Unit4's State of the Digital Nation 2023 Survey Shows Public Sector Needs to Accelerate Investment to Improve Citizen Services
Tuesday, 30 May 2023 08:00.AM
- International data indicates program delivery contends with inconsistent goal setting and increased pressure for efficiencies -
Unit4, a leader in enterprise cloud applications for people-centric organizations, today announced the findings of its 2023 State of the Digital Nation survey, which examined the progress in digital transformation made by public sector institutions in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden since the last research was undertaken in 2021. This latest study interviewed 300 public sector professionals across central and local government, non-governmental bodies and healthcare. The 2021 study interviewed 600 public sector professionals across the same verticals within US, Canada, UK, Belgium, Sweden and Australia.
Key findings:
• The average time for completing digital transformation programs is 2-3 years, suggesting there has been little progress in speeding up delivery since 2021
• The most likely priority when it came to cost savings, was to adopt lower cost collaboration solutions that deliver efficiencies, whereas in 2021 it was by making cuts to citizen or community services
• Changing priorities has been the key challenge in the last 24 months, resulting in stopping transformation initiatives when organizations attempted to adapt to changes to services and targets
• The three most likely areas where organizations have seen changes to services and targets are:
• Greater pressure to deliver efficiency savings (37%)
• Public pressure to improve spending transparency (34%)
• Growing central services/ shared service footprint (33%)
Pace of change is static despite more confidence in on-time and on-budget delivery
Compared to the 2021 study, respondents' organisations are more likely to be completely confident that projects to transform the back office will be delivered on time in 2023 (52%) vs 41% in 2021, and will be delivered on budget this year (46%) compared to two years ago (43%). This may be borne out of the necessity to ensure project delivery is micro-managed in the face of growing scrutiny of budgets. However, there are discrepancies across the different functions over the delivery of back office transformation. Nearly two thirds (63%) of HR decision makers are completely confident that projects will be delivered on time, with Finance (48%) and IT (45%) functions reporting lower levels of confidence. It may also be wishful thinking from Finance that projects will be delivered within budget, with over half (55%) being completely confident in this area, compared to HR (41%) and IT (35%). Additionally, Finance (55%) is more likely to be completely confident about achieving a level of interoperability compared to HR (44%) and IT (37%).
While the proportion of respondents' organisations who feel completely confident that the digital transformation of back office systems will be delivered on-time and on-budget has improved since 2021, the pace of digital transformation has only seen a slight improvement. Nearly two in five (37%) respondents stated that it will take their organization 2 - 3 years to fully digitize, with Sweden having the highest proportion of respondents reporting this timeframe. Canada has the largest proportion (25%) saying it will take 12 - 18 months, and the UK has the largest proportion (32%) believing it will take 18 months to 2 years. It was also found that there has been a reduction in the number of respondents saying their organizations' digital transformation strategies have been fully implemented – 21% in 2023 vs 29% in 2021. There is also an increase in those saying their organizations' digital transformation strategies have been minimally implemented – 31% in 2023 vs 22% in 2021.
Measuring success: the impact on citizens
The findings also revealed changes in how the public sector measured success, with the ability to deliver services without raising taxes having become less of a priority metric. In 2021 it was the second most likely priority at 40%, but now only 33% cite this, making it the third most likely factor. Similarly, respondents also said it was less of a priority in 2023 for their organisation to measure the number of services delivered within budget, which was the third most likely priority in 2021. The most likely measure now is the ease of access to - and speed of delivery of – services (such as medical), followed by the number of citizens successfully treated or moved through such a service.
In the last 24 months, aside from COVID-19 impacts, the two biggest changes the public sector has seen include a greater need to deliver efficiency savings followed by public pressure to improve spending transparency. In order to make cost savings, apart from adopting lower cost collaboration solutions that deliver efficiencies, respondents' organizations are also moving to a shorter working week to save salary costs, which is the most likely priority for non-Governmental bodies. The third most likely priority across all surveyed countries is making cuts to citizen or community services (29%), which is the most likely priority for UK (37%) and central Government respondents (35%).
"It is understandable that efficiency is the watchword for most public sector organizations today, amid an ever-increasing level of scrutiny over spending," said Mike Ettling, CEO of Unit4. "Against such a backdrop, the reality is that organizations are simply focused on making sure services are delivered, but we see the warning signs that it is getting harder to do this within budget and without raising taxes. Even with such pressure, though, it is critical to retain focus on long-term transformation goals, as ultimately this is what will benefit citizens and revolutionize services."
