Public Servant Lifestyle

Report identifies 'satisfied staff' as key to improving public services.

A The Work Foundation report identifies the development of 'satisfied staff' as one of the three key challenges to using ICT to improve public services.

There is a real danger that misunderstanding, mismanagement and miscommunication will confound the drive towards better public services, argues The Work Foundation thinktank.

In its new report Why ICT?: The role of ICT in public services, The Foundation says that ICT, so often touted as the answer, cannot on its own fill these gaps.

The independent research, sponsored by Adobe, is based on surveys of the public and frontline staff and found that better public services are seen to be more customer focused, better value for money and have satisfied staff. It also found that ICT can help make services quicker, more accessible out of hours and more efficient, as well as supporting frontline staff in their jobs. But there are real challenges to improving public services and to fully realising the benefits that ICT offers.

Mismatch

The report found that the public want 'choice', but that frontline staff think the public wanted 'personalised' services. ICT offers choice of access to services (personalisation), but not choice between services. Expectations need to be managed and more work needs to be done to understand the public's needs to improve customer satisfaction, personalisation and choice.

Miscommunication

Improvements in public services also need to be better communicated to the public to improve customer satisfaction. When it comes to Information and Communication Technology, the focus is too often on the 'T', not enough on the 'I' and 'C'. ICT is one way to help provide the information the public needs to make choices and to communicate better. However, technology alone won't improve communication or the information available.

Mismanagement

For technology to improve public services, it needs to be clear how this can be done - and that ICT has limitations. The technology needs to be well designed, in consultation with staff, and implemented effectively. Only a third of staff feel consulted by their managers about how to improve services, despite the importance placed on job satisfaction. There needs to be a clearer business case when technology is used, and it needs to be more effectively managed if it is to realise its potential.

Commenting on the results, Alexandra Jones, Senior Researcher, The Work Foundation, said, "Gershon's efficiency review does not take a 'whole system' approach to change and this is important in terms of its effect on customer focus and quality. Gershon also has a tendency to over-rely on ICT as a panacea. If inadequate attention is paid to people and people management, this is likely to be a key barrier to reaping the efficiency benefits of ICT."

Laura Williams, Researcher, The Work Foundation, added, "ICT offers the potential to transform interactions and help provide 'seamless services' face-to-face, by phone and online. But this will only happen if sufficient information is provided to staff and the public, there is good communication, and clarity about what ICT is being used for. More detailed questions remain about 'what' ICT should look like and 'how' it can be implemented effectively; questions that will be explored in subsequent reports."

Why ICT.. argues that, to realise the potential benefits of ICT, public services must:

Make the case - Senior managers need to make a better case for ICT's contribution to improving quality, customer focus and efficiency;

Consider ICT early - ICT needs to be considered at a sufficiently early stage in policymaking to be useful in achieving objectives;

Manage demand - Demand needs to be managed if the efficiency benefits of ICT are to be realised;

Communicate - Better communication about what public services are doing to improve customer focus and value for money is vital;

Inform - 'Choice' and 'voice' require good information, available to all. It should be considered how ICT can be used to disseminate information to all groups;

Consider intermediaries - ICT could facilitate use of trusted intermediaries in supporting individuals to engage with public services;

Improve procurement & project management skills - Ensure that public sector staff can design and manage contract with technology providers;

Build capacity - Skills also need to be developed in other areas, for example where staff are moving from frontline offices to call centre roles;

Engage with staff - There needs to be far more effective engagement with staff, getting them involved in designing technology and testing ways of working. This is likely to impact on job satisfaction;

The Work Foundation exists to inspire and deliver improvements to performance through improving the quality of working life. It believes that productive, high performance organisations are those committed to making work more fulfilling, fun, inspirational and effective, and through engaging their workforce succeed in integrating the many aims crucial to organisational success. It is wholly independent and holds not-for-profit and Royal Charter status.

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