Stage models for creating joined-up government: from local to nation-wide integration

ABSTRACT

Joining-up remains a high priority on the e-government agenda. To improve service delivery, departments and agencies have to work together and manage the mutual information flows. Stage models can help further e-government development. Stage models are predictable patterns that exist in the growth of organizations. They unfold as discrete time periods that can best be thought of as stages (i.e. discontinuity). Whereas existing stage models focus on individual organizations, our research focuses on joining-up at the national level.

The aim of this paper is to present a five-staged model that describes the progression from stove piped situations toward a nation-wide, customer-oriented and joined-up government. The model we discuss in this paper is aimed at helping local government agencies benchmark their position, realize their role in the creation of joined-up government and adopt centrally developed infrastructure facilities. Furthermore, the model should help improve the development of infrastructure facilities. The model shows that current efforts are only the first step towards joined-up, demand-driven service provisioning.

REFERENCES

• 1: H. J. Scholl and R. Klischewski, "E-Government Integration and Interoperability: Framing the Research Agenda," International Journal of Public Administration, vol. 30, pp. 1--32, 2007.
• 2: S. A. Hazlett and F. Hill, "E-government: the realities of using IT to transform the public sector," Managing Service Quality, vol. 13, pp. 445--452, 2003.
• 3: M. Janssen, J. Gortmaker, and R. W. Wagenaar, "Web service orchestration in public administration: Challenges, roles and growth stages," Information Systems Management, vol. 23, pp. 44--55, 2006.
• 4: L. E. Greiner, "Evolution and Revolution as Organisations Grow," Harvard Business Review, vol. 50, pp. 37--46, 1972.
• 5: R. L. Nolan, "Managing the crisis in data processing," Harvard Business Review, vol. 57, pp. 115--126, 1979.
• 6: K. J. L. Layne and J. Lee, "Developing fully functional E-government: A four stage model," Government Information Quarterly, vol. 18, pp. 122--136, 2001.
• 7: K. V. Andersen and H. Z. Henriksen, "E-government maturity models: Extension of the Layne and Lee model," Government Information Quarterly, vol. 23, pp. 236--248, 2006.
• 8: M. Janssen and A. F. v. Veenstra, "Stages of Growth in E-government: An Architectural Approach," Electronic Journal of eGovernmen, vol. 3, pp. 193--200, 2005.
• 9: Perri 6, "Joined-Up Government in the Western World in Comparative Perspective: A Preliminary Literature Review and Exploration," Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 14, pp. 103--138, 2004.
• 10: M. J. Moon, "The Evolution of E-Government Among Municipalities; Rhetoric or reality?," Public Administration Review, vol. 62, pp. 424--433, 2002.
• 11: S. S. Rao, G. Metts, and C. A. M. Monge, "Electronic commerce development in small and medium sized enterprises: A stage model and its implications," Business Process Management, vol. 9, pp. 11--32, 2003.
• 12: F. Ghasemzadeh and L. Sahafi, "E-Commerce Adoption: A Two Dimensional Maturity Model," in 4th World Congress on the Management of Electronic Business McMaster University, Hamilton, On., Canada. January 15--17, 2003.
• 13: Robert K. Kazanjian , R. Drazin, An empirical test of a stage of growth progression model, Management Science, v.35 n.12, p.1489-1503, Dec. 1989 [doi>10.1287/mnsc.35.12.1489]
• 14: Melissa A. Cook, Building enterprise information architectures: reengineering information systems, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1996
• 15: Thomas W. Malone , Kevin Crowston, The interdisciplinary study of coordination, ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), v.26 n.1, p.87-119, March 1994 [doi>10.1145/174666.174668]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.1 Systems and Information Theory

Additional Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.1 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING
      Subjects: Government

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.4 System Management

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Human Factors, Management, Measurement

Keywords:
coordination, customer-oriented service provisioning, integration, joined-up government, orchestration, stage models