Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The modern age of digital electronics made it possible for businesses and corporate organizations to keep up with the demands of their industries. At present, most businesses and public organizations engage in information technology (IT) systems with the objective of achieving full efficiency in product and service delivery. IT systems find common recognition as the tool allowing every person to gain the ability to communicate and perform tasks impossible to do before the arrival of the 21st century. As such, modern information technology emerged from the crucial connection between digital systems and communication technologies. This connection has been perceived as the fundamental core of an information system, which involves various interactions between data, software and hardware as well as private-businesses and public corporations as users in their environmental contexts.
In the modern corporate world, business firms encountering many setbacks with their IT projects have failed to understand all the factors involved in information systems, including the management and organizational aspects. There is need for business organizations to have a comprehensive understanding of information systems to support effective operational application. To gain full understanding of the information technology concept, one must examine its dynamics and all the contextual consideration such as economic, political and social factors. Unless IT professionals engage in the learning process, they are most likely unable to realize the full benefits derivable from IT systems.
With these in mind, this research project aims to enlighten the administration of six selected Dubai Government Departments on the benefits and challenges that the institutions face in the application of e-Government information system in the organization with the objective of improving public services. The departments were selected based on the size or number of employees that each department houses. These include the Dubai Land Department and the Department of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) for Category I, the Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Health and Medical Services (DHMS) for Category II, and the Dubai Municipality (DM) and the Dubai Police for Category III. The types of public services offered by these departments are summarized in the table below.
Background of the Study
According to (2002), the general definition of the concept of the word service is “a system provided by a government or official organization for the needs of the public”. Public service encompasses the function of public institutions to provide for the needs of the people in their aim to create a society that is worthy for the welfare and rights of its citizens. The economist (1876) defined public services as
“Those public institutions and those public works which, though they may be in the highest degree and vantageous to a great society, are of such a nature, that the profits could never repay their expenses to any individuals and which it cannot be expected, therefore, that any individual or small number of individuals, would ever erect or maintain.” ( 2002).
The government of Dubai is composed of twenty departments run under the umbrella organizational structure of the Ruler Court H.O. each performing their respective public service functions. Multiple interactions are observed before any public service function is concluded highlighting the importance of efficient and effective communication and information facilities and systems within the institution. The Government Departments in Dubai includes the (1) Alawqaf Department, (2) Department of Civil Defense, (3) Department of Health and Medical Services, (4) Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (5), Dubai Development Board, (6) Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department, (7) Dubai of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, (8) Dubai Government Workshop, (9) Dubai Transport, (10) Land Department, (11) Real State Department, (12) Dubai Civil Aviation, (13) Dubai Airport Free Zone, (14) Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, (15) Dubai Media Incorporated, (16) Dubai Police, (17) Dubai Municipality, (18) Department of Economic Development, (19) Department of Justice – Dubai and (20) Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
For the e-Government Office in Dubai, service is defined as “a set of tasks and/or processes carried out by one or more government department(s) to provide a benefit/value to the customer” (2005). The e-Government Office also provided definition to the different types of service provided to the public such as the core, supplementary, supporting, and irrelevant service types. Core service is directly derived from the vision or mission of an organization like the teaching services from educational institutes. Supplementary service is used to add a value to an existing core service like the notification and the status tracking services. Supporting service provides back up to the internal system of the institution or government department such as the Human Resources and the Financial systems. Irrelevant service is classified as neither core, nor supplementary, nor supporting service.
A service could be informational, interactive or transactional in nature. Informational services provide data to the end user in which the users have no control to change, update or modify the given information. Interactive service allows customers to ask or inquire using pre-defined sets of questions, which the government department provides the reply without affecting the customer or service records’ status in the department. The department, in this case, is responsible for the on-going updates of information submitted to the customers. Lastly, transactional service usually results in a status change of the customer or service profile within the departments’ records thus requiring certain actions from the government department involving the initiation of internal processes. Most of these transactional services (if not all) require payment.
There are also different service provision channels provided to the public which includes the traditional offline service, enhanced offline service, automated backend, manual backend, on-line, transactional semi-online, transactional fully-online and incomplete.
Traditional offline services
Over-the-counter service as the customer physically visits the department.
Enhanced offline service
Provided through traditional channels such as telephone/fax or courier/mail and does not require physical presence of the customer. These services make use of government employees to dispatch the output to the customer remotely.
Automated backend service
Any government service provided completely to end users over the counter as information and related data of the end users are recorded and stored in a backend database.
Manual backend service
Provided to end users over the counter with information and related data of customers stored manually.
On-line service
Provided through any automated innovative channels {Internet, Extranet, Mobile (SMS, WAP, and PDA), kiosks, E-mail, IVR} to the customer with no human interaction in provisioning the service.
Transactional semi-online service
Requires an offline interaction at some stage to process the service before presenting it to the customer such as services requiring a mandatory physical investigation before delivering the service to the customer. In other words, the customer must visit the department before the transaction continues.
Transactional fully-online service
Provided completely through an innovative on-line channel without an offline interaction between the customer and the department at any stage. This includes services provided over multiple on-line interactions with the customer to fulfill one transaction. An example would be the need for approvals or internal investigation by the department to render or provision the service to the customer.
Incomplete service
Involves offline interaction at any stage. In this case, the offline interaction may be automated but it has not yet been achieved such as a service provisioned electronically but payment is required at the department’s counter. Any Offline service (Traditional or Enhanced) as well as the online service can be Informational, Interactive or Transactional.
In line with the increasing application of efficient information system management applied by different private and public institutions in the world to improve services and provide more efficient system operations within the organizations, this research study evaluated the e-Government information system of selected Dubai Government Departments. Interviews among managers and informed individuals in the six selected government departments such the Dubai Land Department (LD) and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) for Category I; the Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Naturalization and Residency, Dubai for Category II; and the Dubai Municipality Department (DM) and the Dubai Police Department (DP) for Category III were facilitated to give light on the interest of the study.
Interviews with key informants from the Dubai E-Government Department (DEG) and the Executive Office (TEO) provided a general background or context as well as assessment of the development and progress in the initial transformation and utilization of electronic public services, provided by the government departments. Moreover, the interdepartmental ranking of portals in which the best five departments were nominated based on twelve website criteria and in-depth case studies of the Dubai Municipality Department (DM) and the Land Department (LD) were obtained to support the presentation of the findings of the study.
Statement of the Problem
Improving existing e-Government initiative in Dubai involves the analysis of the tools used to measure performance based on the premise that performance measures comprise significant indicators of the strengths and weaknesses of the e-service initiative. Achieving the facilitation of learning from the comprehensive evaluation of the development and progress of the e-Government initiative by the Dubai Government along with the issues and constraints of implementing the online information and service provisions for the purpose of improving existing services is derivable from empirical data on the dynamics of the implementation of the e-Government information system relative to performance evaluation measures in Dubai as basis for generalizations on best practices and performance evaluation measures.
To address the research problem, this project seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the existing e-Government initiative in Dubai?
2. What performance measures are utilised to determine the viability of the e-Government initiative relative to the predetermined goals for the implementation of the initiative?
3. How are these performance measures applied in the e-Government initiative in Dubai?
4. What problems arise in the e-Government initiative implementation?
5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the performance measures in assessing initiative viability?
6. What best practices can be derived from the performance measures utilised in assessing the implementation of the e-Government initiative in Dubai?
7. How could the problems arising in the e-Government initiative in Dubai be addressed?
8. How could the e-Government initiative in Dubai be improved through performance measures?
Significance of the Study
With the never-ending possibilities of new inventions and innovations in the field of communication technology together with socio-economic issues of cost-effectiveness, organizational adoptability and public ratification of the IT project; much is expected in the future especially in the ever-increasing complex needs of clients and customers of different social segments from service and product providers. The complex and demanding needs of the information age man pushed creative and intellectual minds to continue their quest of improving the experienced conveniences of man. Computer wizards will continue exhausting resources and trying out things to find new and alternative ways of supplying services for the comfort of the Internet users to advance the modern man further in the use of the virtual communication. Such is the practice today among business industries as well as in institutions that provide social services to the public.
The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of the appropriate framework for assessing e-Government initiatives to provide better services to citizens and businesses by presenting the current progress and performance management approaches of the selected government departments in Dubai. The success of this academic endeavour will enable other organizations in the public service to have an idea on how to provide better services to the people by understanding information technology systems as requisite to the having and informed decision-making process on issues surrounding the acquisition and application of information technology systems. The results and findings of this research project will give data and information that will help in designing information operation system for institutions and organizations that belong to the public sector. Since the benefits and drawbacks of the e-Government system were presented, proper evaluation and assessment on the said information system and its application in the public service arena will also contribute in designing improved public services to the people through the utilization of the online communication technologies. Moreover, research data serves as the basis for the derivation of academic knowledge on best practices and generalizations on the implementation of IT systems in public service. The research contributes new information as well as the affirmation or challenging of existing knowledge based on the evaluation of the IT experience of selected government departments in Dubai.
Objectives of the Study
Investigating and analyzing the performance measurement used in assessing the implementation of the e-Government to support the modernization of existing information systems involves the accomplishment of the following objectives serving as guidelines for research completion:
1. To describe the e-Government initiative of Dubai in terms of goals, scope and extent of application, types of e-services offered, implementing government agencies, and performance measures.
2. To determine the manner that the government departments measure their performance in implementing the Dubai e-Government initiative in terms of:
(a) Assessing the achievement of the goals determined for the initiative, particularly the adoption of the service by the concerned public organizations relative to the service delivery objectives and citizens relative to their service delivery demands and expectations;
(b) Improving the e-Government initiative implementation in Dubai based on the results of the performance measures;
(c) Considering the implications of e-Government system in the public service decision-making process;
(d) Considering the contributions of the e-Government system in the present designing of government policies;
(e) Analysing the problems and issues that beset the implementation of the e-Government system as well as the measures used to address such concerns; and
(f) Analysing the current concerns in the implementation and utilization of e-Government in the context of Dubai
3. To determine the manner of measuring the functionality of the available e-services offered by the Dubai Government Departments in terms of the:
(a) Accessibility of the website;
(b) Availability of online information and services;
(c) Reliability of e-services transactions;
(d) Clarity of website contents;
(e) Efficiency of service delivery;
(f) Interactiveness with public users;
(g) Interactiveness with other government departments;
(h) Sophistication or extent of available critical services;
(i) User-friendliness of the website;
(j) Attractiveness of the website design and features;
(k) Innovativeness; and
(l) Flexibility towards systems change
4. To investigate and analyse the underpinnings and developments in the performance measures approaches adhered to by the government of Dubai in implementing the e-Government initiative in support of the goal of improving existing services.
5. Derive generalizations and best practices in the utilisation of performance measures to improve existing e-service initiatives in the public sector by drawing on the experiences of the Dubai government agencies in implementing e-Government initiative.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The conceptualization and implementation of e-Government public services in the context of Dubai Government and its applied performance measurement methods including the advantages and disadvantages and effects on the institution’s geographical and environmental issues were presented.
