Citizen engagement and the Covid-19 mask communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 20-35
Author(s):  
Vilma Luoma-aho ◽  
Maria-Jose Canel ◽  
Jana Bowden ◽  
Erika Ek ◽  
Viktoria Vainiomäki
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Global Information ◽  
Citizen Engagement ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Future Citizen ◽  
Traditional Understanding

This paper looks at the changing communication environment of public sector organizations and examines how the traditional understanding of citizen engage-ment is becoming outdated. Building on literature on customer engagement from marketing and civic engagement from the field of political science, this article es-tablishes the process of citizen engagement in the public sector. Our propositions for future citizen engagement include the following: (i) a willingness and empow-erment to engage from both sides, (ii) the potential for either positive or negative manifestations, (iii) realistic expectations for outcomes, (iv) an understanding of its process-form and (v) having the aim of improving society. We tested these propo-sitions in the context of young opinion leaders in Finland in the Covid-19 related communication aiming to engage citizens to wear protective face masks. Our data confirmed the five propositions, and two new ones also emerged from the data: citizen engagement (vi) occurs in the global information environment and (vii) is enforced by others in society.

Leveraging business intelligence systems to enhance management control and business process performance in the public sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Z. Elbashir ◽  
Steve G. Sutton ◽  
Vicky Arnold ◽  
Philip A. Collier
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Process Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Purpose Recent research and policy reports indicate public sector organizations struggle to leverage information technology-based performance measurement systems and fail to effectively evaluate performance beyond financial metrics. This study aims to focus on organizational factors that influence the assimilation of business intelligence (BI) systems into integrated management control systems and the corollary impact on improving business process performance within public sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach The complete Australian client list was acquired from a leading BI vendor; and the authors surveyed all public sector organizations, receiving 226 individual responses representing 160 public sector organizations in Australia. Using latent construct measurement, structural equation modeling (SEM)-partial least squares is used to test the theoretical model. Findings When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities that are critical to assimilation in private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. When top management effectively manages knowledge importation from external entities to counteract deficiencies, public sector organizations effectively assimilate BI knowledge into performance measurement yielding strong process performance. Research limitations/implications When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities critical to assimilation in the private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. The research extends the theory behind organizational absorptive capacity by highlighting how knowledge importation can be used as an external source facilitating internal knowledge creation. This collaborative knowledge creation leads to affective assimilation of BI technologies and associated performance gains. Practical implications The results provide guidance to public sector organizations that struggle to measure and validate service outcomes under New Public Management regulations and mandates. Originality/value The results reveal that consistent with the philosophies behind New Public Management strategies, private sector measures for increasing organizational absorptive capacity can be applied in the public sector. However, knowledge importation appears to be a major catalyst in the public sector where the resources to retain skilled professionals with an ability to leverage contemporary technologies into service performance are often very limited. Top management team knowledge and skills are critical to effectively leveraging these internal and external knowledge creation mechanisms.

Social Inclusion and OmbudsOffice Websites in Canada

2014 ◽  
pp. 199-214
Author(s):  
Stewart Hyson
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Independent Mechanism

The Internet and digital technology provide great potential for public sector organizations to broaden their scope of social inclusion and thereby better serve the populace. This is especially the case of the Ombudsman institution that exists to provide the public with an independent mechanism through which members of the public may seek redress of grievances of alleged administrative wrongdoings. However has the potential of what has been a reality in Canada been realized? This chapter takes a user's approach to depict what users find when they go online to lodge complaints with OmbudsOffices, both federally and provincially in Canada. For the most part, Canadian OmbudsOffices have been relatively conservative by placing online information that is also found in printed format.

