It also takes leadership at the top. At the National Governors' Association meeting this summer, Michael Hammer, who is known for his ground-breaking work on reengineering corporations, reminded the governors that they need to become personally involved and visibly committed as leaders of e-government. When they and their staffs draw up plans for transforming government, they need to focus on getting rid of unproductive work that does not contribute to performance valued by citizens. The goal should be to turn states into performance enablers by allowing citizens to shoulder more of the responsibility.
The underlying issue is this: There's no point to building a great e- government Web site if all it does is front for lousy processes. That will only advertise how lousy the processes are.
Are our top leaders getting this message? I think so. The governors Hammer spoke with after he gave his speech had years of first-hand experience in the reality of using technology to transform government. As you might expect with such an experienced group, there was very little stargazing. The governors seemed to accept quite readily the premise that the Internet is best seen as simply an enabler of transformation--albeit a powerful one--and that without more fundamental change, there is little likelihood that meaningful and sustainable transformation will ever take place.
Many governors are coming to accept that the key to transforming government is changing the culture. In fact, many find it difficult to see how e-government can bring about fundamental improvements in governmental performance without the government itself taking on the challenge of fundamental change. At the same time, changes in culture are inextricably linked with technology to achieve the goal of transformation.
So how does a government create an e-government culture? That is, how does it build structures that are virtual, Web based, integrated and without boundaries--and therefore become a government that is fast on its feet, inexpensive, convenient and easy to do business with?
Some of those closest to the action suggest putting in place a flexible e-government governance structure that can evolve over time but would focus initially on gaining critical top-down leadership support. It would have to be committed to finding sources of revenue that can sustain financing for e-government initiatives, especially when budget purse strings tighten. And it would have to give employees a reason to make the changes that are needed--possibly by offering incentives and eliminating obstacles to getting new ideas brought forward both from outside, as well as within, government. Additionally, the structure would provide a means for developing human-resource plans that invest in retraining and retooling people and balancing a long-term e-government vision with short-term wins and results.
What are the challenges in getting there from here? Michigan's Governor John Engler raises one of the more interesting issues: "What would the structures look like if there were no boundaries?" he asks. "What functions would you group together?" Stated somewhat differently, what would the structure of government look like if it was created today to fully leverage the power of the Internet?
The question goes straight to the heart of the matter. No one seems to have an answer to it yet, or to the related question of whether state and local leaders should continue to spend their time and energies trying to transform government from within the existing organizational boundaries or, alternatively, step back and first restructure government boundaries for a virtual world.
Two decades ago, the personal computer was first introduced into government with a lot of fanfare and hype about how quickly the new technology was going to revolutionize government. Many top state and local leaders, including governors, were strongly encouraged to gain first-hand familiarity with the PC so they could understand its power.
State leaders have come a long way in the past 20 years. They are far more savvy about the promise and pitfalls of technology. While a few will always be taken in by the glitter of the newest new thing, for the most part, the majority of them no longer see technology through rose-colored glasses. Maybe this is why there seems to be a growing recognition that leveraging the power of the Internet to transform government is a journey, not a destination.