The descriptive-exploratory approach was utilized in this research project includes the discussion of the characteristics of existing framework of performance management, the need and motivations for such performance management evaluation, the practice’s impact on the general governance in Dubai, and the economic benefits of having performance management system. This research project likewise introduced a new way of delivering public services and its accountabilities similar to the approach utilized in the private sector in the researcher’s aim to asses the worth of such initiative in Dubai municipal governance by using the case study research methodology.
All these effort and data gathering procedures will provide a holistic approach and in-depth investigation regarding the overall effect of modernizing the operation systems of the selected Dubai Government Departments in order to answer the posted research questions of this study as well as achieve the academic objectives set by the researcher.
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
I. Introduction
Existing literature covering the topic on IT systems in public service include books, journal articles, and research papers covering the general research are as well as the specific topics forming part of the study. The literature review has been organized into three general topic areas starting with a background into the relationship of information technology in public service followed by a consideration of concepts underlying the development, implementation and assessment of IT systems in public service such as change management, new public management, and privatization and outsourcing followed by the discussion and analysis of the theoretical and empirical data on performance measurements systems. Data derived from the literature review serve as foundation for the development of the research problem and the objectives of the study to support research viability as well as context for the data requirements of the research.
II. Information Technology in Public Service
Several trends such as globalization and the advancement of information and communication technologies (ICT) have changed the way people run their lives and how businesses perform their services. After e-Commerce and e-Business were launched in the 90’s with high success rates enabling business firms to at least double their venture capital over a span of one year ( 2003), and as a result of advanced technologies, governments started to reshape their traditional public service structures to be in line with the new trends. This is where the initiative of e-Government started.
(2001) pointed out that e-government can be advantageous both for the citizens and the department as it will lessen the cost that both parties will pay in the exchange of information and the services that they may require and may be finished in lesser time and thus leave the department more opportunity to serve other people. Profit will also increase as the people will be more likely to use these services to their convenience. However, it is imperative that the information technology used is based on the assessment of the government itself of its context-based IT needs and the appropriate method for providing the service.
The introduction of technological revolution to different countries has induced success and governments around the world are coming to accept this. As such, technology such as computers, mobile phones, televisions, and other such devices are becoming the mainstream method for gathering information and for gaining service from the government (2002). Dubai, which is the focus of this study, is slowly catching up with the rest of Middle-East countries and North Africa (2003).
III. Concepts Underlying IT in Public Service
Change Management in Contemporary Organizations
Change management is defined as the formulation and assimilation of change through a systematic process. The major objective of change management is the introduction of innovative means and systems in the work organization. Businesses must normally undergo change in order to evolve to a higher level of for instance, stability, management or production. Appointing a new head officer, for example, can greatly enhance their subordinates based on his management principles and personality. According to (1997), “Change consists of a series of closer and closer approximation of increasingly ambiguous goals which are embraced by more and more members of the organization. For this reason, change often seems endless and confusing. Often those involved in the change process feel overwhelmed and powerless.”
(2000) provides a very useful framework for thinking about the change process, one that is anchored on problem solving. Managing change is seen as a matter of moving from one state to another, specifically, from the problem state to the solved state. Diagnosis or problem analysis is generally acknowledged as essential. Goals are set and achieved at various levels and in various areas or functions. Ends and means are discussed and related to one another. Careful planning is accompanied by efforts to obtain buy-in, support, and commitment. The net effect is a transition from one state to another, in a planned, orderly fashion.
Moreover, (1998) stated that the focus of successful organisations is on customers and their needs, which includes investing on ways to improve sales and provide superior service to clients, and they do not forget that their customers and their customers’ needs underlie their organisation’s existence. In addition, adapting factors crucial to the success of certain missions and the implementation of solutions to problems are common traits of a successful organisation (1998). The lack of such initiatives can throw an organisation into confusion, be stuck in traditional practices that cannot solve or handle the current problems faced. Thus, the lack of such factors stresses the need for a strategic organisational change. It is a flexible strategic planning process as opposed to a static form of strategic planning.
(1999) emphasized and indicated that being a change leader requires the willingness and ability to change what is already being done just as much as the ability to do new and different things. He suggests a set of required policies and practices that make the present create the future. Drucker (1995) sees leaders as the basic resource for an organisation as well as the key factor for a healthy growing economy and supply, which is critical to the survival and further development of any organisations. On the other hand, (1998) focused on the system type components of a human systems change management model. They review the human systems theory and the dynamic relationship between the change agent and the target system. As such, leaders play a key role in change implementation. However, it is said that these strategies are not enough for quality integration.
(1995) further regards leaders in an organisation as the life-giving elements in every organisation in that without managers, organisations cannot possibly function properly. Thus, a strong link is noted between a leader’s competencies and organisation performance. It has been recognised that leaders are a significant power behind the progress and successful development of an organisation’s strategy and such success is very much dependent upon their attitudes, behaviour and commitment to their specific responsibilities. Values, skills and most importantly, involvement of the members of the entire organisation must be part of the quality organizational change framework. The committed, authoritative and adaptable role of the management is also significant in establishing quality customer relationship.
All the members of the organization can only realise continuous improvement if good working relationships between and among employees arise. To be able to function effectively with clients and customers, the organization should be aware that success starts internally or within the organisation. Good working relationships should be observed first so that the entire organizational operation can answer to the demands of the transactions with clients. It conjures up ideas like controlling interpersonal relations, making decisions, aligning individual member actions and perceptions with corporate goals, planning, budgeting and directing the effort of the several followers engaged in the work with people ( 1990). The leader role involves insuring that group activity is timed, controlled and predictable.
Apart from a consideration of the needs and expectations for resolution through the change as well as the strength of leadership of the organization in directing the organization towards change, there is need to consider infrastructural support for change. This refers to targeting the overall capability of the organization in terms of improved workflow, feedback, service delivery, and public consultation instead of focusing only on a particular area. (2000) This means that change management should apply to e-Government initiatives in holistically considering the different areas needed to experience change in order to achieve change management objectives. Without an all- encompassing change management plan, the e-Government initiative may not experience the level of acceptance targeted by the government involving the members of the government organization affected by the change as well as the end-consumers for which the initiative was designed. Change managers involved in facilitating the integration of the e-Government initiative into public service delivery system need analytical skills in order to link and unite expectations and concerns of government decision and policy makers, members of the government organization involved in the change process, and the public stakeholders.
Applying a holistic approach, discussed above, in a change management plan for e-Government initiative involves the performance measures of the understanding of policy-makers of the purpose and objectives of the e-Government initiative in relation to the government departments and public service delivery, the degree of acceptability of the different government departments and individual employees of the shifts in their roles due to the e-Government initiative, and the engagement of people in public service expressed through frequency of engagement and positive feedback. These performance measures indicate the extent that holistic change management facilitated the success of launching e-Government service.
Change management applies in e-Governance initiative because the introduction of a new public service system involves concurrent changes in the organization of the government agencies, the skills and competencies required of the public servants, as well as shifts in resources allocation to accommodate the new system. However, change management is a general concept applicable to all organizations whether public or private. Although change management concepts contribute to the achievement of e-Government initiative, the concept of new public management focuses on public organizations.
New Public Management (NPM)
While change management covers the systematic introduction of organizational change in support of the adoption of the IT system in the various levels of the organization, another organizational concept specifically focusing on IT in public sector is new public management. One of the most critical aspects of reform is to use contact or interaction between and among the parties involved in the adoption of IT in public service as the dominant means of control instead of depending on hierarchical relations to facilitate acceptance and change. This means that there should be communication between the different organizational units on the adoption process to ensure a unified understanding of the process and the respective contributions of the various units to the endeavour instead of merely expecting organization members in the lower segments of the hierarchy to follow the commands of the key decision-maker by virtue of hierarchical authority.
Other aspects include the introduction of ‘business-like’ management practices in human resource management (appraisal, performance management and seeking to recruit senior managers from the private sector) and a requirement to account, and to pay, for capital utilization ( 2002). Before the concept of New Public Management (NPM), public administration has always focused on the hierarchical aspects of public management such as the organization of these institutions, the political dynamics of the organization members, and the value systems applicable to all members in general as well as to the different organizational units. With the development of NPM, the concept was able to integrate the relevant practices in the private sector into public service to balance the focus from exclusively considering the hierarchical aspects of the organization to include context-based relational factors important in directing the organization towards the targeted goals. Private sector management practices applicable in public service include performance incentives, communications, and market knowledge.
According to (2002) “NPM drew on two competing conceptual frameworks. One, akin to managerialism, supported the introduction of private sector practices, which included attempts to manage professionals, introduce performance measures and incentive reward system. The other, place emphasis on markets and market knowledge, derived from variants of public choice, rational choice and ‘New institutional economics’, and led to an emphasis on decentralization and competition that is at odds with the centralizing tendencies of the other (). The integration of the core strategies from the two conceptual frameworks led to the development of the balancing strategy of new public management.
According to (1999) discusses the manifestations of the integration of the competing frameworks into public service. Public servants may have internalized a mixed sense of managerial values in which two different sets of contending values — i.e., the reinvention values such as (a) market efficiency, (b) competition, and (c) outsourcing and the alternative administrative values characterized with (a) equity, (b) accountability, (c) control, and (d) publicness — coexist, if not altogether amiably. While a set of reinvention values such as efficiency, cost-effectiveness and customer satisfaction has been forwarded by NPM proponents, an alternative set of administrative values such as accountability, democratic procedure and equity has been reemphasized in reaction to the entrepreneurial government paradigm (Jones & Thompson, 1999).
Over a couple of decades, the term NPM has been widely used in academic, governmental and organizational discussions and strategy soundness debates. The nature of NPM has also been accorded interest particularly in its application in the public sector. Since the concept of NPM directly relates to cost containment, public support and performance improvement of government services, studies focusing on the application of NPM managerial framework such as this research activity provides relevant information that will contribute to the successful implementation of reforms in the field of public administration. ( 2002) defines the nature of NPM under seven doctrines:
1. A focus on hands-on and entrepreneurial management, as opposed to the traditional bureaucratic focus of the public administrator;
2. Explicit standards and measure of performance;
3. An emphasis on output controls;
4. The importance of the disaggregation and decentralization of public services;
5. A shift to the promotion of competition in the provision of public services;
6. A stress on private sector styles of management and their superiority; and
7. The promotion of discipline and parsimony in resource allocation.
Moreover, New Public Management (NPM) has been linked to the concept of government reinvention. Although these concepts are closely related and often used interchangeably, these are not necessarily identical. They are different in terms of the scope of and emphasis among various managerial reforms. Developed mainly in the European context, NPM is considered an umbrella concept of neo-managerialism that includes various managerial reforms for market-efficiency, decentralization, devolution, customer satisfaction, and quality improvement. The term “reinventing government” reflects a narrower application that indicates an American version of NPM emphasizing market efficiency, customer satisfaction, public entrepreneurship, and competition (1999).