Cloud Computing Applications in the Public Sector

2019 ◽  
pp. 1241-1272
Author(s):  
Amir Manzoor
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Specific Recommendation ◽  
Regulatory Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cloud Adoption ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Cloud computing brings key advantages to the governments facing conflicting IT challenges. However, the cloud paradigm is still fragmented and concerns over data privacy and regulatory issues presents significant barriers to its adoption. Cloud computing is expected to provide new ways to run IT in public sector. At the same time, it presents significant challenges for governments, and to make the most of cloud, public sector organizations need to make some important decisions. Governments planning to migrate to the cloud are actively moving to harness digital services but with different focus, reasons, and strategy. However, the degree of cloud adoption by the public sector around the globe varies significantly. Most governments are piloting cloud computing but there are huge differences between each country. This chapter explores the state of the art of cloud computing applications in the public sector; various implications and specific recommendation are also provided.

Management Information Systems in the Public Sector

2013 ◽  
pp. 157-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Heeks
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Management Information Systems ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Management Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Monitoring And Control Systems ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship

Management information systems (MIS) are fundamental for public sector organizations seeking to support the work of managers. Yet they are often ignored in the rush to focus on ‘sexier’ applications. This chapter aims to redress the balance by providing a detailed analysis of public sector MIS. It first locates MIS within the broader management monitoring and control systems that they support. Understanding the broader systems and the relationship to public sector inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes is essential to understanding MIS. The chapter details the different types of reports that MIS produce, and uses this as the basis for an MIS model and a description of the decision-making benefits that computerized MIS can bring. Finally, the chapter describes generic public sector MIS that address internal government transactions, public administration/ regulation, and public service delivery. Real-world examples of all types are provided from the U.S., England, Africa, and Asia. <BR>

Drivers of Cloud Computing Adoption for E-Government Services Implementation

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fathey Mohammed ◽  
Othman Bin Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cloud Computing Adoption ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Governmental Institutions

Adopting and using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the public sector affords undeniable benefits in terms of efficient and cost-effective provision of services, facilitating public management and promoting transparency and participation through e-government systems. However, many governments around the globe face many challenges and still struggle to implement e-government initiatives successfully. Cloud computing may offer a new chance to address many of these challenges by providing elastic scalable, customized, and highly available environment. Moreover, it is already adopted and proved to be advantageous for governmental institutions in different countries. By analyzing some cases, this paper extracts the main drivers of cloud computing adoption in the public sector organizations. Cost saving and the need for scalability are the main common factors that drive public sector organizations to move their services to the cloud.

scholarly journals Prosocial Motivation of Private Sector IT Professionals Joining Government

2019 ◽  
pp. 0734371X1988605
Author(s):  
Ines Mergel ◽  
Nicola Bellé ◽  
Greta Nasi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
It Professionals ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Prosocial Motivation ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Attracting highly skilled IT talent has become a priority and an immense burden for government organizations—especially when they have other—higher paying—employment opportunities. We set out to explore why IT professionals choose a government job to make an impact on society. We aim at disentangling the effects of different types of motives, such as extrinsic, intrinsic, and other-oriented motivational forces on the decision to accept a challenging government IT job. We use self-determination theory (SDT) to analyze publicly available statements of former private sector IT professionals reporting their reason for joining 18F. Our study is one of the first attempts to use SDT as a comprehensive framework for conducting qualitative research into work motivation in the public sector. We shed light on the conceptual and empirical distinctiveness of motives, behaviors, and perceptions of prosocial impact, which are often lumped together in the public service motivation (PSM) literature. We contribute novel empirical evidence to a nascent stream of research that uses SDT to disentangle the intrinsic, prosocial, and purely extrinsic motives that drive individuals’ decisions to join public-sector organizations.

Government E-Procurement through the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 901-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. Reddick
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Radical Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Electronic Procurement ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Conflicting Goals ◽  
Transparency And Accountability

Electronic procurement (e-procurement) is one business-to-government e-commerce venture that can benefit from the Internet. Government e-procurement is different from private sector e-procurement because of concepts such as value for money, transparency and accountability, which may be considered the main benefits for the public sector. Public sector organizations have to meet multiple, often conflicting goals, and they are subject to constraints of a financial, legal, contractual, personnel and institutional nature. In addition, radical process changes from e-procurement can only be achieved with deep changes in bureaucratic practices. These changes cannot normally be achieved without either changes in the law or privatization (Panayiotou, Gayialis, & Tatsiopoulos, 2004).

