Digitizing Government

For businesses large and small, investment in digital technologies is now a priority essential for success. Digitizing Government provides practical advice for understanding and implementing digital transformation to increase business value and improve client engagement, and features case studies from the private and public sectors.

“''Government has a choice - to embrace digital change or risk entrenching costly, inefficient services that will increasingly frustrate citizens. As key influencers of the UK government''s digital strategy, the authors understand the huge benefits and potential pitfalls that the digital revolution offers - their insights provide vital guidance for policymakers and practitioners alike on how technology can transform public services.'' -Bryan Glick,Editor in Chief, Computer Weekly ''Digitizing Government provides real insight into the challenges of bringing large public sector institutions into the digital age. But don''t be fooled into thinking that this is a book about technology - it is actually about how you bring about fundamental transformation in large organisations. Technology matters, but so does openness to new ideas and an emphasis on getting things done.'' -Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, London Business School ''This book gives practical insight and encouragement for everyone leading, building, operating and assuring the new digital future for UK government. But it is also an essential read for those who need to understand what digital means and how much more than just new technology it is going to take to make digital public services a reality." -Sally Howes, Digital Director, National Audit Office, UK ''Digitizing Government complements last year''s Digital Government @ Work by Rob Wilson and Mike Martin... It is the mix of solid academia in books like these coupled with the practical learnings from the teams building digital government across the country that gives delivery teams and policy makers useful insights into the potential of digital government and helps form the evidence base for the future of digital government in this country.'' -Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and Shadow Cabinet Office Minister "A great exposition of how and why UK government has so often failed to implement digital government in the past - and a roadmap for success in the future.'' -Professor Helen Margetts, Director of the Oxford Internet Institute ''The definitive field guide to digital government - an essential resource for any public leader that wants to stop deliberating and start doing.'' -Chris Yiu, Director Digital Participation, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations ''This important book is a powerful and practical call for action for anyone in government or business who wants to make a difference to our long-term economic prosperity and our ability to provide high quality public services. Developed for practitioners in the public and private sector, and based on field experience, this book sets out clear, practical and at times challenging recommendations for how government and suppliers can change their approach, learn from the world''s most successful disruptive digital companies and work together to re-design our public services so that we can meet the future needs of users at a cost that future generations of tax payers can afford.'' -Antony Walker, Deputy CEO, TechUK "From policy to culture to technology this book has the trifecta of solid research, ground breaking ideas and practical examples. Simply wonderful." -Simon Wardley, Researcher, Leading Edge Forum, CSC ''This is without doubt the most comprehensive and approachable account of the digital government movement, its recent developments and future potential. A fascinating insight for the general reader; a guidebook for policymakers wishing to understand why past public sector IT initiatives have so often failed and how smarter use of technology can genuinely transform government and public services. This book should be compulsory reading for those who seek radical reform in the way government works.'' -Eddie Copeland, Head of Technology Policy Unit, Policy Exchange ''Digitizing government provides a manual for CIO''s, Chief Digital Officers to take a case forward for the required paradigm shift for a new kind of public sector model that is best placed to work in the digital age. This is not about digitizing government per-say, it is about reshaping the public sector in terms of people, process, organisational structures, new agile practices and approaches. It neatly fits into the new local public service context, and provides part of the framework for a new whole place approach that spans traditional organisational and sectorial boundaries to resolve some of the greatest challenges to ever face the public sector.'' -Dylan Roberts, Chief Information Officer, Leeds City Council "A highly readable and thought-provoking look at why digitizing government has never fully succeeded, with a blueprint for a more sustainable, outcome-focused approach building on existing principles [but requiring a radical change in the workings of government itself]." -Rachel Neaman, CEO, Go ON UK "The opportunities of the Internet for government are becoming apparent. If we are to make the most of them we need to understand the problems of the past, establish new models of thinking for the future and markedly change the way we handle change. Digitizing Government does an excellent of exploring these critical areas. Hugely useful reading for anyone involved." -Mark Foden, Independent Consultant, Foden Grealy Ltd "Sets out a compelling case for accelerated digital transformation of public services. Builds on a fascinating analysis of the challenges of last two decades to identify the social and technological foundations needed for future success." -Martin Bellamy, Director of Information Services, University of Cambridge ''Thank goodness for this. A clear view and reason why and how Local Government IT delivery should change.'' -Martin Sadler, Head of IT and Shared Services, Walsall Council, Regional Chair, Socitm "This book shows government what it needs to do to be able to rapidly re-shape and be a part of the networked public service delivery of the future. Digitizing Government has got it all, showing us how to approach this change in our highly complex, "brownfield" environments. It is essential reading for anyone serious about improving public services in our times." -Paul Brewer, Director of Digital and Resources, Adur and Worthing Councils ''At a time when government is crying out for transformation and innovation, Digitizing Government challenges current practices and offers an insightful approach to delivering software and services.'' -Andrew Webb, ICT Customer Services Manager, Chelmsford City Council ''This is an excellent and highly readable text on the opportunities for ''how we are governed'' emerging from the Digital Economy. It is a must read for policy makers, senior administrators, advisors and consultants and will be a major text for those teaching and learning in public administration.'' -Professor Roger Maull, Lead Investigator, RCUK''s New Economic Models of the Digital Economy "Finally a publication which provides an honest insight into the challenges of delivering public services in the digital age and how you can navigate the inertia infested Ethernet cables of public sector technology." -James Findlay, Chief Information Officer for HS2 Ltd and Tech Leader at UK Department for Transport ''Digitizing Government is a must read for all political leaders, public officials and the technology industry. Its insights challenge out-dated industrial age approaches such as ''egovernment'' - still being mistakenly pursued by governments around the world. Unlike many other commentators on governments and their relationship with technology, the authors'' perspectives draw deeply on their experiences as industry practitioners, public servants, government advisors and academics. Digitizing Government is about the re-imagination and redesign of government and its relationships with citizens in the twenty-first century.'' -Marie Johnson, Chief Digital Officer, Centre for Digital Business Australia, formerly Worldwide Director of Public Services and Government, Microsoft ''This book provides politicians and chief executives, as well as managers and operational practitioners, with a coherent guide to ''implanting'' the many facets of digital needed to deliver on the promise of truly modernised, transformed and improved public services.'' -Martin Ferguson, Director of Policy and Research, SOCITM (Society for Information Technology Management), UK "A compelling guide that shows how public services can use new technology to create entirely new organizations, structures, systems, processes and business models that deliver services in better, easier, cheaper and faster ways." -Steve Denning, former CTO, World Bank, author of The Leader''s Guide to Radical Management ''This is a significant contribution to the debate on how change and innovation can be most effectively implemented across public sector organisations. Digitizing existing practices is pointless unless governments reinvent their business models for the digital economy, finding new ways to connect with citizens. Digitizing Government is required reading for public sector strategists, technologists and modernizers who want to make a lasting difference.'' -Professor Sa''ad Medhat,CEO, NEF: The Innovation Institute "In a surprisingly readable and accessible book, the authors present some of the key tools and techniques that could enable a Netflix-like transformation. They argue that a lean thinking mind-set; a focus on citizen outcomes and an adherence to open standards could result in a flexible and efficient ecosystem of reusable government ''platforms'”

