This report from the Society for IT Management describes the Chief Information Officer as the agent of transformation. The role should be leading the change required for realisation of the transformation agenda within public services. The report also suggests that heads of ICT are well-placed to take on this responsibility.The report identifies some of the barriers to change that exist even in the most progressive organisations. In some cases there is disagreement that services will improve by being delivered in different ways. In other cases there is outright resistance to change. To overcome these barriers and deliver real improvement, public services require a competent organisation, a supportive culture, and a leader with the right skills. That leader, says the report, is the CIO and the person undertaking the role needs a mix of business, organisational and change management skills.
PUBLIC SECTOR INNOVATION GOES UNRECOGNISED
‘What gets counted gets done’ does not hold true as far as innovation in the public, voluntary and not-for-profit sectors is concerned. Innovative developments remain hidden under current measures which focus on a narrow range of indicators. According to a new report from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, the innovation gap between the UK and innovation leaders such as US, Germany and Japan is largely the result of a focus on too narrow a section of the economy, namely science and technology expenditure and patent production. This measurement takes no account of innovation in areas such as social housing.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM MOVES UP A GEAR
Many of the reform initiatives now being pursued across the Civil Service, such as shared services and capability building programmes, are concerned with transformation and not just change. This shift has resulted from a recognition that a purely ‘top-down’ approach to policy development and service delivery will not deliver what is required.