After extensive debate and implementation of various concepts of NPM during the past decades, public management scholars have recently turned to the evaluation of theoretical frameworks and reinvention efforts in a more critical and objective manner (2002). NPM proponents focused on their attention on market efficiency, entrepreneurship and performance-based/benchmarking management in the public sector. There are four major elements of NPM, including use of market-like mechanisms, decentralization, improvement of service quality, and customer satisfaction (1998;1999). In particular, under the aegis of the Clinton Administration, reinventing government (reinvention) was initiated, popularized and diffused into various public agencies, different levels of government, and even other countries (2000).
However, the integration of different conceptual frameworks into public management is not without challenges. Tensions between the reinvention values and the alternative administrative values are observable in the NPM literature and invite the rational or logical reaction of seeking reform through the intervention of management accountability, equity and other non-market indicators. Despite numerous analyses of the theories and practices of government reinvention through both normative studies and empirical studies, little research has been conducted to assess overall adoption and implementation of various managerial innovations with a broad sample base. Many of the existing studies have been done by using anecdotal and case study methods and most of these have viewed reinvention at the federal level ( 1997).
Furthermore, the integration of conceptual frameworks with new public management is also characterized by link between new public management and privatization and outsourcing. The relationship is defined by the fact that privatization is one of the administrative tools for the public managers to implement the concept of NPM in the public sectors while outsourcing is one the tools under the umbrella of privatization (2002).
New public management constitutes an important theoretical foundation for e-Government initiative because of its ability to provide a framework for understanding the unique dynamics of public organizations in providing service to citizens. However, certain areas of public service delivery are being transferred to the private sector to address particular problems more efficiently met by the private sector. Privatization and outsourcing are linked closely to the e-Government initiatives of different states.
Privatization and Outsourcing of Public Services
The concept of privatization falls into the doctrine of disaggregation and decentralization of public services, and the promotion of competition in the provision of public services. Privatization as ‘an umbrella term that has come to describe a multitude of government initiatives designed to increase the role of the private sector. Privatization includes different forms of alternative service production and delivery schemes. In general, there are nine forms of privatization (1987;2006):
a. service shedding,
b. asset sales,
c. franchising,
d. vouching services,
e. grant processing and approval,
f. subsidy processing and approval,
g. public-private partnership,
h. volunteer activities,
i. contracting in,
j. contracting out, and
k. competitive contracting
Among the above privatization options, contracting out or outsourcing is the most commonly used privatization option. Outsourcing is the situation where one organization contracts with another for the provision of a particular good or service. It is an essential form of procurement, in the sense that contractors may be considered supplies, but in common usage it has come to refer more specifically to the purchase of end product, which could otherwise be provided in-house by the purchaser. Outsourcing involves a binding agreement by which a government pays a private firm or outside entity to provide all of part of a specific service. It is because, on one hand, the government retains the ownership and overall control of the outsourced services or goods, and on the other, the government employs the private company to provide the services or goods that delivered in-house previously ( 2005).
Moreover, there are many reasons for outsourcing in a company or an organization as summarized in the table below.
Reasons for Outsourcing
Problem being Addressed
Need for Expertise
Lack of Learning Curve & Creativity
Need for Manpower
Lack of Staff
Time Consideration
Limited Time Available for Job Completion
Economic Considerations
Cost Efficiency
Shifting of Responsibility
Deniability
Removal of Hindrance to Work Flow
Human Resource Scarcity
O’Looney (1998) also provides three main objectives for outsourcing a government service and these are to reduce, make more efficient, and to reform government services. To reduce means easing service delivery by allocating fewer resources by engaging in service contracting together with the concurrent decrease in the size of the government. Meanwhile, enhancing the efficiency of the government can occur through (1) restoring competition, (2) tapping economies of scale, and (3) discovering the most efficient production techniques. Lastly, reforming the government can be made by introducing competition and to manage contracts rather than manage programs.
There are several considerations in outsourcing public services. (1998) laid down four keywords for successful outsourcing which includes (1) specialization or concentrating on those activities in which the organization has established a distinctive capability, letting other produce supporting goods and services; (2) market discipline or the process of identifying conditions in which the purchaser is separated from the provider and a formal transaction takes place under contract; (3) flexibility or the ability to adjust the scale and scope of production upwards or downwards at low cost and rapid rate; and (4) cost saving by lowering resource costs of service delivery compared to in-house production.
As indicated by Domberger’s (1998), the concept of specialization leads to enumerating the relevance of identifying the organization’s core competencies in order to maximize its full potential. According to (1998) core competencies are characterized as (a) organizational activities that are traditionally performed in –house; (b) organizational activities that are critical to business performance; (c) organizational activities that create current or potential competitive advantage; and (d) organizational activities that will drive future growth, innovation, or rejuvenation.
Meanwhile, (2000) suggested that organizations should be able to cultivate the competencies, which will be more enduring than the products they currently produce, will not diminish with use, and will be the platform from which they will launch new and successful products in the future. Furthermore, while outsourcing can provide a shortcut to more competitive products, outsourcing the provision of key parts and components can lose and organization its core competence, or the opportunity to create one. As such, organizations must highly consider careful and thoroughly the potential gains as well as the losses of outsourcing.
Market discipline provides several advantages which include (1) the separation or being able to distinguish clearly the purchaser from the provider to enhance incentives to perform and to deliver services that meet client needs; (2) focus or concentration on key organizational performances to create quality service; (3) effective interface or the efficient communication and sound relationship between purchaser and provider particularly on specifying the details of contracts and expectations which will lead to constructive dialogues for the benefit of both parties; and 4) competition or gaining market advantage against other organizations to create positive effect in working practices, to innovative approaches to work redesign, and to save production costs (1998).
Furthermore, flexibility indicates the speed and cost of an adjustment to changes in demand or supply situations in which a particular organization’s system can adjust with speed to external stimulus with lower cost compared to other systems (1998). Lastly, competitive contracts reduces price but also increases the quality. The public sector purchaser will not follow the concept of ‘lowest price win’ but rather follow the concept of ‘value for money’ which guarantees the quality of goods or services outsourced since the introduction of contracting as well as the competition that accompanies it, tends to enhance quality irrespective of its influence on prices (1998).
According to (1999), because of the growing fiscal difficulties of state and local government and the increasing opposition to tax increases, outsourcing becomes one of the methods to ease the pressures by cutting cost to avoid raising taxes or drastically cutting the level of services provided by the government. He defined outsourcing as a management tool as well as a device to realign the public-private sector mix in order to lower costs, improve the quality of services produced, or both. Most frequently, the primary aim has been to cut costs in order to relieve budgetary pressures rather than to improve service, especially since assessing the equality of output of many government services can be a complex and time-consuming activity. Outsourcing was also aimed at increasing the flexibility of government operations such that expansion, contraction, or complete elimination of specific services that are preferred to be accomplished with fewer obstacles and with greater speed (1999).
(1999) enumerated three environmental factors for successful outsourcing in the public sector, which include (1) political support; (2) managerial/political leadership; and (3) a supportive private market structure. Full support of political leaders, particularly the members of the executive branch, greatly enhances the chances of success not only for approval of change, but also in sustaining such initiative through enthusiastic and careful backing of the effort along with cautious considerations of the pitfalls of shifting public monopoly. The conduct of political favouritism, corruption, and the toleration of poor contractor performance should not be overlooked.
Moreover, to achieve the maximum benefits of outsourcing, the private sector should be structured and characterized with (a) existing native suppliers to compete in providing the service in the case of load-shedding; (b) competitive contracts in the case of contracting out or franchising; and (c) ability to supply services in the case of vouchers to avoid a private monopoly that only substitutes the pre-existing government monopoly ( 1999). (1999) view on conditions required for successful outsourcing include (a) small number of public servants affected, (b) involvement of specialized services, (c) easily defined and measured output, (d) existence or easy entry of several potential private suppliers, and (e) numerous service beneficiaries, as well as successful implementation of outsourcing goods or services.
Regardless of the decision to engage in privatization and outsourcing depends upon the understanding of the nature and resource and capability requirements of the initiative.
IV. The E-Government Initiatives
In the literature, e-Government is defined in a number of different ways. However, a common feature of the definition is given by McClure, (2002) ( 2004) that is ‘the use of technology particularly web-based internet applications, to enhance the access to and delivery of government information and services, and government entities’. E-Government is also a ‘tool to enhance the economic competitiveness of business and to empower citizens’ (2003), and to improve both service delivery and government decision-making (2001). Some of the benefits to citizens and businesses from this initiative are identified as following: better delivery of services and information; the creation of new employment opportunities; reformation of the public sector; access to information empowering citizens; bridging the digital divide and improving efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of government processes (2003), and even to increase the possibility of foreign investment and assistance (2002).
In order to give a clear view of the online development of the Government presence following is a description of the e-Government stages of progress:
a. Emerging: In this stage, a few independent government official websites establish their presence. The websites contain limited, basic and static information. The Internet functions as a brochure for posting government information on-line. In this stage customer cannot interact with officials.
b. Enhanced: a comprehensive regular updating for the content and information of the websites including publications, legislation, newsletters, links, search engine and e-mail capabilities.
c. Interactive: great deal of communication through downloadable forms, official emails through which users can make appointments and requests.
d. Transactional: a financial transaction presence where users can pay for services online. In addition, more sophisticated functions including digital signatures, passwords and encryption are also provided.
e. Seamless: fully integration across departments to present e-Services and functions. All services can be accessed instantly from one portal without differentiation between government agencies and departments (2002).
These stages are representative of the government’s level of development based primarily on the content and deliverable services available through official websites. They are a method for quantifying progress. As the stages in e-Government initiatives have become operational, governments have begun to focus attention on measuring the efficacy, performance and impact of their websites. Performance measurement is a very important tool for the e-Government efforts. It can monitor the process of the e-Government initiatives and ensure that government’s time and fund are being well spent (2004b).
However, the achievement of government initiative is not simple nor is it linear. The challenges to the stages mentioned above is the lack of consideration for the necessary interference of intervening variables that would necessarily complicate the process of developing and implementing e-Government initiatives and the context-based differences between governments resulting to governments remaining in the same stage, skipping some stages or moving in a cyclical pattern.
Other stages have been propounded in available literature. (2002) classified the e-Government initiative process into four broad stages, which are: 1) providing convenient access to citizens and businesses of government information and services; 2) improving the quality of public services; 3) providing better opportunities for citizens and businesses to engage in democratic associations and processes; and 4) transformation of government. Although these stages appear to be simple, in application the stages are complex. This is because the initial stage of development in different governments commonly commence with the introduction of online government information and while this stage is still progressing, be followed by the integration of government services on websites. Even with the provision of government services on the internet, some aspects of the service may not be fully granted because of the requirement for full identity authentication or verification prior to any entitlements so that people still need to transact with the government agency involved to complete the service.
