E-government is changing the way government does business

The impact of technology requires government leaders to think big and think differently. E-government is not merely putting government online, it is substantially changing the way government does business.

This is the principal conclusion to emerge from a new book, E-Government 2001, which derives its material from the research findings of The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government, a body founded in 1998 to advance knowledge on how to improve public sector effectiveness.

The book highlights examples of effective steps government has taken at all levels in moving toward e-government.

"We are just at the beginning of the e-revolution in government," says Grady Means, managing partner of the Washington Consulting Practice at PwC Consulting.

"Significant breakthroughs lie ahead. It is unlikely that government will be any more sheltered than other sectors of society from the dynamics of the new economy and the movement toward increased use of new types of networks and arrangements that change the way business and government buy, sell, and deliver goods and services."

To better understand the state of e-government, The Endowment supported a series of studies during the past two years, examining various aspects of e-government.

Case studies include analysis of the use of auction models by government, privacy strategies for e-government, e-commerce applications in government, the use of the Internet to deliver government services, and a study of how state employment agencies are using technology to provide improved service.

From these studies, six initial lessons have emerged about what government leaders should know before undertaking major e-government initiatives: think transformation, plan thoughtfully, have top-quality staff and adequate resources, try it and check it, partner with abandon, and safeguard privacy.

"The central challenge of e-government in SA is improving the quality of services delivered to all citizens and all businesses," says George Fosu, an associate director of PwC Consulting in Johannesburg. "This is a challenge because of the digital divide between those who have access to enabling technology and those who don`t."

Fosu points out that access to technology goes beyond physical access to a personal computer or Internet access. It includes technological literacy, which affects the user interface preferences of citizens and businesses.

If the South African government wants to leverage the opportunities of e-government, as it should, Fosu urges that focus should fall on the maximising of its impact on the largest cross-section of the citizens and businesses of SA -- the SMMEs, emerging businesses and the previously disadvantaged.

"This is where expectations are highest, and the capacity is least. SMMEs, for example, need less red tape and ready access to on-line information on business opportunities, networks, grants, registration and a host of other enabling or support structures that are available in government."

At the same time, he emphasises, any e-government strategy must be integrated with government policy and strategy as it relates to service delivery.

"Batho Pele encapsulates this policy and e-government has an enabling role in translating the vision. Given the digital divide, this means the state must support multi-channel integration to ensure access to all citizens, irrespective of demographic profile, but with encouragement for citizens to upgrade their technological mobility and to move or embrace those channels that bring benefits to both sides."

Because of the substantial investment in legacy systems, Fosu recommends that the e-government strategy in the short- to medium-term must support systems` interoperability with existing systems to ensure that information can be shared efficiently across government, reducing duplication and cost, and improving service delivery efficiency. "In the long-term government departments need to be encouraged to migrate their systems to common platforms and standards."

Fosu maintains that e-government must be seen as both an enabler as well as an accelerator of change, improving the quality of life for the majority of South African citizens and transforming the way government operates.

"However, in SA the central challenge of e-government deployment is not e-technology; it is, rather, effective channel integration between the physical world and the e-world to support a better life for all."

E-Government 2001 is part of The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment Series on the Business of Government, published by Rowman &Littlefield. Copies of E-Government 2001 are available for purchase from online bookstores, from Rowman & Littlefield at www.rowmanlittlefield.com, or by calling 1-800-462-6420.