Modified demands on employees resulted from eGovernment

Modified demands on employees resulted from eGovernment Presentation by Julia Heising, FHöV Cologne

Content • General information – Status Quo in Germany • Optimization of processes • Incorporate employees • New administrative structure • Qualification of employees • Knowledge management • Effects on employees

(1) In General • eGovernment = Usage of electronic media in administrative agencies • Goals: • More effective administrative processes • Relieffor employees • More customer orientation • This means: • Changed of ways of working • New demands on employees

(1) Status Quo Germany • Beginning around year 2000 • Well-known project: „BundOnline 2005“ • Federal administrationplanned to offer all possible service online until 2005 • 4 Levels of eGovernment • Information • Communication • Transaction • Integration

(2) Optimization of processes I • Not just the usage of new IT, also changes in way of working • Old processes have to be optimized • 1. Defining • 2. Analyzing • 3. Optimizing • 4. Controlling

(2) Optimization of processes II • Define the process • Define aim, beginning, end & steps • Analyze and optimize the process • Are all steps necessary? • How to reduce transport and wait times • Possible support through new media • Control the new process • Did we reach the aims?

(3) Incorporate employees I • Employees can help to optimize processes • Know the process and workflow better than the person in charge of eGovernment • Can help eGovernment to become successful

(3) Incorporate employees II • eGovernment is new and unknown for all parties • Incorporation as early as possible • Employees feel included => motivation • Can tell about their worries and problems • Let them now they are important • Fast successes in order to keep motivation high

(4) New structure • New self-conception = changed way of working • Different organisation to show the dimension of eGovernment • Divide the administration into front-office and back-office • Multiple channels to access the administrative agency

(4) Front- & back-office I • Front-office • First place where citizens go with their matters • Front-office answers general questions, application • often a centre for all services • Back-office • Matters which can‘t be worked on in the front-office go further to the back-office • make the final administrative decisions

(4) Front- & back-office II • Employees in the front-office need a comprehensive knowledge in order to release the back-office employees • Front- and back-office don‘t have to be at the same place

(4) Multiple accesses • Not all citizens own the technical equipment to contact the administration online • Offer various access possibilities • All accesses have to activate the same process • Same way of working on all accesses

(5) Qualify employees • Employees are the basis of eGovernment, new technique doesn‘t work without them • Motivation and qualification are important to be successful • One needs a mellow qualifying system

(5) Example Call-Center Cologne I • Call-Center offers the citizens many services • High demands on the Call-Center employees concerning knowledge about IT and the different services • All employees have to take part in various training courses • Most of the training courses are held by administration employees

(5) Example Call-Center Cologne II • Max. 10 attendants • Duration: 4 hours – 20 hours (= 5 days) • Topics: • Basic software (e.g. Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel) • Specific Call-Center software • Specific topics concerning the actual work in the Call-Center (communication, data security)

(5) Example Call-Center Cologne III • How to introduce a unknown software • Duration: several days • How the training works: • Teacher explains the theoretical basis • Employees can try the new software and check whether they understood everything • Asking questions whenever a problem occurs

(5) Example Call-Center Cologne IV • Attendants get a documentation how to use the software • Also: learning by doing • After all: employee is the basis of a successful qualification! • Needs to be willing to work solid and continious • Qualification can‘t change the attitude

(6) Knowledge management I • Knowledge of the employees is an important value which has to be kept. • Useful to make this knowledge available to a certain group of people (e.g. a department) • Put it into practice through a knowledge management software

(6) Knowledge management II • One enters information about various processes and workflows • By means of a search (such as Google) the employees get information about their matter without asking e.g. other departments • Important that these information are kept topical

(6) Knowledge management III • Advantages: • No need to call another department when one has a question about their matters => no break of processes • More understanding among the departments • More efficiency

(7) Effects on employees I • When successfully introduced eGovernment has positive effects on the employees: • Filling in a application form online saves time as there is less wait time • Electronic files: possible access from everywhere, no searching • „Usual“ questions can be answered via the Internet or a Call-Center

(7) Effects on employees II • Employees can concentrate on more important matters, should work faster and more efficiently • Better relation to the citizens and also more satisfaction on both sides.

Any Questions? Thank you for listening!

Modified demands on employees resulted from eGovernment