These stages offer a more realistic perspective of the development of e-Government initiatives for several reasons. One reason is its consideration of the practical steps leading to the actualization of the initiative. The other is its recognition of the non-linearity of the stage-based processes in actual practice. Still another reason is the four stages focus on initial service delivery followed by improvement in the service until the intended government service transformation has been achieved. However, these stages may not still be encompassing of the various intervening factors that influence the e-Government initiative process.
Another approach to e-Government initiatives considers the process as a development cycle moving from being government-centric towards becoming citizen centric parallel to the cyclical movement from an informational service to a transactional service. In the case of the United Kingdom, Greece, Lithuania and Malta, their approach is primarily government rather than citizen-centric because the objective of the e-Government service initiative is the enhancement of government credibility through a cost-effective, efficient and reliable public service. These objectives are based on the principle of optimizing gains through available technology. Other countries that have been offering e-Government service for some time now, earlier than in other countries and that have already settled basic e-government issues, are moving towards the direction of exploring ways of making the service more citizen-centric. In Canada and Australia, initial steps taken towards e-government initiative enhancement are through the redesign and redirection of information processes without outright change in external structures. Currently, the United Kingdom and Ireland have also started to shift towards more citizen-centric services. (2007)
The cyclical e-government initiative stages discussed above covers another side of the initiative process. However, in itself it is too broad to be practicable. This means that there is wide room for the development of a stages approach that integrates these different sides into a more encompassing perspective providing clear and applicable guidelines for the e-government initiative.
Enhancing e-government initiative perspective encompasses the different aspects of the process. This necessitates the development of new forms of governance, funding, system architectures, and technologies. In addition, rethinking public management system is another necessary aspect of the process. This implies the need for performance measurement systems to facilitate the determination of the areas for improvement.
V. Performance Measurement Systems for E-Government Initiative
Performance measurement is a necessary but not sufficient element of a performance management system. The US federal government defines performance measurement as the ongoing process of gathering information on dimensions of performance considered important by the organization for the purposes of monitoring institutional standing with respect to these dimensions. The information gathered usually covers results (so that it could be used as an instrument in performance management systems) as well as data on inputs, processes and efficiency. Ideally, the set of indicators making up a performance measurement system would reflect the ability of an organization to achieve and sustain excellent results ( 1998b). In application to e-Government initiative, performance measurements serve as the foundational support for new public management. The results derived from the application of the measurement criteria directs and fuels the managerial and marketing-related decisions within the context of improvement objectives.
Normally performance measurement is part of the strategic planning process to measure the implementation of goals and objectives derived from the mission and strategic value statements and SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. It can also be implemented directly as part of the budgeting process in performance budgets and sometimes is implemented by itself (2004). The model below illustrates the processes and dynamics in managing a typical organization, which includes (1) strategic planning, (2) business planning, and (3) business operations. It is evident that performance measurement occupies a critical role within the entire management system in order to review, assess and decide on the activities and projects of the organization.
Figure 1. Performance Measurement in the Context of Organizational Management
Source: ()
At this point, it would be useful and necessary to differentiate the concepts of evaluation, performance management, and performance measurement. Evaluation refers to individual systematic studies conducted periodically or on an ad hoc basis to assess how well a program is working to determine the relevance and fulfilment of objectives, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of a particular organization. An evaluation should provide information that is credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the decision–making process. Evaluation is an analytical attempt to determine the worth or significance of an activity, policy or program, or of the accomplishments of an institution highlighting the past and the present activities as well as the results (outputs, outcomes, impacts). Because it is comprehensive, it would be inefficient to conduct evaluations frequently (1998b).
Meanwhile, performance management (which is sometimes referred to as results-based management or managing for results) refers to the use of information on performance to guide decision making on future goals, plans, and institutional actions. It is a continuous process of translating overall institutional goals into individual actions and outputs, or aligning strategic goals with intermediate outcomes and activities at all levels within the institution (e.g., teams, individuals). A comprehensive performance management system would include integrated planning, performance measurement, evaluation and reward systems for different levels in the organization (1998b).
Performance measurement is a necessary but not sufficient element of performance management system. It refers to the ongoing process of gathering information on dimensions of performance considered important by the organization for the purposes of monitoring the institution’s standing with respect to these dimensions. The information gathered usually covers results (so that it could be used as an instrument in performance management systems) as well as data on inputs, processes and efficiency. Ideally, the set of indicators making up a performance measurement system would reflect the ability of an organization to achieve and sustain excellent results (1998b).
Measures of Performance
Traditionally, performance measures can be grouped according to their focus of assessment or evaluation. These include the following: (a) the resources used to produce services or the input measures; (b) the output measures or the actual services and products including the description of what came out of a process and how much was delivered; (c) the activity or process measures which evaluate the activities used to produce outputs; (d) the efficiency and productivity measures or the amount of work performed in relation to the amount of resource used which are expressed as ratios to present information about the unit cost (The Performance-Based Management Handbook, 2001:4); (e) the service measures or the effectiveness of meeting customer expectations like reliability, accuracy, courtesy, competence, responsiveness and completeness associated with a product or service (Bureau of the Budget and State Planning Office, 2002:8); (f) the quality measures which focus on assessing the errors, corrections or complaints; (g) the explanatory measures which are used to provide a variety of information that help stakeholders understand the organization performance; and (h) the outcome measures which evaluates how well a service’s goals and objectives are accomplished.
According to (2004b) the (a) input measures, (b) output measures, and (c) the outcome measures are usually developed in order to present a typical performance measurement system or analysis.
Performance Measurement Systems
Several frameworks have been used to develop and update performance measures. Each of the following frameworks gives new ideas and approaches that seek to improve the utilization of performance measurement systems.
Balanced scorecard framework. In 1992, introduced the Balanced Scored concept as a way of motivating and measuring an organization’s performance. This framework is intended for top managers in an organization to be able to obtain a quick and comprehensive assessment of the organization in a single report. Use of Balanced Scorecard requires executives to limit the number of measures to a vital few. The scorecard defines the organization’s long-term strategy in terms of specific, measurable goals in different areas of management (financial, customer, internal business, measures of innovation and learning). Organizations can now measure how they create value for customers, how they can enhance internal competencies, and how they must invest in people, systems and procedures to improve future performance (1996).
Performance improvement measurement methodology framework. This is a tool designed to measure organizational performance. It is structured to measure progress against defined near-term and long-term goals, to use customer inputs in setting those goals, and to have an internal quality check. There are three facts of measurement used in this framework, which include objective achievement, cost performance, and technology risk reduction (1996).
Performance dashboards framework. This is an executive information system that captures financial and non-financial measures as indicators of successful strategy deployment (2001).
Program logic model framework. This framework is used in a collaborative setting in which program staff, partners, and customers create a model describing the course of action a program takes to achieve its vision and strategic goals (1996).
Family of measures framework. In this framework, five measurement categories are measured, namely: (1) profitability, (2) productivity, (3) external quality (performance), (4) internal Quality (efficiency), and (5) other quality variables such as innovation and organizational safety (1996).
Benchmarking. This framework is a self-improvement tool for organizations. It allows them to compare themselves with others, to identify their comparative strengths and weaknesses and learn how to improve to find and adopt the best practices available. The approach goes beyond the comparison of databased scores and conventional performance indicators as it looks at the processes by which results are achieved. Benchmarking is not a one-off procedure and is most effective when it is ongoing to become a part of the annual review of an organization. Benchmark is a way to identify performance gap (2002).
In the public sector, various approaches have been undertaken by numerous institutions in order to develop tools for measuring the performance of e-Government projects. For instance, the (2002) suggested (1) cost-efficiency performance measures, which include the assessment of improved mission results as well as evaluations of enhanced capabilities, and (2) the improved program performance measures, which on the other hand, include the critical appraisals of improved accessibility, increased transactions and cost efficiencies.
Meanwhile, (2004b) suggested a different categorization of performance measurements for e-Government projects: (1) the web/technology based measures and (2) the service based measures. The web/technology based approach measures the technical aspect of the projects or services differentiating the e-Government services from other manual services, while the service-based approach focuses on the measurements of the service delivery.
Lastly, the Office of (2004) in the United States developed several tools, such as the (1) performance reference model as part of the federal enterprise architecture, the (2) performance assessment rating tool to measure the effectiveness of all government programs, and the (3) public sector value model, designed by Accenture which looks at two forms of citizen value such as (a) outcomes and (b) cost-effectiveness.
In other states such as the United Kingdom, it has looked into performance measurement tools in the private sector for application in its government programs. In the UK local government, the balanced scorecard tool was used as a performance measure to determine the implementation and impact of government service initiatives on the viability of service delivery. (2007) According to the (2007), balanced scorecard constitutes a management tool providing the senior executives of government agencies with periodic assessments of the manner and pace of their organizational progress in the area of strategic goal achievement.
Although these measurement tools provide government agencies with information on the current progress of their government service initiatives, the tools they use are focused only on the management side of the initiative making it more government-centred instead of integrating both managerial and market-based considerations into their public management systems or balancing their focus between government and citizen public service delivery interests. There is need to develop performance measurement tools covering performance criteria for both management and market-based factors.
Looking into current research of performance measurement tools for e-Government initiatives, most of the public sector websites do not have clear existing guidelines, benchmarks or measures to evaluate their performances and utilization of the measurement techniques implemented in private sector websites raise privacy issues when employed by governments. As a result, governments have decided to start developing their own measures and criteria, which are tailored for the public sector (Hillwatch, 2004). Among the processes developed to evaluate the e-Government initiatives, include (1) cost-benefit analysis, (2) net-present value, (3) internal rate of return, (4) return on investment, (5) customer satisfaction, (6) take-up rates, and (7) benchmarking (Intergovernmental Advisory Board, 2003:4).
More specifically, the customer satisfaction e-Government performance measurement systems such as the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and the Common Measurement Tool (CMT) have been widely accepted by government agencies in the United States and Canada respectively. ACSI is a quantitative survey instrument developed in partnership with the University Of Michigan School of business and the American Society of Quality, to track annual trends in customer satisfaction with Government Services ( On the other hand, CMT was developed by the Canadian government, which provides public organizations with a set of standard questions and standard measurement scales to analyze the feedback of their clientele. The use of standard question allows the organization to benchmark the progress over time, and to compare results with other organizations within the same business line since the questions are standardized. Moreover, CMT was conceptualized around five key elements: (1) client expectation, (2) perceptions of the service experience, (3) satisfaction levels, (4) level of importance, and (5) priorities for service improvements ().
Meanwhile, benchmarks act as a reality check for managers and policy makers by offering a way to measure on regular basis whether or not e-government projects are advancing, sustainable and delivering what they promise. Such benchmarks might be based on specific dates, cross comparisons with other countries/states, opinion polls, and independent surveys on customer satisfaction as well as cost effectiveness (2002).
