Innovation and Knowledge Management - Essay Example

Innovation and Knowledge Management - The introduction of electronic government in the UK during the last decade has created a better environment forinnovation and helped transform many public sector institutions. Given this context, critically examine the influence of electronic government in facilitating the diffusion of public services to citizens. (2006 words) 1. Introduction The increase of complexity of transactions worldwide has led governments to focus on schemes that can help towards the improvement of quality and safety of public services. Indeed, the promotion of innovation and knowledge management across a country’s public sector has been related to the improvement of this sector’s performance under the terms that the resources required are available. The British government has decided to support the introduction of innovation and knowledge management in the country’s public services. The development of the specific initiative was considered as necessary in order for the performance of the country’s public sector to be improved. E-government was considered to be the most appropriate framework for the achievement of the above target. The role of e-government in facilitating the diffusion of public services to citizens in Britain is explored in this paper. The examination of the existed literature led to the conclusion that the introduction of e-government framework in the British public sector has helped the specific sector to increase its efficiency. However, measures should be taken in order to ensure the elimination of this sector’s failures in the context of the existing e-government scheme. 2. Innovation and knowledge management – description, characteristics The forms of innovation and knowledge management in organizations worldwide can be differentiated, being depended on the type of the organization, its size but also the organizational needs that have to be addressed. The interaction between innovation and knowledge management in regard to specific organizational activities is usually developed as follows: when innovation is required for the improvement of organizational performance, then appropriate knowledge management schemes are likely to be implemented. The above relationship between innovation and knowledge management can be identified in organizations of both the private and the public sector. The type of knowledge management chosen for supporting the needs of the organization in terms of innovation are decided by the organizational leaders. In the case under examination, e-government framework used in the public sector of Britain, knowledge management is related mostly to the Information systems and the software used in public services across Britain; thus, in this case, the technical aspects of knowledge management would be identified and evaluated. Terziovski (2007) refers to technical knowledge management which involves in the implementation and administration of technical systems required for particular organizational operations. In each broad context, technical knowledge management can include ‘the organization’s technical resources and technical potential’ (Terziovski, 2007, p.207). The use of appropriate customized knowledge management systems cannot guarantee the improvement of organizational performance or the increase of the quality of communication in the internal and the external organizational environment. This fact is highlighted in the study of Von Stamn et al. (2009) where it is noted that the actual challenge regarding innovation is that the specific concept needs to be continuously reviewed (Von Stamn et al., 2009, p.158). It is assumed that reference is made to the plans developed in modern organizations for the promotion of innovation – and the support of the organizational performance. Thus, organizational plans on innovation need to be periodically reviewed and evaluated in order to keep their value as part of the organizational strategy. The above assumption can be applied on organizations of both the private and the public sector, as in the case under examination. At this point it should be noted that in its traditional form, knowledge management has been related to the acquisition, storage and distribution of knowledge; however, in its current form knowledge management also encompasses the promotion of innovation across organization – referring to both the private and the public sector (Firestone, 2003, p.162). The above approach should define the criteria used for the evaluation of e-government framework used in the public sector across Britain. 3. E-government framework - The electronic government in Britain as a tool for facilitating the diffusion of public services to citizens E-government schemes have been developed by governments worldwide for increasing the speed in the provision of public services. In practice, the specific target has not been fully achieved. This issue is highlighted in the study of Torres et al. (2005) where reference is made to the e-government schemes established in cities across the European Union. The main finding of the study is that in all cities where such schemes have been established the differentiation of services provided to the public has been limited – compared to the offline provision of public services. However, it is noted that the 24/7 availability of the specific systems is their great advantage – compared to the traditional method of provision of public services (Torres et al., 2005, p.217). In order to understand the role of e-government in the improvement of the quality of public services in Britain, it would be important to refer primarily to the characteristics of the specific framework as part of the strategic policies developed bu governments worldwide. In accordance with Beynon-Davies (2005) the term e-government is used for describing ‘the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to change the structures and processes of government organisations’ (Beynon-Davies, 2005, p.3). Gauld et al. (2009) examined the performance of e-government framework in practice; the above study focuses on the performance of e-government schemes adopted by the governments in Australia and New Zealand. Differences was identified in the performance of e-government schemes of the above two countries, a fact that can lead to the assumption that the success of e-government schemes is depended on a series of criteria (Gauld et al., 2009, p.69). The quality of the system in terms of the IS involved may not be adequate for ensuring the system’s performance. Other factors, like the skills of the employees involved and the effectiveness of the strategies on which the specific system is based need to be taken into consideration when evaluating the performance of e-government schemes in a country’s public sector. In accordance with Bertot et al. (2010) the introduction of e-government schemes by governments internationally is not related only to issues of performance of the public services involved. Rather, the schemes are considered as an effective tool for increasing transparency in the public sector (Bertot et al., 2010, p.264). From this point of view, it could be noted that e-government is a framework used by governments worldwide in order to control corruption in the public sector. From another point of view, Anthopoulos et al. (2007) noted that the actual reasons for the introduction of e-government schemes are political. Through these schemes governments worldwide aim to increase their power within a country; the achievement of