Could a lack of goal consistency impact long-term delivery?
The survey also shed light on the challenges organizations face when adapting to changes to services and targets in the last 24 months, with respondents claiming that shifting priorities are stopping change programs (40%). This indicates that moving goal posts are having a detrimental effect on the long-term delivery of transformation initiatives. This problem is most prevalent in the UK and Canada (45% respectively) and central Government (49%). The second most likely challenge at a total level is leadership resistance to change (34%), which is also the most likely issue in Sweden (46%). The third most likely impediment overall is back office systems that prevent organizations from being agile and adaptable (32%), which is the most likely issue for the Netherlands (41%). Separately, the most likely challenge for local Government is staff resistance to change.
The 2023 State of the Digital Nation survey reveals that digital transformation is clearly facing challenges in the public sector around the world, since Unit4 last commissioned the research in 2021. It signals that organizations face difficult choices to balance the need to identify cost efficiencies, while still maintaining the appropriate levels of services for citizens. It also shows that inconsistency in strategy is hampering transformation, which is likely to be as a result of organizations having to switch focus from dealing with the pandemic to short-term initiatives to sustain services against a backdrop of budget constraints. However, if public sector bodies do not keep sight of long-term objectives for transformation, they risk stagnation in the pace of change, at a time when accelerating such initiatives will be even more important to improving services and outcomes for citizens.
SOURCE: Unit4
-
Related materials:
- 01-Oct-2024 10:23 AM 🇨🇦🍁💵 Government of Canada Partners With Mila to Guide The Development of a Cultural Data Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
- 24-Jul-2024 08:00 AM 🧑🔎💵Nonprofit Tech Workers Earn 33 Per Cent Less Than Tech Workers in Other Industries
- 23-Jul-2024 10:22 AM ONTARIO 🧑🔎💵 Ontario Supporting Innovation in the Life Sciences 👨🔬🔬⚕️
- 22-Jul-2024 04:21 PM 📱💻🏗️ Study Confirms: By-Products from Lithium Production Can Be Used in Cement Production
- 22-Jul-2024 10:22 AM 🔒💻👁️ Hack Club Coders on a Cross-Country Journey with VIA Rail
- 20-Jul-2024 04:24 PM 📱💻⚕️ AGE-WELL Invites Startups to Pitch Their Technology-Based Solutions for Healthy Aging in High-Profile National Competition
- 18-Jul-2024 12:00 PM 🇨🇦🍁💵 ONTARIO Governments Investing in Horticultural Research and Innovation 📰💻🔍
- 15-Jul-2024 12:00 PM 🍁🏙️📱💻 Global EdTech Leaders Witness Radical Learning Transformation at D2L Fusion 2024 📚🎓🧠
- 13-Jul-2024 02:26 PM ONTARIO 🧑🔎💵 Ontario Investing More Than $200 Million in Postsecondary Infrastructure 🎓📚🏫
- 26-Jun-2024 12:00 PM 👩💻 Tech Developers Pioneering AI Tools to Revolutionize Future Productivity and Logistics
- 23-Jun-2024 12:00 PM 💻📱🖥️ New Quantum Ecosystem Report from the Quantum Algorithms Institute Provides Insights into Canada's Growing Quantum Sector
- 09-May-2024 10:22 AM ONTARIO 🧒 Ontario Strengthening Safeguards for Children’s Personal Information
- 30-Apr-2024 12:00 PM ONTARIO 🚌🎓👦👧 Ontario Cracking Down on Cellphone Use and Banning Vaping in Schools 📱
- 25-Apr-2024 06:28 PM 🚗🤖 Sanctuary AI Expands General Purpose Robot Footprint in Automotive Manufacturing Industry 🚗
