business and to educate our potential clients about the technology and its benefits to them. While excited about the potential of IT solutions, the procurement staff in charge of purchasing our professional services did not yet appreciate how technology would change their lives and the work they were trying to do.

Just to go back to the magazine for a moment; we felt that a magazine that would bring the innovations, best practices and challenges in various areas of the public sector to the desks of procurement professionals everywhere in Canada would help them do business better and improve the public sector market for Canadian business. We have done that and because of the pervasive role of IT, much of our content has been devoted to the development and procurement of IT tools, solutions and professional services. 

There were tons of challenges over the past 10 years in the purchasing of IT… it is no secret that many public sector IT projects did not succeed… at least not in the sense we thought they would. After all, it is pretty hard to conduct an IT project using traditional tools, processes and measurement when everything about IT changes so fast.  By change, I don’t just mean the hardware and software itself, but the clients that information technology is purchased for become very sophisticated very quickly in their private lives. Government is extremely challenged to keep up to their expectations. Most times it cannot, and so we perceive failure. This may be one of the biggest challenges still facing IT procurement today. Reining in expectations is not easy.

Most of us can purchase for ourselves a new computer, cell phone, mobile devices, TVs and the attendant software, so we get to try the newest and best fairly frequently, but consider that the public sector must look at thousands of new machines, new phones or mobile devices and software and licences and the follow on systems integration and support, to say nothing of training and possible legislation changes and organization restructuring. It becomes easier to appreciate that the public sector will continually have to scramble just to try to be anywhere close to current when it comes to technology.  To their credit, procurement staff does strive to meet the internal client demand while balancing the need against the desire.

Dear bloggers,

I am proud to announce that Accenture will be participating in the 2009 GTEC Blog.  It was a great experience last year and our hope this year is that the feedback will be much more interactive and therefore current and relevant.  Over the next six months, my colleagues and I will present points of view that aim to help public service organizations create value and improve social and economic outcomes for their citizens.  It is clear that the government landscape is changing and that the current political and economic climates call for a more streamlined way of interacting with and soliciting citizens’ viewpoints, concerns and feedback. Innovations in technology and rising citizen expectations are causing governments to re-approach the way they deliver services and increasingly must now operate as a business, where management, flexibility and a strong customer focus is key.  Accenture’s Public Service group helps government agencies, institutions, and nonprofit organizations in the face of these complex challenges and helps to differentiate those high performing governments who look to break down cross government boundaries to better serve their citizens. This year, my colleagues and I will cover a variety of topics related to public service management, service delivery and improving social outcomes, including transforming the public service workforce, leadership in customer service, government 2.0, and social collaboration tools, to mention a few.  We encourage you to share your ideas with us in this blog and hope you find this collection of thought leadership valuable.

Darren Nippard

Managing Director

Accenture Canada Public Service