reduction of the time involved in the provision of public services is related to specific political goals and not to the needs of citizens. After studying a series of empirical studies developed in the specific field, Anthopoulos et al. (2007) came to the result that even in countries with well-developed e-government frameworks, citizens are not likely to remain loyal to these schemes. Instead, they ‘would easily return in the traditional methods of communication and transaction with public services’ (Anthopoulos et al., 2007, p.353). In Britain, e-government has been employed by the government in order to improve the performance of the country’s public services. Up today, it seems that the above target has been achieved – even if minor problems have appeared. In order to evaluate the role of e-government schemes in Britain in the improvement of the services provided to the public, it would be necessary to understand the framework in which these schemes are developed and operate. In accordance with the study of Kaliontzoglou et al. (2005, p.174) ‘different e-government requirements exist in small to medium sized public organizations compared to their larger counterparts’. This means that in order for the public organizations of small to medium size to achieve a high performance in regard to their e-government schemes it is necessary that they are offered the necessary support from the larger organizations operating of the public sector. In Britain the occurrence of such co-operation between small/medium sized firms and large firms of the public sector is not standardized. Delays are likely to be developed in small/medium-sized firms of the public sector when they have to face emergent problems in regard to their e-government schemes. Kuzma (2010) has examined the performance of the e-government framework used by the British public services. In the empirical research conducted by the above researchers, approximately ‘130 sites of the UK members of Parliament’ (Kuzma, 2010, p.141) were set under examination. A specific aspect of these sites’ performance was examined: ‘at what level these sites have been accessible to people with disabilities’ (Kuzma, 2010, p.141). The findings of the above research have been rather negative regarding the potentials of e-government schemes. It was revealed that most of people with disability do not have access to all the sites involved. Moreover, the guidelines provided through the specific sites have been found to be inaccurate – a fact that shows the failure of the British government to update the infrastructure of the country’s public sector in accordance with the rules of the chosen e-government framework. The weaknesses of the e-government framework employed in the public sector of Britain are also highlighted in the study of King (2007). In accordance with the above researcher the e-government framework used by public services in Britain is based on the ‘customer relationship management (CRM)’ (King, 2007, p.47). In accordance with King (2007) the above concept has been firstly introduced in organizations of the private sector. Thus, the effectiveness of the CRM in the public sector cannot be considered as standardized – based on the fact that there is no sufficient evidence on the appropriateness of this concept for the public services. The e-government schemes used across Britain have managed to facilitate the diffusion of public services to the citizens; this fact is revealed not only by the number of these schemes implemented across the country but also to the quality of their services. The performance of these schemes is awarded annually by the state. Indicative examples of successful e-government schemes in UK are the following ones: ‘a) the e@SY Connects - Good Neighbours Scheme, b) Directgov - Directgov Travel News mobile application, c) HM Revenue & Customs - Business Tax Programme, d) NHS Connecting for Health - N3 technology team, e) Department of Health - e-Learning for Healthcare, f) the West Yorkshire Police iPortal, and so on’ (E-government, 2010). In accordance with a relevant report of the House of Commons (2009), the E-government framework introduced in Britain in 1999 has been continuously improved; in fact, the relevant authorities periodically review its performance. The Cabinet Office - where the E-government unit (central unit of the specific framework) is located – checks the efficiency of e-government framework across Britain (House of Commons, 2009). 4. Conclusion The promotion of innovation and knowledge management in a country’s public sector can have various forms. E-government schemes are such projects. The use of these schemes by the British government has served various targets: the increase of the speed in the provision of public services, the improvement of quality of the services provided by organizations of the public sector and the increase of the citizen’s trust towards the public organizations operating across the country. From this point of view, the establishment of these schemes by the British government can be characterized as justified. On the other hand, e-government is a framework used in many countries worldwide. This means that the weaknesses of the specific framework can be easily identified and appropriately addressed (Rose et al., 2010, p.26). The examination of the e-government scheme used by the British government has verified the role of this scheme in the improvement of the country’s public services. However, certain drawbacks have been also identified. The complexity and the size of the specific scheme can justify the existence of minor failures in its daily operation. It is expected that in the long term the e-government framework used in public services across Britain will be improved. This means not only that its pitfalls will be eliminated but also that its involvement in the provision of public services across the country will be increased. References A. Books Damiani, E. (2002) Knowledge-Based Intelligent Information Engineering Systems and Allied Technologies: Kes 2002. IOS Press Firestone, J. (2003) Enterprise information portals and knowledge management. 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(2002) E-Commerce — UK Implementation: the e-commerce directive — thoughts on issues raised during the governments recent consultation, conducted prior to the implementation of the e-commerce directive. Computer Law & Security Report, Volume 18, Issue 3, 31 pp. 172-174 King, S. (2007) Citizens as customers: Exploring the future of CRM in UK local government. Government Information Quarterly, Volume 24, Issue 1, pp. 47-63 Kuzma, J. (2010) Accessibility design issues with UK e-government sites. Government Information Quarterly, Volume 27, Issue 2, pp. 141-146 Rose, W., Grant, G. (2010) Critical issues pertaining to the planning and implementation of E-Government initiatives. Government Information Quarterly, Volume 27, Issue 1, pp. 26-33 Shareef, M., Kumar, V., Kumar, U., Dwivedi, Y. (2011) e-Government Adoption Model (GAM): Differing service maturity levels. Government Information Quarterly, Volume 28, Issue 1, pp. 17-35 Torres, L., Pina, V., Acerete, B. (2005) E-government developments on delivering public services among EU cities. Government Information Quarterly, Volume 22, Issue 2, pp. 217-238 Online Sources E-government - national awards, 2010, online, available from http://www.e-governmentawards.co.uk/finalists House of Commons, 2009, E-government, online, available from http://www.parliament.uk/briefingpapers/commons/lib/research/briefings/snsc-01202.pdf Read More