VI. International E-Government Performance Measurement Projects
In recent years, there have been a number of major international benchmarking studies on e-Government, which were conducted by international organizations and private sector consulting firms. These benchmarking surveys have become very important in initiating government projects particularly in comparing the progress of existing e-Government projects of different countries. The discussion that follows presents an overview of some of the previous studies on e-Government projects along with specific examples of performance measurement systems utilized by different countries.
The research project facilitated by OECD PUMA described e-government as an enabler addressing it in the context of the modernizing public sector management, the promotion of good government, and the development of citizen-centred reforms. The study evaluated the impact of e-government in national administration within the following framework of analysis:
· Vision, Context and Responsiveness or how e-governments make governments more responsive;
· Reform of Public Administration or the changes that e-government can make possible;
· Strategic Implementation of e-Government or the requirements for effective e-government implementation; and
· Measurement and Evaluation or the means of measuring the impact of existing e-governments ( 2003).
These measures constitute criteria significant to the improvement of existing e-Government initiatives apart from the fact that these measures work towards the direction of improving service delivery to become a balance between government management concerns and citizen or market interests.
Meanwhile, the research activity jointly conducted by the United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration (UNDPEPA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) focused on the benchmarking of e-governments using a global perspective. The findings of the study resulted to an e-government profile for member states of the United Nations based on a benchmarking framework which ran into to two stages. The first stage categorized the member countries in terms of their Stage of Online Development such as (a) emerging, (b) enhanced, (c) interactive, (d) transactional, and (e) seamless or fully integrated. The second stage classified the selected countries on a Global e-Government Index using three elements, namely:
(1) web presence (emerging, enhanced, interactive, transactional, or seamless/fully integrated;
(2) telecommunications indicators (PC’s per 100 individuals, Internet hosts per 10,000 individuals, percentage of all population online, telephones, mobile telephones and television per 1000 individuals); and
(3) human capital (level of education and healthcare, access to and distribution of information, and urban/rural population balance) (2002).
This research resulted to the development of a benchmarking framework for e-Government service performance measurement in terms of the development context of the e-service and the human development context of the state implementing the e-service. As much as the framework helps in the evaluation of the progress of e-Government on a global scale, these measures only provide information over the world ranking of these states without really particularizing on the measures explaining the underpinnings or contextual explanations of the ranking or classification.
Moreover, an attempt has been made to evaluate the balance between the techno-economic and social components of contemporary information society strategies by looking at indicators of information society status in the EU member projects. This particular research activity focused on the eEurope initiative, which was launched in 1999 with action plans 2002 and 2005. The 2002 Action Plan was characterized with a wide scope, which sought to put the Internet at the top of the European political agenda. Its objectives includes (1) the development of cheaper, faster, and secure Internet access; (2) investments in people and skills; and (3) the stimulation of Internet use. Related indicators have been set to perform a benchmark for each of the stated objectives ( 2002).
Related indicators to develop cheaper, faster and secure Internet access include (a) Internet penetration % of households; (b) off-peak dial up cost among households; (c) off-peak dial up cost among businesses; (d) core speeds of national research networks; and (e) secure servers per million inhabitants. Meanwhile, the second objective to invest in people and skills enumerates the related indicators such as (a) fewer pupils per PC; (b) Internet PC per 100 pupils; (c) % workers with computer training; and (d) % workers who use computers at work. Lastly, in order to stimulate use of the Internet, among the related indicators include (a) % Internet users purchasing online; (b) % companies selling online; (c) % companies buying online; and (d) basic government services online (2002).
The research explored a measurement framework that is largely unexplored in current government-centred studies but the scope is limited only to market-factors such as user acceptability and market penetration of the e-service.
On the other hand, the 2005 Action Plan sought to extend the achievements of its predecessor by building a European-wide broadband infrastructure as a prerequisite for both the new competitive knowledge economy and an inclusive information society. It identified the following priorities: (1) modernization of public services to make them more productive, accessible and equitable; (2) further promotion of a favourable environment for e-business; and (3) a secure broadband infrastructure (2002).
Each one of these studies highlighted different types of performance measurement systems, which made possible the monitoring, and analyses of the progress of e-government projects as well as performance comparisons between countries. However, these researches cover specific or only on side of the process resulting to insufficiency as a performance measurement tool for new public management strategies. Some of the studies focused only on the management or market-factor side of the initiative while other studies only focused on the classification of governments according managerial or market-related factors without focusing on both areas of performance measurement. Moreover, none of the previous studies evaluated the availability of public services for citizens and businesses through other delivery channels highlighting the fact that existing e-government initiatives, which use other channels aside from the Internet to reach their target clientele, were not included and not referred. This means that there was no consideration of other service channels to be regarded as the service channels for augmentation or as a point of comparison. In addition, these studies likewise lack evaluation of organizational e-Government activities such as the redesigning of the back-office procedures.
VI. Applied E-Government Performance Measurement Systems
Canada. One of the leading countries to recognize the possible contribution of e-Government service to public service delivery is Canada whose aim is to increase citizen and client satisfaction with government services. Along with this objective, the Canadian government developed a performance measurement framework, which includes ten performance indicators: (1) convenience, (2) accessibility, (3) critical mass of services, (4) take-up, (5) service transformation, (6) client satisfaction, (7) security, (8) privacy, (9) efficiency, and (10) innovation (2004). In addition, the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) through its Service Improvement and its Citizens First Initiative has identified Citizen Drivers of Satisfaction for internet sites, which include (1) ease of navigation, (2) outcome, (3) visual appeal, and (4) efficient page loading (2004).
It was also indicated that TBS received reports of data being collected by other departments including the departments’ plans for putting services online and the progress they have made through an electronic database, which makes the framework progressive. As a result, the information files are accessible to all departments who are participating in the e-Government initiative allowing them to share lessons and identify chances for partnership. The tool used is applied primarily to the initial transactional stage of the e-Government without measuring the previous stages (emerging, enhanced and interactive stages). In this light, TBS worked with a team of information-based departments to create a tool to measure the depth of the information services and the rest of the stages of the e-Government. Moreover, the framework itself is capable of combining self-assessment data with the feedback from clients who are using the online services. In line with the further development of the e-services, TBS has been working with provincial governments to finalize a second version of the Common Measurements Tool (CMT) to measure the client satisfaction in relation to the online communication channel (2004).
United Kingdom. A study focusing on process evaluation of the Implementation of Electronic local Government (IEG) has been sponsored by the Office of Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). The study used systematic sources to collect the information regarding the process outcomes or the effects of e-Government on the organizational structure, systems, practices and culture of local authorities as well as the impacts or the wider consequence (intended and unintended) of the e-Government initiative on the local community. Among the systematic sources include the Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 157 (2003).
BVPI 157 is the formal measure of e-enabled services or the project’s evaluation of local authority websites. This functions as an independent assessment system of outputs, adopted by the National Audit Office, and the self-reported impacts of the e-Government from the e-Government survey (2003). Table 1 below presents the range of criteria used to measure process outcomes and impacts of UK’s E-Government performance.
Table 1. Standard Range of Criteria in Evaluating the E-Government Performance of United Kingdom
Criteria Range
Process Outcomes
- Baseline data on costs of services
- Measure in terms of the time taken to process common transaction
- Cost per transaction for individual common transactions
- Measures for the effectiveness of common transactions (i.e., Failure rates)
- Quantity of information being collected
Impacts
- Established process for gaining feedback from citizens and business about quality of e-enabled or e-delivered services and channels
- Collect and analyse information on the take up of e-services by citizens and businesses
- Commission external evaluations of the quality of electronic service provision and communication channels
- Analyse lack of feedback
Source: 2003
Moreover, the study likewise distinguished between the internal criteria of services efficiency such as (a) cost; (b) timeliness; and (c) rate of failure as well as the external criteria of service efficiency that evaluate the extent to which service clients (citizens or/and businesses) (a) take up, (b) use, and (c) evaluate e-enabled services; and (d) the reviews of services quality (2003).
United States of America. It appears that federal, state and local governments are actively engaged in using e-government performance measures. Some of them developed their own measures (like the state of Mississippi) while others have good practice in collecting performance measurement data (like the state of Texas). In addition, most of these agencies take advantage of the measurement of customer satisfaction for their websites such as the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). General methodologies of measuring the performance are used by most of the e-Government initiatives which include the data collected through (1) surveys like (a) the traditional random telephone surveys, (b) the web-based pop-up surveys, or (c) the page-based clickable ‘opt-in’ web surveys. Other examples of methodologies used are (2) the web monitoring software, (3) the administrative data from records, (4) the cost-benefit analysis, (5) the basic gathering of benchmarking data and (6) the e-government specific web tracking methodologies (2004).
(2004) identified the most frequent performance measures used among the federal e-Government initiative, the state e-Government initiative, and local e-Government initiative. The federal e-Government measures include (1) the amount of time saved, (2) the number of transactions or uses, (3) the number of participants, (4) the cost savings, (5) the adoption rates of applications, (6) the number users/visitors or site hits, (7) the reduction of errors or redundancy, and (8) customer satisfaction among others ( 2004). Meanwhile, the state e-Governments and the local e-Governments use (1) the number of applications offered, (2) the cost savings from the applications, (3) the adoption rates of application, (4) the customer satisfaction, (5) the number of visitors, (6) the page views or hits, (7) the number of agencies participating, (8) the number of transactions or uses, (9) the accessibility of sites, (10) the common look and feel of sites, (11) the national ranking or award, (12) the reliability, and (13) the number of search engine inquiries (Stewors, 2004b:16) to measure the performance of the initiatives.
Moreover, according to (2004), the difference among the mentioned e-Government’s use and types of measures exist due to the differing types of services found in each kind of government. The Mississippi e-Government and the TexasOnline Portal are considered to have one of the most successful performance measurement projects in the United States. In the study conducted by (2004), the Mississippi e-Government served the ideal balance, in terms of use of both the web/technology and the service-based measures which included indicators such as (1) the license adoption rates, (2) the online license renewal rates, (3) the number of visitors per month, (4) the number of helpdesk inquiries, (5) the number of online transactions, (6) the number of agencies and sites supported, (7) the number of applications developed, and (8) the number of pilot tests and National Award (2004).
TexasOnline Portal provided a consistent and outstanding use of a standard set of performance measures as well as the state’s efforts in determining the effects of its e-Government initiative through the utilization of cost-benefit analyses. The TexasOnline Authority project plan included (1) five year projections for most outcomes measures, (2) the detailed definitions for each measure, (3) the breakdowns of each goal, and (4) the strategy with the accompanying measures. More specifically, the portal used measures such as (1) the total number of visitors, (2) the total transactions, (3) the total dollars collected, (4) the services offered, (5) the participation of state agencies, local governments and institution of higher education, and (6) the user adoption rates (2004). In addition, the TexasOnline Authority conducts customer satisfaction surveys such as (a) portal surveys for the users visiting the portal and (2) surveys of service users.