Lean Six Sigma for public sector organizations: is it a myth or reality?

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1402-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Bryan Rodgers ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cudney
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Potential Applications

Purpose Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as a process excellence has been widely adopted in both manufacturing and service organizations; however, its application in the public sector has not been widely explored. Is LSS still a myth or reality in our public sector organizations? The purpose of this paper is to make an attempt to debate about the use of LSS and its potential applications in the public sector context. Design/methodology/approach The initial approach is to critically evaluate the role of LSS in various public sector contexts, followed by showcasing four case studies from four different public sector settings: higher education, police service, public hospital and local government. Findings LSS methodology can be embraced by all public sector organizations to create efficient and effective processes to provide enhanced customer experience and value at reduced operational costs. Research limitations/implications This paper seeks to contribute to and broaden the limited body of evidence of the applicability of LSS to public sector organizations and identifies areas for further research and review. Practical implications LSS will continue to grow across many public sector organizations in Europe and other parts of the world over the forthcoming years. However, what will eventually determine if LSS is viewed by public sector organizations as just a passing management fad or not largely depends on the leadership and success of its execution. If LSS is deployed in its true sense across the public sector organizations at a global level, the hard cash savings generated can reach several billions. Originality/value The paper yields an immense value to both research scholars and practitioners who are engaged in the introduction of LSS as a business process improvement strategy to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. Moreover, this paper makes an attempt to dispel the myth of LSS which have been quite prevalent in many public sector organizations around us today.

Talent Management in the Public Sector

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Boselie ◽  
Marian Thunnissen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Key Issues

Private and public sector organizations are confronted with intensifying competition for talent. Talent management in the public sector, however, is an underexplored field of research. The aim of this chapter is to define talent management in the public sector context by putting it in a public sector human resources management framework and linking it to public sector developments and tendencies. Thus, we apply a multidisciplinary approach to talent management, using insights from human resource management, public administration, and public management. First, we describe relevant public sector characteristics and developments. Then, we define talent management in the public sector context based on what is already know from previous research and the literature, and we discuss key issues, dualities, and tensions regarding talent management in the public sector. Finally, we suggest a future agenda for talent-management research in public sector contexts and present some implications for practitioners.

Corporate portfolio management in the public sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-340
Author(s):  
Saša Baškarada ◽  
Brian Hanlon
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Business Units ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAlthough corporate portfolio management (CPM) has been a popular tool for strategic management of multi-business portfolios in the private sector since the late 1960s, it has received limited attention in the public sector. Accordingly, empirical research on the use of CMP in government organizations is virtually non-existent. The purpose of this paper is to partially fill that gap in the literature by highlighting and discussing some of the key points that public sector organizations may need to consider when adopting CPM.Design/methodology/approachRather than deductively proposing and testing narrowly specified hypotheses, this study aims to answer a broad research question, namely: What are the key points that public sector organizations may need to consider when adopting CMP? Hence, the study adopts the qualitative interpretive research paradigm. The findings are based on empirical research conducted in a large Australian publicly funded research organization. Potential application of CPM was iteratively and incrementally explored with a reference group comprising 15 middle management representatives and several members of the senior leadership group over the course of one year.FindingsAssessment criteria traditionally used in CPM (e.g. growth potential and market share) are generally not applicable in public sector organizations. This paper suggests that government organizations should instead consider past performance and future potential of individual business units, which may be operationalized via capability (a function of human capital and associated resources/infrastructure) and delivery (a function of the demand for, and the impact of, relevant business units). The paper also highlights the importance of organization-wide consultation, evidence-based decision making, and contestability.Originality/valueFrom a practical perspective, the paper may assist public sector organizations with adapting and applying CPM. From a theoretical perspective, the paper highlights an important and relatively neglected research problem, and suggests several avenues for future research.

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