- 23-Apr-2024 10:21 AM 🇨🇦🍁 Budget 2024 💵📱💻 Securing Canada's AI advantage
- 13-Apr-2024 02:25 PM 🧑🔎 Canadian Employees Cautious and Optimistic About Adoption of Artificial Intelligence 📱💻
- 02-Apr-2024 06:43 PM 🏗️ Apartment Construction Sustains Housing Starts in Canada's Largest Cities
- 20-Mar-2024 04:46 PM 🇨🇦🍁💵 Government Of Canada Invests Almost $14 Million to Drive Innovation and Economic Growth in Vancouver
- 20-Mar-2024 12:00 PM 💵 A Total of $14,3 Million Invested in Cutting-Edge Infrastructure and Research at INRS
- 18-Mar-2024 12:00 PM 🌐🔓 Link11 European Cyber Report 2023: DDoS Attacks Surge by 70%
- 18-Mar-2024 12:00 PM 🌐🔓 BlackBerry Reports 1 Million Attacks on Global Financial Sector in 120 Days
- 20-Jan-2024 04:33 PM 🤝💰🤑 Government of Canada on Track to Exceed High-Speed Internet Connectivity Targets 🌏
- 22-Dec-2023 10:21 AM 🧑🔎 Organizations Must Prepare Employees for Generative AI Disruption: New Research From HR Firm McLean & Company
- 21-Dec-2023 12:00 PM 🚗📡 LG Unveils Transparent Antenna for Vehicles with Saint-Gobain Sekurit at Ces 2024
- 21-Dec-2023 10:22 AM 📺 LG Ultragear Unveils World's First 4K OLED Gaming Monitor with Dual-Hz Feature
- 30-Nov-2023 12:00 PM 🧑🔎 💵 Microsoft Expands Digital Footprint in Quebec with Usd$500 Million Investment in Infrastructure and Skilling Initiatives👩🏫💻
- 29-Nov-2023 02:28 PM ONTARIO 🤓🧑🎓 Ontario's Public Colleges and Ireland's Technological Universities to Collaborate on Programs and Research 💵
- 25-Nov-2023 12:00 PM ONTARIO 🤓🧑🎓 Colleges call for immediate provincial investments and modest five per cent tuition increase 💵
- 17-Nov-2023 12:00 PM 🍁🏙️ JOBS 🧑🔎👩🏫💻 Seneca Polytechnic and Siemens Partner to Provide Tools and Training to the Next Generation of Industry Leaders
- 14-Oct-2023 04:33 PM 🇨🇦🍁 The Government of Canada Expands Trusted Partnership with BlackBerry 🖥️🔒
- 14-Oct-2023 02:25 PM 🇨🇦🍁 Government of Canada launches consultation on the implications of generative artificial intelligence for copyright ⚖️📜🖥️
- 14-Oct-2023 12:00 PM 🔒💻👁️ Are You Making Yourself Easy to Hack? Canadian Cyber Firm Launches Ai-Powered Platform to Reduce Personal Cyber Attacks
- 11-Sep-2023 10:16 AM 🇨🇦🍁💵 Canadian Fintech Investment Drops to Pandemic-Era Levels in The First Half of the Year 📉
- 30-Jul-2023 12:00 PM New Supply Chain Challenges are Coming - Modern Control Towers May Be the Solution, Says Info-Tech Research Group
- 27-Jul-2023 06:13 PM 💵💚 Government of Canada Supporting Ontario Universities With Funding to Reduce Pollution to Achieve Environmental Success
- 22-Jul-2023 04:33 PM JOBS 🧑🔎👨💻💬👩💻 Exclusion Epidemic: Jabra Research Reveals Gen Z and Millennials Feel Most Ostracized in Hybrid Meetings
- 18-Jul-2023 02:33 PM 🌾🌽 Government Of Canada Announces Two New Living Labs in Quebec
- 18-Jul-2023 08:00 AM JOBS 🧑🔎🍁Canada Welcomed More Than 32,000 Tech Workers Over the Past 12 Months, Report Finds
- 16-Jul-2023 10:22 AM JOBS 🧑🔎🍁Canada Makes it Easier for Hong Kongers to Stay and Work in Canada
- 05-Jul-2023 12:00 PM ⚕️ Government strengthens Canada's leadership role in medical isotope production
- 04-Jul-2023 12:23 PM 🍁 Canada Announces First-Ever Express Entry Invitations for Skilled Newcomers With STEM Experience
- 03-Jul-2023 12:00 PM ONTARIO 🧑💻💵 Ontario Supporting More Innovation in Growing Tech Sector
- 22-Jun-2023 06:38 PM ONTARIO ✈️💵 Ontario Promotes Growing Aerospace Industry During Mission to France and Switzerland
- 16-Jun-2023 02:25 PM 💚💵 Government of Canada Invests in First-of-its-Kind Filtration Technology in Grande Prairie to Help Reduce Carbon Emissions