Furthermore, being an independently financed and totally self-supporting organization brought about by public-private partnership, TexasOnline determines assessment of their Return on Investment (ROI) based on the number of Texans engaging e-Government services. The ROI depends on adoption level or how many citizens are using the service, which indicated a linear relation between the usage of service and the adoption rate variables. The importance of the number of citizens applying for e-Government services is important because the Texas state government and the private company shares the cost and revenue so that with higher number of citizens obtaining e-Government services means higher return on investment for the public-private venture. TexasOnline also conduct cost-benefit studies of the e-services offered in the portal in which agencies were asked to complete a pre-implementation and post-implementation templates identifying costs and benefits at a regular basis (2004).
The Canadian e-Government illustrated the success factors in developing the government on-line (GOL) performance measurement framework through consultations with, and feedback from multiple groups, including measurement experts in the federal government, senior management across multiple departments and an independent third party. The aggregate feedback identified as success factors of the initiative the exchange of rich ideas and refinement of chosen approach. However, the main drawback in this case includes the use of two success indicators: (a) client satisfaction and (b) take-up. Traditionally, the methods or tools to address these indicators involve the facilitation of focus group discussions and customer surveys, which are considered costly to implement so that retaining these tools will not be feasible for the majority of government websites particularly when implemented on a regular basis. In the alternative, online customer surveys comprise a tool more suited to e-Government services.
In the case of the United Kingdom e-Government initiative, cost-benefit analysis represents a major challenge for many local authorities since the authorities that adopt good practices in the field of performance measurement, and organize it at a corporate level through the systematic application are more likely to make the investments in improving the e-services and also to reap the rewards in terms of the benefit of e-Government. ODPM found that there is an extensive collection of basic service information at the project level like the number of calls handled by call centres and the number of hits on websites. However, there was less evidence that such information is being strategically used or widely circulated. Although monitoring the costs of e-Government has been a common priority, balancing the costs against the benefits of e-Government appears neglected.
The USA meanwhile showed that few e-Government initiatives are actively using performance measurement systems to assess the impact of their efforts. However, with the influence of the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), there is more consistency in the development of standardized performance measures at the federal level. There is need to take the standard performance measures and translate these into tools applicable to the contexts of the different states implementing e-Government services.
VII. Limitations of Studying Performance Measurement of e-Governments
In order to provide a more thorough understanding and evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the performance measurement of the e-Government services, their limitations must also be acknowledged to present a more valid account of the study. The most evident limitations of studying the performance measurement systems of Dubai e-Government include the differing definition of e-Government, the exclusive characteristics of each of the currently employed performance measurement systems, and the inherent caution needed in comparing countries that employ the e-Government initiatives.
Although the term e-Government initiative was already extensively defined in this study, it is still constrained by the definition that focuses solely on the digital exchange of information, and as such will not only include the data received from the Internet but also from other popular interactive communication devices such as mobile phones (2001). With the continuous advancement in information and communication technologies, the means of delivering public services through online connection using different media channels increase as well. As such, it is important to draw and clearly describe the scope of the study by presenting the specific topics and subtopics based on the e-Government definition that the study utilized.
Moreover, the models used for performance measurement may be based on simple situations of the government and as such may not address some specific situations. These include the issues on adaptability of the measurement when circumstances and demands become more complex wherein the department may then be forced to find other ways to cope with such demands, which may not be measurable. This is based on the premise that the models must accommodate diversity and immediate change in order to quickly react and continue to give service based on the demands of the public (1996). Furthermore, different models may have to be used for the collective assessment of departments to differentiate these results from the individual departments themselves in order to evaluate how each branch is able to distribute public services and to assess their function based on their cooperation with other departments (1999).
Researchers who might be interested in pursuing the critical comparisons and appraisals of different e-Government systems must also be cautioned that performance measurement systems of existing e-services may not be comparable mainly because of the difference in culture of the countries as well as the difference in preference for the technological device to be used, the geographical distribution of the societies, and other similar factors that may affect the implementation of the initiatives. While case studies may be the most efficient way to show the similarities and disparity of existing e-Government systems, it must nevertheless be remembered that each country is unique and therefore has its own method that must be taken into account.
Based on the discussions above, a number of issues must be addressed to achieve a successful e-Government performance measures:
· E-Government initiatives should use performance measures to
initiate and manage changes that lead to continuous improvement.
· E-Government initiatives need to use a wide range of performance measures to ensure accountability. It should be a mixture of both web/technology and services-based measures.
· E-Government initiatives should ensure that a balance is achieved between developing a system with numerous performance measures and the costs, in terms of time and expense of doing so.
· Performance measures should be derived from mission statement, strategic issues, goals and objective of the initiatives.
· Performance measures framework must be implemented prior to initiation, as well as once the project is completed.
· Performance measures should also be flexible enough to take into account unexpected outcomes or can be adapted for a later point in time.
· Performance measures should be unbiased and independent in order to use it as a basis for revising and improving e-Government initiatives. It should be general enough to apply it to many projects.
· Performance measures results should be simple, clear, presented on a regular basis.
· Performance measure results should be accompanied by narrative descriptions of the reliability and validity of the data as well as how the data gathered.
· Performance measures result must be used to inform the benefits of performance measurements and changes to the overall initiatives.
Ultimately, the importance of performance measures should not be underestimated. Performance measures if successfully implemented ‘shows what is working, points out areas for improvement and ultimately leads to service improvement and cost saving’ (2003). The contribution of performance measures to service improvement and cost savings is subject to investigation in the research.
VIII. The Federal e-Government Initiative of United Arab Emirates in Improving its Services to Citizens and Businesses
The Dubai Government Departments have embarked on a major transformation of their services from the initiative announcement in 2000. Dubai e-Government launched its official portal www.dubai.ae in October 2001, which coincided with the target of 18-month deadline for delivering essential services. After 18 months, the first portal was launched – www.dubai.ae – with 14 e-services (2005).
The number has currently exceeded 600 e-services, with more and more added day by day. The Government Departments have worked intensely in recent years to enable their promised efficient and effective public services to individual citizens and business organizations. The Dubai e-Government initiative, which was launched in 2000, has accelerated adoption of e-services by a number of government bodies ranking the United Arab Emirates in the 21st position in the United Nations report which evaluated e-government performance by 190 countries in 2001 worldwide (2005).
The most recent preliminary study conducted by Dubai e-Government during late 2004 indicated that there are over 1900 services provided by more than 20 Government Departments in Dubai. Approximately 1,300 of these 1,900+ services are transactional services by nature while the rest are merely informational or interactive. Fifty-six percent of 1,900+ services are G2C services (i.e. government services targeting individuals/citizens), whereas 44% are G2B services (i.e. government services targeting businesses) (2005).
The table below lists and summarizes the government departments of Dubai with e-services.
Table 1. Government Departments of the Dubai Municipality Utilizing e-Government Information System
No.
Department name
Website address
Available languages
1
Al Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Department
www.awqafdubai.gov.ae
Ar/En/Urdu
2
Department of Economic Development
www.dubaided.gov.ae
Ar/En
3
Department of Health and Medical Services
www.dohms.gov.ae
English
4
Department of Information
www.dubaitv.gov.ae
Ar/En
5
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
www.dubaitourism.ae
Ar/En
6
Dubai Ports Authority
www.dpa.co.ae
English
7
Dubai Customs
www.dxbcustoms.gov.ae/
Ar/En
8
Jabal Ali Free Zone
www.jafza.ae
English
9
Dubai Ship Docking Yard (JADAF)
www.jadafdubai.com
Ar/En
10
Dubai Dry docks
www.drydocks.gov.ae
English
11
Dubai Airport
www.dubaiairport.com
Ar/En
12
Dubai Duty Free
www.dubaidutyfree.com
English
13
Dubai Cargo Village
www.dubaicargovillage.com
English
14
Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority
www.dafza.ae
English
15
Dubai Civil Aviation Department
www.dca.dubai.ae
Ar/En
16
Dubai Chamber of Commerce And Industry
www.dcci.ae
Ar/En
17
Dubai Civil Defense
www.dcd.gov.ae
Arabic
18
Department of Justice – Dubai
www.djd.gov.ae
Arabic
19
Dubai Development Board
www.ddb.dubai.ae
Ar/En
20
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
www.dewa.gov.ae
English
21
Dubai Government Workshop
www.dgw.gov.ae
Ar/En
22
Dubai Land Department
www.dubailand.gov.ae
Ar/En
23
Dubai Municipality
www.dm.gov.ae
Ar/En
24
Dubai Police
www.dubaipolice.gov.ae
Ar/En
25
Dubai Police Traffic Department
www.dxbtraffic.gov.ae
Ar/En
26
Dubai Transport Department
www.dubaitransport.gov.ae/
Ar/En
27
Naturalization and Residency Department
www.dnrd.gov.ae
Ar/En
28
Real Estate Department
www.realestate-dubai.gov.ae
Ar/En
29
Dubai Internet City
www.dubaiinternetcity.com/
English
30
Dubai Media City
www.dubaimediacity.com
English
31
Dubai e-Government
www.dubai.ae
Ar/En
Source: Geray and Al Bastakei, 2005
According to Dubai e-Government publication () the total number of services in the Dubai Government reached 894 in December 2003. The table below summarizes in details of the departments of Dubai Government’s services statistics in December 2003 presenting the number of services and the service types they provide covering both G2C and G2B.
Table 2. Dubai Government Department Services Statistics – December 2003
No.
Department name
No. Services
Service type
Transactional
Informatics
1
Al Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Department
12
5
7
2
Department of Economic Development
10
10
0
3
Department of Health and Medical Services
27
8
19
4
Department of Information
8
0
8
5
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
10
4
6
6
Dubai Port Customs and Free Zone Corporation
44
34
10
7
Dubai Civil Aviation Department
7
4
3
8
Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority
124
118
6
9
Dubai Chamber of Commerce And Industry
12
5
7
10
Dubai Civil Defence
12
4
3
11
Department of Justice – Dubai
33
27
6
12
Dubai Development Board
11
5
6
13
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
19
7
12
14
Dubai Land Department
24
6
18
15
Dubai Municipality
304
54
250
16
Dubai Police
152
45
107
17
Dubai Transport Department
8
0
8
18
Naturalization and Residency Department
30
4
26
19
Real Estate Department
17
17
0
20
Dubai e-Government
30
12
18
Total
894
369
520
Source:
These services are not clear if they were e-services or the whole services in each department, even though the list was under the e-services monitor section in this publication. In a later Issue of this magazine (), a statistical chart for August 2004 shows an increase in the number of transactional services over informative, which is considered an advantage in the implementation plan of Dubai e-Government project.
