Speaker Name(s): Dr. Steve Hodgkinson, Ovum
Description: Reflections and observations on the public sector and it's need for a makeover. Steve explores the challenges raised by the mismatch between the way public sector organisations operate and our aspirations for how they should or could operate. He uses the eGovernment Chimera concept to articulate the systemic tensions inherent in the public sector and discuss our experiences over the past 5 years or so in harnessing IT as an enabler and catalyst for transforming the way policy and services are developed and provided. Some things have changed for the better, others have remained constant. The core message is the need for agencies to develop ways to live the vision of government as an integrated enterprise, rather than as a collection of independent agencies. Collaboration, sharing, reuse, standardisation and consolidation are the necessary realities from an economic and citizen-centric perspective, but there are many ways to pursue this journey, many cultural barriers and no universal solution. Steve discusses the need to think of solutions that are adaptive and organizationally robust and offers ways to amplify our voices.