- 15-Jun-2023 02:25 PM 💵 SEMI Reports: Global Semiconductor Materials Market Revenue Reaches Record $73 Billion in 2022
- 15-Jun-2023 12:00 PM 🧑💻 Canadian Digital Regulators Forum Established to Better Serve Canadians in the Digital Era
- 14-Jun-2023 10:21 AM 🧑💻 Government Of Canada Invests in Responsible Artificial Intelligence Research at The Université De Montréal
- 12-Jun-2023 12:00 PM JOBS 🍁 Canada Opens New Economic Immigration Streams for Skilled Refugees and Other Displaced People
- 31-May-2023 04:33 PM Ministers Champagne and Ng Meet With North American Counterparts, Industry and Universities on Building Continental Semiconductor Supply Chain
- 30-May-2023 12:00 PM 💻 World's First Mini-PC with Solid-State Active Cooling Debuts at ZOTAC COMPUTEX 2023
- 29-May-2023 04:21 PM 💻💵 IBM Launches $100 Million Partnership with Global Universities to Develop Novel Technologies Towards a 100,000-Qubit Quantum-Centric Supercomputer
- 27-May-2023 04:06 PM 🦠🔬💵 Emerging Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Funding Opportunity Now Open
- 27-May-2023 12:00 PM Smilegate Launches New Mobile RPG 'OUTERPLANE' Globally
- 23-May-2023 02:38 PM General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada Launches Distributed Acoustics Processing Suite
- 15-Apr-2023 12:00 PM ONTARIO JOBS 💵 Ontario Investing in New Innovative Hub to Grow the Life Sciences Sector in Kitchener and Waterloo
- 11-Apr-2023 12:00 PM ONTARIO JOBS 💻🔒 Canadian Cybersecurity Start-ups Collectively Grew Workforce by 72 Per Cent and Fundraised $100 million Amid Global Headwinds
- 03-Apr-2023 06:17 PM More than 74% of Women of All Ages Play Mobile Games Daily, 67% See it as a Vital Source of Relaxation, Stress Relief & Mental Stimulation
- 03-Apr-2023 12:00 PM Open Letter: Yoshua Bengio and Hundreds of Signatories Call for f Pause To Training AI Systems More Powerful Than GPT-4
- 28-Mar-2023 04:33 PM JOBS Paradox Launches Industry-First Conversational ATS to Revolutionize High-Volume Hiring With Chat- And Text-Driven Automation
- 27-Mar-2023 06:26 PM Dictador's Mika, the World's First Ai CEO Humanoid Made a Powerful Appearance at the Salz21-Home of Innovation Conference
- 12-Mar-2023 06:24 PM TORONTO 🛑💻 City of Toronto Statement Regarding Tiktok Application
- 12-Mar-2023 12:11 PM 🛑💻 Statement by Minister Fortier Announcing a Ban on the Use Of Tiktok on Government Mobile Devices
- 12-Mar-2023 12:00 PM JOBS 💵🧑💻 Government of Canada Invests in Training for Information and Communication Technology Workers
- 09-Mar-2023 10:23 AM 💵 Canada Launches New Small Modular Reactor Funding Program
- 03-Mar-2023 12:00 PM 💵 Government Announces New Funding for Research Projects to Enhance Cyber Security
- 22-Feb-2023 03:03 PM 🚗🔐 Technological Advancements of Car Thieves
- 15-Feb-2023 10:23 AM 💻 Kaspersky Finds Growing Number of Parents Experiencing Ransomware Attacks on Children's Schools
- 13-Feb-2023 10:23 AM 💄 The World's Oldest Living Lab Rat Points the Way to Rejuvenation
- 10-Feb-2023 12:00 PM JOBS Centech Was Ranked Among the Top 10 University Business Incubators in The World by UBI Global
- 01-Feb-2023 08:00 AM 🚗🔌 First All-Canadian, Zero-Emission Concept Vehicle Designed in Ontario Unveiled at Consumer Electronics Show
- 25-Jan-2023 12:00 PM 💵📷📱💻🎥 Tech Downturn Slashes Billions From Value Of World's Top Brands
- 24-Jan-2023 06:34 PM 💻🌐📱 Canadians Among Global Leaders In Internet Usage And Smartphone Ownership, Pew Research Center Study Shows
