Amizan Omar

Digitally Enabled Service Transformations in Public Sector: A Review of Institutionalisation and Structuration Theories

In public sector transformation context, various studies have utilised institutional theory as a lens to explore the institutionalisation process of digital-enabled services. While institutional theory contributes towards understanding such transformation, limited explanation is offered on the underlying process, undermining the impact of interplay between institutional structure and actors in shaping organisational norms. Structuration theory has overcome this limitation by examining the creation and reproduction of the behaviours supporting formation of norms, through analysis of structures and actors as change agents. Using a systematic literature review, this paper aims to identify existing research that utilise institutional and structuration theories to study the institutionalisation of such transformation in public sector. The literature findings highlight that the scope of existing research is largely limited to the European context, indicating a need to extend the work beyond this.

Digitally-enabled service transformation in the public sector: The lure of institutional pressure and strategic response towards change

Abstract Digitally-Enabled Service Transformation (DEST) projects in public sector institutions are viewed as a choice of strategic response towards changes in policy. Such transformation can destruct institutional stability and legitimacy and result in failure if the complex institutional setting of the public sector is not comprehended in the change-institutionalisation effort. Through a multiple case enquiry, this study examines how institutional pressures contribute towards the emergence of DEST in public agencies and how newly introduced transformation is implemented and diffused within the institutional setting. The findings highlight that as a form of technology driven change, DEST is characterised and shaped dominantly by continuous interplay with institutional elements and the impact of these interactions define the institutionalisation, deinstitutionalisation and re-institutionalisation of DEST. Ability to recognise such stages and provide the required support will determine a public institutions ability to effectively manage DEST and attain its strategic goals.

Digitally enabled service transformation in UK public sector

The race against Digital Darwinism in public sector had caused failures of several high profile large-scale Digitally Enabled Service Transformation (DEST) projects. While technical and managerial issues are often emphasised as the factors underpinning such failures, the vital role of key actors and the interplay between these actors and structures is underplayed when examining the causes of DEST failure. To enable a richer understanding of DEST, this paper proposes an analytical lens combining Institutional Theory (IT) and Structuration Theory (ST) to explore the case of Universal Credit, a very large and ambitious DEST project in the UK. Analysis reveals that the institutional actors and structures played significant roles in the transformation process. Albeit governing the actors actions, institutional structures are shaped through actions that are influenced by knowledge, power and norms. Hence, recognising and addressing these subliminal factors are critical to promote actions that can facilitate DEST success. The contributions of this case study are two-folds. Theoretically, it provides a distinctive conceptual approach to study DEST; and practically, the lessons help in signposting better managerial practices.

Developing Criteria for Evaluating a Multi-channel Digitally Enabled Participatory Budgeting Platform

“Enabling Multichannel Participation through ICT Adaptations for Participatory Budgeting ICT-enabled platform” (EMPATIA) is a multi-channel participatory budgeting (PB) platform that represents a significant social innovation process of democratic deliberation and decision-making, involving citizens within complex public-institution structures. EMPATIA was targeted to deliver socio-economic and political benefits, such as enhancing citizen-government engagement, increasing public value through PB process, promoting ‘inclusiveness’ among the marginalized groups of citizens, and impeding political discontent that underpins distrust and scepticism towards the government. The attainment of these benefits will be driven by the EMPATIA’s performance. Hence, a performance measurement tools is needed to enable assessment of EMPATIA, empirically. With an aim to propose an integrated performance evaluation metrics, this study presents a set of assessment criteria for multi-channel digitally enabled PB service platforms – especially EMPATIA. Findings from a qualitative, multi-strategies research approach suggest that the metrics should include five key technical and non-technical performance indicators, to be used as the basis for the development of future evaluation instruments. Of major signposts, the metrics would inform key performance aspects to be considered during the PB platform development, and evaluated to indicate the PB platform performance.

Enabling Multichannel Participation Through ICT Adaptation

Onlinedeliberationinvestssignificantsumsinprioritiesco-decidedbyinhabitants,andismostly relegated to small and non-influential experiments. There is a gap between ICT solutions and participatoryinitiatives.E-participationisabroad,undefinedspaceofopportunitiesthatneedsto beoperationalizedtoproveifthemanytheoreticalexercisesemphasizingonthepotentialofICT inincreasingdeliberativequalityofparticipatoryprocessesandsecurity,arerealisticornot.The EMPATIAplatformseekstoradicallyenhanceinclusivenessandimpactofparticipatorybudgeting processes in increasing multichannel citizen participation by designing, evaluating and making publiclyavailableanadvancedICTplatformforparticipatorybudgeting.EMPATIAtakesadvantage ofthefactthatitsurroundsanestablishedandwidespreadsocialpracticewithclearandadaptable principlesrecognizedworldwide,alongsideacommunityofpractitionersandresearchers,andICT tools,whichonlyneedtobeadapted,refinedandintegratedintoanadequatePBplatform. KEywoRdS EMPATIA, ICT Adaptation, Online Participation, Participatory Budgeting, Transparency