Figure1. Dubai Government Department Services Statistics – August 2004
Source: e4all, issue 17
The study made by , which benchmarked Dubai e-Services with the European States e-Services shows that the Dubai Government has made significant strides in bringing online the basic services that it produces to the public. The Online availability of such services in Dubai is higher (76.4 percent) than it is in Europe (the average score estimated for Europe by end of October 2002 is 65 percent). The said research considered a set of criteria to measure the progress of e-Government. The most important was the online availability of the government’s basic public services plus the level of the availability. Higher criteria for evaluating e-Government are levels of integration and customization of basic e-Services on a single government gateway. Basic services as they mentioned are “the most frequently used and/or which are most critical for the interest of individual users and smooth running of business activities” ( 2003). The following table shows list of e-services considered as basic services in both EC and Dubai.
The table below provides the details the basic e-services offered by the EC and Dubai based on the study conducted by Madar Research.
Table 3. Benchmark Dubai e-Services with European Commission e-Services
EC Basic e-Services
Dubai Basic e-services
Basic public services for individuals
Income Taxes
Visas
Job search services by labour offices
Job search
social security contributions (unemployment benefits, child allowances, medical costs, student grants)
announcement of moving (change of address)
payment of utility bills (electricity and water)
personal documents (passport and driving license)
personal documents (passport and driving license)
car registration (new, used and imported cars)
car registration (new, renewal)
declaration to the police (e.g. in case of theft)
Declaration to the police (traffic offences, crimes)
application for building permission
certificates (birth and marriage) request and delivery
Certificates (birth and marriage)
public libraries (availability of catalogues, search tool)
public libraries (availability of catalogues, search tools)
enrolment in higher education
enrolment in higher education
health related services (interactive advice on the availability of services in different hospitals, appointments for hospitals
health related services (interactive advice on the availability of services in different hospitals, appointments with doctors and health card renewal)
Basic public services for Business
social contribution for employees
Visas
corporation tax
local fees collection
value added tax (VAT)
engineering services (application for building permission, building services, inspection of engineering material)
registration of a new company
Registration of a new company
submission of data to statistical offices
legal services (attorneys, expert and companies services)
customs declarations
customs declarations
environment – related permits
environment related permits (hazardous waste disposal, veterinary certification, Dubai central laboratory, no objection certificates for drainage and irrigation networks)
public procurement
public procurement
free zones establishments (Jabal Ali, Dubai Airport, Technology eCommerce and Media)
Source: Madar, 2003:26
E-Government initiatives investigated by (2003) categorize the different departments based on the number of services, number of online services, and number of employees.
· Category I: Department with total number of services from 1 to 50 and employees less then 500.
· Category II: Department with total number of services range from 51 to 100 and employees above from 500 to 10,000. In the case where the department total number of services is less than 100 and employees are more than 500 it will be considered as part of this category
· Category III: Department with total number of services more than 100 and employees more than 10,000.
The table below lists the details of the categorization presenting the different Dubai Government Departments. However, the list containing the number of employees provided based on the report of the H.H. Ruler’s Court is not available for all Departments. The H.H. Rulers Court is the government department that signed the contract with Microsoft to offer technological solutions to Dubai’s e-Government drive. (2003)
Table 4. Classification of Government Departments according to Size
Department Name
Total No. of services
No. of employees
Category
Dubai Government Workshop
5
411
I
Dubai Land Department
28
170
I
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
41
391
I
Department of Health and Medical Services
27
8044
II
Department of Economic Development
56
217
II
Dubai Media Incorporation
64
984
II
Dubai Civil Aviation Department
70
2430
II
Dubai Police
178
16291
III
Dubai Municipality
479
12088
III
Category I Departments: The Dubai Land Department can be accessed by visiting www.dubailand.gov.ae as the official place to register real estate and consultations pertaining to land and estate legalities and business transactions. Its general services include transactions such as sales registration, mortgages registration, donations registration; evaluation, possession of donation, transfer by inheritance, wills registration, possession proof, issue of replacement deeds title, division among the partners, allocation of common property, separation and addition, registration of charitable endowment and inter-successor endowment, compensation by land, amendment of ownership details, transfer of ownership from a company to an individual and vice versa, change and exchange of a donated land, issuance of maps, and response to the inquiries and issuance of the certificates to whom it may concern. The department’s e-services include portal site, top 20 communities, procedures status, land daily transactions, land monthly transactions, land annual transactions, new map issue, update owner information, real estate register, owner number request, Malik privilege card, and E-Land Newsletter.
Category II Departments: The Department of Economic Development (DED) accessed by visiting www.dubaied.gov.ae website has the full responsibility of promoting the economic growth of the municipality. Their mission includes the provision of benefits to the society at large by creating sustained economic development programs, meaningful jobs and staff opportunities to innovate, contribute and maximize their potentials. The e-services they provide require no user account offering two main services to the public; (a) the company look up service which enables the client to search the business data base of DED, and (b) the cost simulation service where the client can attain trade license with DED based on business activities, legal type, number of partners and other variables. The main services of the department are the registration with DED, reservations for a trade name, issuance of new license, renewing of license, cancellation of license, modification of license, and fines and complaints services.
The Department of Health and medical Services (DHMS) acts the responsible health authority in Dubai whose online services can be accessed by visiting www.dohms.gov.ae. It aims to provide preventive, curative, and primary health services to the community and individual through the best technologies and manpower to provide services at international standards of quality and effectiveness by developing comprehensive health policies contributing to the overall development of Dubai. The department offers 22 public services which include corporate services like corporate health card, medical fitness certificates, tender and supplier and medical permits; individual services like health cards, birth cards, blood donation applications, embalming applications, international vaccination, child health, medical report, death certificates and medical fitness certificates; and medical services like accident and emergency services, health fees list and medical specialties list.
Category III Departments: The Dubai Municipality (DM) can be visited through www.dm.gov.ae. This department is considered as one of the largest establishments in Dubai in terms of number of employees, the volume of services it provides to the public, and the projects it carries out. It is the major driving force behind the development process of Dubai city as a whole which is organized into seven sectors: (1) Departments and Offices Reporting to the Director General, (2) planning and Building Sector, (3) Roads and General Projects Sector, (4) Environment and Public Health Sector, (5) Finance Sector, (6) Administration and general Services Sector, and (7) Technical Services Sector.
The Performance Management Section under the Administrative Development and Quality Department contains the Performance Improvement Unit and the Performance Measurement Unit that are of primary importance in this resource. The performance Management Section is responsible for addressing the following issues: (1) performance assessment of DM and its organizational units, teams and committee, (2) managing the performance measurements at the corporate and business levels, (3) managing the business excellence model in DM according to Dubai Government, and (4) managing the privatization and outsourcing activities in DM.
DM website was intended by the government to offer a wide range of user-friendly online services providing comprehensive and well-organized information about all services at the Municipality. The e-services section of DM is classified into log-in required services and no log-in required services. The table below lists the details of the online services offered by the DM.
Table 4. E-Services Offered by Dubai Municipality
I. Login Required Services:
A. City Planning and Development
1. demarcation service
2. Dubai central labs-block certificates
3. Dubai central labs-engineering material test results
4. Dubai municipality plans
5. zoning regulation system of Dubai’s lands
6. no objection certification
7. drainage, sewerage and irrigation services
8. Dubai central labs equipment calibration
9. Dubai virtual reference system DVRS services
10. correspondence services
B. Health and Environment
1. DM clinic health certificates
2. food import and re-export
3. hazardous waste management
4. veterinary services health certificates
5. importation of dangerous goods service
C. Financials
1. revenue collection
2. one-stop inspection and fines inquiry
3. E-Tendering
4. centralized billing presentment service
II. No Login Required Services:
A. Parking Fine
1. Check the fines status
2. Download the fines details list
3. Enquire about the fines amount
4. Complete fines payment
B. Online Statistical Information
1. comprehensive search facility
2. downloadable reports
C. DM Studies and Research (online urban planning studies)
1. planning studies
2. planning data
3. order studies not provided online
4. contact DM
The Dubai Police Department is responsible for peace and order maintenance in Dubai. This department can be accessed by visiting the http://www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/dp/english/main.jsp website in its aim to promote awareness of the concepts and criteria of quality in police work among personnel members. The department offers a number of services whose aim is to develop administrative work via applying the concepts of quality adhered to by the General Headquarters of the Dubai Police on the domestic and external public level. Eighty-eight services are offered by Dubai Police online services, 33 of which are e-services.
Table 5. E-Services Offered by Dubai Police
A. Traffic Services
1. traffic fire inquiry and payment
2. traffic signs test
3. tourist car record
4. sending ownership card request
5. plate number reservation renewal
6. replacing a damaged ownership card
7. cancellation of vehicle registration (possession certificate)
8. list of registered cars
9. replacing a damaged driving license
10. renewal of driving license (light vehicles only)
11. driving experience certificate
12. sending driving license request
13. purchase plate number
14. fine inquiry through SMS (Short Messaging System)
15. clearance certificate request
16. register for traffic service
B. Security Services
1. tourist complaint form
2. home safety
3. we are all police
4. let us fight the fire
C. Miscellaneous Services
1. suggestion form and follow-up suggestion
2. e-Sailing form
3. inmate visits
4. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports and Physical Fitness programs
5. filing a complaint
6. rehabilitation centre entry application
7. petitions/pleas
8. offers provided by companies
9. prayed times
10. discussion forum
11. guest book
12. SMS services
13. Job application and follow-up job application
Overall, the e-Government initiative in Dubai is describable as an ICT leveraging project upon its introduction in 2000 as the ‘Dubai e-Government project’. The primary objectives of the initiative is the 1) simplification and streamlining of government services through ICT channels; 2) achievement of customer-centric public service for public service provisioning through efficiency in service delivery; 3) innovation and integration of government services through technological tools; and 4) modernization and standardization of internal government processes involving human resources, finance and accounting, and procurement. The challenges faced by the initiative in its five years of implementation fall under the four classifications of customer expectations, process efficiency, people involvement, and technology accessibility and utilisation. Customer expectation challenged the initiative to provide the aggregate of these service values including convenience, quality service, multi-channel accessibility, security and trustworthiness of service, and comprehensiveness of service. Process efficiency challenged the e-Government initiative to get over the system problems of red tape and bureaucracy and shift to innovative enablers. People involvement raised the issues of multi-level leadership, skill and process redesign, competency planning, and skills sourcing. Technology accessibility and utilisation posed the challenge for the initiative to adapt and facilitate rapid changes in technology and enhance information system connectivity or networking. (2005)
To understand these challenges and translate learning into positive actions for improvement, the involved government agencies utilised benchmarking and strategic audit as performance measures. Strategic audit refers to the comparison between Dubai’s public service status prior to the introduction of the e-Government initiative and after the implementation of the e-service in terms of goal achievement. Benchmarking involves the consideration of other e-Government initiatives in other states to determine best practices. (Geray and Al Bastaki, 2005)
IX. Synthesis
The review of existing literature covering the topic of e-Government initiative results to a number of implications important to the furtherance of this research. The implications relate to the conceptual foundations of e-Government initiative, the concept of government initiative, dynamics of performance measurement to improve existing government initiative.