- 24-Jan-2023 02:27 PM 🤔💭 BlackBerry QNX and Texas Instruments Collaborate to Launch Online Training Academy 📚🎓🧠 to Jump-Start Embedded Software Developer Innovation 💻💾👓👔
- 23-Jan-2023 08:23 PM 👨👩👧👦👩🏫💻 Canadian Parents and Educators -- Kids & Company, MarcoPolo Learning and Kindertales Deliver First-of-its-Kind Partnership
- 23-Jan-2023 12:00 PM JOBS 👩🏫💻 Elevating Education: University Of Calgary Officially Opens Mathison Hall, New Building For Haskayne School Of Business
- 22-Jan-2023 04:36 PM 👩🏫💻 Thinkific Releases New Digital Learning Trends Report - Data Reveals How Creators Are Rising to the Challenge in 2023
- 22-Jan-2023 12:00 PM ⚕️👓 HOYA Vision Care Canada Invests Nearly $10 Million in New State-of-the-Art Lab Equipment
- 21-Jan-2023 12:00 PM JOBS 💻 DXC Technology Identifies Five Cybersecurity Trends That Will Impact Life And Business In 2023 And Beyond
- 21-Jan-2023 10:22 AM 💻 Responsible Technology Use Now A Critical Business Consideration, Says MIT Technology Review Insights Report
- 21-Jan-2023 08:00 AM 🎮💻 GameOn Launches World's First 'Playable Digital Fighters'
- 20-Jan-2023 07:19 PM 📺 Hisense and Leica Team Up to Elevate the Laser TV Industry to New Heights
- 20-Jan-2023 01:30 PM 🚗💻 Blackberry Showcases Blackberry IVY On Three Commercially-Available Automotive Platforms At CES 2023 - General Availability Announced For May 2023
- 18-Jan-2023 04:13 PM 💻🌐 Bell Introduces 3 Gigabit Internet Speeds And 5G+ In Select Areas Of Atlantic Canada
- 17-Jan-2023 06:46 PM 💻🏆 GIGABYTE AORUS STEALTH 500 Computer Assembly Kit Honored with CES 2023 Innovation Award
- 17-Jan-2023 12:00 PM JOBS Government Of Canada Launches National Quantum Strategy To Create Jobs And Advance Quantum Technologies
- 14-Jan-2023 10:22 AM 📺🎮 Lg Tvs Up The Ante By Providing Expanded Selection Of Gamer-Centric Services All In One Place
- 15-Dec-2022 12:00 PM Regional Quantum Initiative launches in British Columbia
- 13-Dec-2022 02:23 PM Canada's Biggest Real Estate Companies Grapple With Cybersecurity Gaps: KPMG
- 10-Dec-2022 04:23 PM Bill C-26: Introducing bureaucratic delays would undermine cybersecurity
- 09-Dec-2022 12:00 PM Joint Statement By Canada, Australia, The United Kingdom And The United States Of America On Telecommunications Supplier Diversity
- 02-Dec-2022 05:11 PM Ontario Breaks Ground on World-Leading Small Modular Reactor
- 30-Nov-2022 04:23 PM Government Of Canada Boosts Canada's Leadership In Global Artificial Intelligence Market
- 17-Nov-2022 02:18 PM CGTN: Digital Economy Becomes New Growth Engine For China And Other G20 Members
- 04-Nov-2022 04:37 PM Introducing Arta Finance: The Digital Family Office For The World - Using Technology To Unlock The Financial Superpowers Of The Ultra-Wealthy
- 03-Nov-2022 12:00 PM Businesses Need To Do More To Stay Cyber Safe
- 02-Nov-2022 10:24 AM MetaBlox Network Successfully Demonstrates Decentralized Connection to WiFi OpenRoaming at WGC
- 03-Feb-2019 02:20 PM New Dell Technologies Research: Business Leaders Reveal Major Lag in Transformation Globally
- 27-Jan-2019 04:37 PM Government of Canada invests in research and development for technologies behind 5G networks
- 13-Jan-2019 12:00 PM CES 2019: China's Autonomous Driving Technology Springs up with Kuandeng Technology
- 09-Jan-2019 01:11 AM CES 2019: HYPERVSN Unveils First Phase of Interactive 3D Holographic Technology
- 07-Aug-2016 09:00 AM 💻🧑🔎 2016 Techweek. Hiring Fire and LAUNCH Competition
- 27-Jul-2016 10:51 PM 💻🧑🔎 2016 Techweek. Twitter Canada Tour