Public sector organizations face immense pressure to improve efficiencies in the services they deliver to citizens and businesses.
Budget constraints coupled with growing community expectations provide a mandate for digital modernization initiatives across government agencies.
By leveraging emerging technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the public sector may cut costs, expedite operations, and deliver more accessible, tailored services.
Read more: Embracing Digital Transformation in the Public Sector: Delivering Better Citizen Services
In addition to the rise in remote and telework, people are conducting more of their personal business online — everything from getting the news to seeing the doctor to paying taxes. This move is a part of what's driving organizations in all sectors to engage in digital transformation initiatives.
In the public sector, agencies are using advancements in technology to modernize websites, replace legacy software, and offer new services that are more convenient and streamlined for constituents and employees alike.
SmartCitiesWorld discovers how Huawei’s digital technology and strategic expertise are supporting the transition to renewables, bolstering energy efficiency, and creating added value for the electric power industry.
Energy security, efficiency and the transition to renewables are taking centre stage in the global discourse on what the future of sustainability will look like for the planet. Central to these discussions is the nature of technology and digitalisation as a means to keep electricity networks running efficiently with absolutely minimum downtime.
Read more: How digital transformation leads to a thriving energy sector
Digital public service infrastructure is the root of smart city offerings. It is essential to enabling public sector digitalisation, from local government services all the way through to central government. This digitalisation journey is ongoing for all organisations at all levels of government, and incremental improvements can always be made, taking the narrative from simple computerisation of processes, to what we’re seeing increasingly in cities today in the roll-out of artificial intelligence-enabled services.
Digital transformation in the public sector requires not just the adoption of digital technology, but the overhaul of organisational vision, governance, and process, extending into the need for collaboration between different sectors. In this way, digital transformation can support cities and governments in creating new types of products and services which not only benefit citizens, but also create valuable insights into operations to improve resource management, productivity, user experience, and even staff retention.
Read more: Defining the path for public service digitalisation
Humans – not technology – will pave the way to digital transformation success. Indeed, having a digitisation strategy in place is the starting point, but to truly activate a digital transformation programme, organisations need a strong leadership team that has acute self-awareness and can positively contribute and direct their influence towards the people affected by change.
People managers are often uninvolved in the executive decisions of digital transformation strategies, sometimes only learning about organisational changes as these projects are being implemented, or worse – at the same time as the rest of the business. This leaves managers unable to support their people through the change because they don’t fully understand the organisation’s vision, how the project contributes to that vision or what the success of the project looks like, but most importantly, how, as leaders, they can contribute to the project’s success.
Read more: Digital transformation is dependent on engaged leaders