In terms of the concepts underpinning e-government initiative, change management contributes to the understanding and assessment of e-government initiatives through performance measures by directing the focus of the evaluative process towards the linking of change such as the introduction or improvement of new systems with problem diagnostics or problem analysis spearheaded by leaders in the different levels of the organization. Change management also brings focus to the importance of the development of good working relations and interpersonal relations within the organization experiencing system change to facilitate acceptability and adaptability. Focusing on human relations is also a core concept of new public management. Change management applies to both public and private organizations but new public management focuses only on public organizations but deriving applicable concepts from the private sector. New public management stresses on contact and interaction to facilitate the acceptance of the initiative. Interaction means that the public organization should capitalize on interaction and communication to motivate the adoption of the initiative instead of relying on hierarchical authority relations to achieve acceptance. Moreover, new public management also directs performance measurement on the balancing of managerial concerns of the implementing agency with the citizen concerns of the e-service recipients. While change management and new public management focus on the organizational aspects of implementation and performance measurement, the concepts of privatisation and outsourcing constitutes specific channels of service delivery. Engagement in privatisation and outsourcing in conjunction with e-Government initiative depends on whether the government agency is seeking to address the problems in expertise, manpower, time, finances and workflows. This means that if the government agency is not experiencing any or all of these problems, privatisation and outsourcing may not be appropriate.
The core ideas of these concepts comprise considerations in investigating the selection and utilisation of performance measures by the public agency implementing e-Government initiative.
Investigating the selection and utilisation of performance measures for e-Government initiative of government agencies also necessitates the understanding of initiative and government initiative. Available literature explains initiative through different process stages. However, singly these stages are either unrealistic or insufficient to encompass the entirety of the public service initiative so that there is need to integrate these stages to achieve one that recognises the non-linearity and complexity of initiatives.
Improving e-Government initiatives involves the selection and utilisation of performance measures in terms of the applicability of the instrument as well as the factors being measured by the instrument. While there are a number of existing performance measures applicable to e-Government initiative, the selection decision and the utilisation activity depends upon the consideration of measuring the different levels of performance from planning to implementation to target recipient uptake. The result of the measures indicates the areas requiring improvement and the ways of achieving the improvement. Existing literature suggests that performance measures shift the e-Government initiative from being government centric to citizen-centric, a major and important improvement to the initiative.
However, performance measures will not improve performance alone. They only provide information about the level of performance being achieved, which will help decision-makers understand why a program is performing at reported level. Performance measures should not be seen as an ‘instant cure’ (1999). In fact, good performance measures generally raise more questions than they answer. It is important to learn how effectively e-Government efforts are being implemented, as well as, the impacts. According to (2001) e-Government initiatives should be designed around the need of the citizens, which will require the redesign of the current governance systems. A more holistic e-government measurement model should be integrated while measuring the performance measurement of such projects. The model should cover the linking service availability, channel selection, back office fulfilment capability, service usage and impact of e-Government economically, socially and democratically.
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
This chapter provides information on the description of the methods and procedures that were conceptualized and constructed in order to obtain the needed data and information that will be most useful to the study. Details on how the accumulated data were analyzed and interpreted as well as how the conclusion was drawn is discussed in full extent in this section. This provides justification of the means in which the study was accomplished and at the same time helps in giving purpose and strength to the validity and reliability of the collected information that makes this particular research practice truthful and analytic.
Specifically, this research chapter will cover the following discussions: the research design, the conceptual framework, the participants of the study, the methods used in accomplishing the study, the sampling technique utilized, the statistical treatment used, the validity and reliability of the collected data, the research instruments for data collection, execution of the data collection procedures and administration of the research instruments and the logic and systematic data presentation and analysis. The last discussion provides the summary of the steps and actions that were completed during the duration of the data collection period.
Research Design
Both the qualitative and the quantitative research methods were used for the completion of this research activity wherein the quality of the information gathered together with the quantitative characteristics of data become available to the researcher to achieve both research validity and credibility with qualitative and quantitative data supporting the analyses and conclusions. (1992;1997) Even if the relevant aspects of the research study are characterized and classified as qualitative elements standard measures that enabled quantification of the concepts will meet the qualitative and quantitative information needs of the project. These include the organizational behaviour in each selected department as well as the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of the respondents and participants of the study.
The exploratory research design served as the guiding framework for the execution of the entire research project. Exploratory research normally involves open-ended study, guided by existing and relevant theory and intended to provide a new body of empirical knowledge from which theories might be postulated (2003, 2002). As such, the case study research approach provided the appropriate methodology since the study calls for the need to conduct a holistic, in-depth investigation of the topic presented (1991). This contributed to the knowledge of individual, group, organizational, social, political, and related phenomena being studied (2003).
The research activity was composed of three data gathering methods in order to identify the common and different organizational environment within the selected departments in their pursuit to provide electronic services to the public and business sectors. These data gathering methods include (a) interviews among managers and informed individuals in the eight selected departments (DED, DNRD, DTCM, DM, DP, LD and TEO) including DEG; (b) the interdepartmental ranking of portals in which the best five departments were nominated based on twelve website criteria; and (c) in-depth case study of the Dubai Municipality Department (DM) and the Land Department (LD).
The research concepts under investigation through the conducted interviews provide explanations regarding (1) the utilization of the e-Government system in improving public services, (2) the e-government performance measurement systems applied by the selected departments to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the initiative, (3) the impacts of the e-Government initiative in terms of public service decision-making, (4) the contributions of the e-government system in designing government policies, (5) the problems and issues in the implementation of the e-Government initiative, (6) the current concerns of the government in implementing and utilizing the e-Government system, and (7) the assessment and evaluation of the success of the e-Government initiative.
Ranking the different departments in the course of the research through a criteria determined from the review of literature gave light on the departments that best provide online information and services to the pubic and business sectors of Dubai. The listed website criteria include (1) the accessibility of the website, (2) the availability of online information and services, (3) the reliability of e-services transactions, (4) the clarity of website contents, (5) the efficiency of service delivery, (6) the interactiveness with public users, (7) the interactiveness with other government departments, (8) the sophistication or extent of available critical services, (9) the user-friendliness of the website, (10) the attractiveness of the website design and features, (12) the innovativeness, and (12) the flexibility towards systems change.
Lastly, the case analyses of the Dubai Municipality Department and the Land Department were undertaken in order to provide specific organizational analyses focusing on the dynamic of the e-transformation initiative. These case studies were presented to further highlight the interesting findings from the interview sessions among the selected departments.
Conceptual Framework
Based on the review of available literature, enhancing knowledge and learning on the impact of performance measures to the improvement of e-Government initiatives involves three basic research activities commencing with the understanding of the e-Government initiative being studies followed by the investigation into the conceptual underpinnings of the actual selection and utilisation of performance measures in e-Government initiatives to be concluded by the impact or implication of the performance measures to improving the e-Government initiative.
The research process implies that the investigation involves the consideration of both theoretical and empirical data to facilitate comprehensive learning and knowledge acquisition on the research topic.
Theoretical aspect of the study draws foundational support for investigation from the concepts applicable to e-Government initiatives. The concepts underpinning e-government initiatives are change management, new public management, and privatisation and outsourcing, the concept of initiative and government initiative explains the workings of e-Government initiatives, and the concept of performance measures supports the investigation on the various measures available and their implication on improving e-Government initiatives.
Change management is defined as the formulation and assimilation of change in a methodical process. The major objective of change management is the introduction of innovative means and systems in the work organization. Organizational change is part of and a result of struggles between contradictory forces, also change management practice is related with endeavoring to manage their competing demands. To understand why and how to change organizations, it is first necessary to understand their structures, management and behaviour. According to (1996) these systems of ideas are crucial to change management in two respects. They provide models of how organization should be structured and managed. Then they provide guidelines for judging and prescribing the behaviour and effectiveness of individuals and groups in an organization.
(1996) believe that modern organizations passed by the guild structures and as organizations grew larger, skills become increasingly fragmented and specialized and positions become more functionally differentiated. It can be said that organizational change is one of the critical determinants in organizational success and failure (1998). The lack of such initiatives can throw an organization into confusion, or are stuck in traditional practices that cannot solve or handle the current problems faced. Thus, lack of initiatives stresses the need for a strategic organizational change that is flexible as opposed to a static form of strategic planning.
Perhaps the space between the new organization design and implementing it into actuality is the whole coverage of organization change and development. People are adaptive to change. However, certain skills must be present from the initiators of change to successfully implement their project. Thus, managers need to have the necessary abilities in not only detecting what needs to be changed but also how to introduce the change effectively. The Model of Continuous Improvement offers a lead on how to manage change. It highlights the relationship between the tools or resources of an organization along with its human resources and the systems employed in processing transactions. The concept of culture, communication and commitment is given importance in overall and continuous improvement of an organization ( 2004).
Meanwhile, performance measures are systems or tools that provide organizations relevant information regarding the operations, which include products, services, as well as the functionality of the inherent processes. This applies to both public and private organisations. In the area of public organizations, performance measurement systems assist governments to understand, manage, and improve organizations’ delivery of public services. More specifically, effective performance measures are capable of assessing and evaluating how well the governments are operating, the levels of goal attainment, the customers’ levels of satisfaction, and the effective monitoring and control of projects. Performance measurement systems set goals and standards, detect and correct problems, manage and improve processes, and management assessment.
In accomplishing this research, performance measures is recognized as having an impact on improving existing e-Government initiatives, particularly on policy formulation and decision-making processes. Since the results of applied performance measurement systems are transmitted to the decision making process of organizations, the importance of identifying appropriate performance measures and techniques can equip policy makers with the necessary information to assist in their decision-making processes in order to come up with correct policies and strategic planning for the entire government.
This project integrated each of the investigated government departments that are actively participating in the electronic transformation of Dubai Government public services with the holistic e-Government measurement model in order to present the current progress and development of the initiative along with the performance measurement systems utilized by government departments to provide assessment and evaluation of the e-Government initiative.
As such, six departments were selected based on the size or number of employees that the each department houses for the entire research activity for the purpose of representativeness. The selected government departments are the Dubai Land Department (LD) and the Department of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) for Category I, the Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Health and Medical Services (DHMS) for Category II, and the Dubai Municipality (DM) and the Dubai Police (DP) for Category III. However, due to difficulties encountered with gatekeepers in the DHMS, the researcher decided to ask instead for the participation of the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department (DNRD) to complete the department selection Category II. Moreover, the Dubai E-Government (DEG) and The Executive Office (TEO) were likewise interviewed to give light on the overall assessment and evaluation of the progress and development of the entire e-Government initiative.
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