Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer has a vision of the future of e-Government.
“Citizens want to be in charge more than ever. We will do more than automate state services — we will transform how we deliver and measure the effectiveness of services the government provides,” Geringer said in his opening remarks at the recent (August 6) meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) e-Governance Task Force.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
The session was part of the four-day NGA Annual Meeting, held at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Geringer co-chairs the Task Force, along with Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton. The Task force includes the governors from seven other states as well as representatives from several corporations.
Geringer said that while it is becoming more commonplace for states to automate their existing systems, he hopes that states will look beyond simple automation to develop interactive, Web-based sites that act as portals – not portholes.
“Our citizens don’t want to be spectators – they want to be participants,” he said. “(Government has an obligation to) understand what citizens want and what they want to know, and take them to where they ought to be.”
Early this summer, Gov. Lincoln Almond announced plans to unveil Rhode Island’s new online government portal as early as this fall.
The meeting included a presentation by motivational speaker Dr. Michael Hammer, founder and director of several high-technology firms.
Hammer spoke to the governors on ways they can transform their state governments into more efficient and effective organizations that better serve citizens and are more economically competitive.
The new economy, Hammer said, is not about the Internet, but about the ascendancy of the customer.
“The customer has the power, and what the customer wants is fast, right, cheap and easy-to-do-business-with,” he said.
A particular challenge, he said, at a time when state governments are feeling the pressure to lower costs and improve service and essentially do more with less.
“The solution involves getting rid of unproductive work,” Hammer said. “The larger the enterprise, the more unproductive work. States must get rid of non-value-adding work.”
Hammer said that in streamlining operations while refining their offerings, states have “a real opportunity to change (state) agencies from service performers to service enablers. Technology as an overlay won’t help you. What you need to do is think from the outside how technology will help you.”
Above all, Hammer stressed the need for strong state leadership and an e-Governance strategy with the ability to operate seamlessly from governor to governor, term to term.
“The technical problems are the easy problems,” he said. “People problems, leadership problems, and cultural problems – those are the problems that will help this succeed or fail.”
Patton said that his own state’s portal has made operations more efficient. Patton also praised the efforts of Michigan Governor John Engler in his state.
NGA created the e-Governance Task Force to help governors realize the full potential of electronic government.
Sara Jones, of SAP America Public Sector’s Atlanta office, demonstrated an economic development Internet portal prototype to show the types of functions that can be performed on a state Web site to respond to customer needs. For example, business license applications could be made online.
Citizens could also use this type of portal as a means of acquiring information on business environment, tax rates, and the availability of a skilled workforce. State policy-makers and program administrators could likewise use the site to monitor the use and effectiveness of particular state programs and tax incentives based on current information.
“For example, in reviewing a business license application, a worker may view all documents maintained within a state,” Jones said. “This type of solution will save time and money and will make a difference.”
The NGA Center for Best Practices-designed toolkit to assist with e-Governance implementation strategies was also presented at the session.