"A compelling guide that shows how public services can use new technology to create entirely new organizations, structures, systems, processes, and business models that deliver services in better, easier, cheaper, and faster ways."

- Steve Denning, former CTO, World Bank, author of The Leader's Guide to Radical Management

'This book gives practical insight and encouragement for everyone leading, building, operating, and assuring the new digital future for UK government. But it is also an essential read for those who need to understand what digital means and how much more than just new technology it is going to take to make digital public services a reality."

- Sally Howes, Digital Director, National Audit Office, UK

'Digitizing Government provides real insight into the challenges of bringing large public sector institutions into the digital age. But don't be fooled into thinking that this is a book about technology it is actually about how you bring about fundamental transformation in large organisations. Technology matters, but so does openness to new ideas and an emphasis on getting things done.'

- Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School

'This is without doubt the most comprehensive and approachable account of the digital government movement, its recent developments, and future potential. A fascinating insight for the general reader, and a guidebook for policymakers wishing to understand why past public sector IT initiatives have so often failed and how smarter use of technology can genuinely transform government and public services. This book should be compulsory reading for those who seek radical reform in the way government works.'

- Eddie Copeland, Head of Technology Policy Unit, Policy Exchange

'Government has a choice to embrace digital change or risk entrenching costly, inefficient services that will increasingly frustrate citizens. As key influencers of the UK government's digital strategy, the authors understand the huge benefits and potential pitfalls that the digital revolution offers their insights provide vital guidance for policymakers and practitioners alike on how technology can transform public services.'

- Bryan Glick, Editor in Chief, Computer Weekly

Alan W. Brown is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey, UK. Alan has worked in many strategic roles in the software industry in Europe and the United States, including Chief Technology Officer for IBM Rational in Europe, VP of Research at Sterling Software, and senior technical staff member at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University. Over the past 20 years Alan has worked on several government activities in the UK, EU, and USA to provide guidance on policy and practices in software delivery. He has published more than seventy papers, and authored and edited numerous books.

Jerry Fishenden has over 25 years' experience of technology leadership, most recently as interim deputy Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the UK government. He provides independent guidance and expertise to various organisations, from start-ups to big business, and is a frequent keynote speaker and writer on technology. Jerry has previously been CTO for Microsoft UK, the City of London financial regulator, the UK Parliament and the National Health Service. He is a Senior Research Fellow at Bath Spa University and a former Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. Jerry was the Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons for their ground-breaking inquiry into government IT. The former Senior Policy Advisor to the UK Prime Minister credits Jerry as a key influence on the current government programme of technology modernisation and reform.
 
Mark Thompson has 22 years' experience in public sector ICT. He is Senior Lecturer in Information Systems at Cambridge Judge Business School, Strategy Director at Methods Group, specialists in digitally-enabled public services, Board Member of Digital Leaders, panel member of CBI C21 Public Services Group, and recent Board Member of Intellect/Tech UK. He has published in several top-tier IS and organisation journals including Organization Science, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Organization, Information and Organization, and Information Technology for Development, and is a reviewer for over 16 journals. Mark is acknowledged as one of the architects of government's shift towards Open systems, and is a frequent contributor to columns and/or chair of panels and conferences on Digital public services.

For businesses large and small, investment in digital technologies is now a priority essential for success. Digitizing Government provides practical advice for understanding and implementing digital transformation to increase business value and improve client engagement. This easy-to-read book is organized into "why", "what", and "how" sections and examines the major elements of digital transformation, with clear steps for improved execution of digital strategies. It features case studies from the private and public sectors, and a detailed chronology of digital change efforts across the UK government sector, and relates that to government efforts in the USA and around the world. It provides a practical and unique set of insights into business in the digital economy.

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