Research agenda

1. Strategies for user involvement in eGovernment projects: What can be learned from the Scandinavian IS tradition? Presented at Nordichi’06 Arild JansenDepartment of e-government studies, University of Oslohttp://www.afin.uio.no/ Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

2. Research agenda What can be learned from past experiences with user involvement in the development and implementation of information systems in public sector? • Is more user participation desirable? • Who is the real users and how to involve them? • How to organise user involvement? To what extent is user participation a political issue, or is it just a way of managing the development processes? Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

3. Scandinavian traditions in Information System research • The SIMULA language developments (Dahl and Nygaard, 1964-67) • Roots in the early action-oriented research projects in 1960-70 • Socio-technical research project involving (LO) and NAF (NHO). • NJMF-project (Nygaard &Bergo 1971-1973), • Demos-project, Utopia (Ehn &Sandberg et al ), Utopia (Ehn et al ) • Due-project (Kyng & Mathiassen ) • Florence (Bjerknes, Bratteteig et al: 1984- 87) • SYDPOL: umbrella project :1984-89 (Sponsored by Nordic Council ) • Strengthening the network and cooperation in the Nordic countries • Conferences having broader participation (e.g. links to UK, German, Us,.. • Conference proceedings • International orientation • Textbooks Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

4. Scandinavian traditions in Information System research – cont’d Characteristics • User involvement • Participatory design • Democracy perspective • Socio-technical and/or critical thinking/paradigms • Multiplicity of perspectives • E.g. Dahlbom and Mathiassen: hard, soft and dialectical thinking, Construction, evolution and intervention • Ciborra : improvisation, bricolage, drifting,… Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

5. E-government and New public Management A perfect marriage? • A customer [rather than] citizen orientation, focusing on high quality services that serve [narrow] interest of the citizens, • Performance orientation (Competition and Incentivization) • Lean and highly decentralised structures, emphasis on accountability upwards, • Disaggregation: Use of divisional structures breaking down former unitary bureaucracies Claim: The use of ICT has a techno-optimistic, analytic flavour and seems to reinforce the effects NPM is having on the organisations throughout the industrialised world? Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

6. However, no ambiguous trends E.g. Homburg (2005): Different patterns identified • Markets government • Participatory government • Flexible government (e.g. virtual organisations) • Deregulated government Dunleavy et al (2005) Digital-era Governance: • Reintegration • Needs based Holism : e.g. needs-based reorganisation • Digitization Processes: e.g. inter-organisational systems,.. Others trends may also be identified Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

7. Do we need a Scandinavian approach to day? Some [many?] will claim No, because • Modern system development methods are different from those used in the past, in providing various opportunities for involvement. • Internet and Web-based systems tools have changed the way systems are developed during the last 15-20 years,. • We have a much more knowledgeable and skilled work force • We see a move from internal (back office) systems aiming at rationalisation to external (customer or citizens-oriented) systems aiming at quality improvements • The users are not any longer the employees, but the citizens. • New legislation, such as the e.g. Working environment act in Norway provide means for involvement and participation at various levels. Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

8. Yes, it is needed • We see greater organisation changes now than before; the traditional organisational patterns are being challenged; e.g. borders between private and public sector is continuously being challenged • Systems are getting more and more complex through closer interaction and integration, as basis for radical restructuring of the public sector at large • What differs from the past is the change of focus from stand-alone system to large-scale integration of various systems and restructuring. • There is an increasingly tendency to outsourcing and globalisation • The fact that user groups also include citizens implies a need for new approaches to both development and diffusing of information systems • We see new types of conflicts and contradictions, which best can be handled through participation on various levels • The different threats related to digital divide calls for professionals that can support various groups of citizens without a strong voice on their own Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

9. Where should participation take place Future focus Present focus Past focus E-democracy “E-service E-administration Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

10. Different levels of participation and democracy • The work situation level, • use of technology depends on the nature of work tasks • ICT systems are viewed basically as concrete tools. • Influence by participation on local level in the individual development projects, • The workplace or organisation level, which depends on how • Activities are coordinated and integrated in the organisation. • Focus on interlinkage and integration, e.g. standards and type of software. • Important issues will be e.g. the degree of (decentralisation • Influence through participation both locally and centrally: address the whole organisation. Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

11. Different levels of participation and democracy • The interorganisational level, in which the • Focus on the relation between an organisation and its environment, e.g. the external users (customers), cooperating agencies, private businesses. • Important issues: how to design technical and organisational infrastructure, and how changes in the environment can and will affect the structure of the organisation. • Examples are cross-sectoral ICT initiatives as common data entry interface for businesses (AltInn), common Meta database, the PKI (public Key Infrastructure) initiatives etc. • At this level, user involvement and participation are complicated issues, involving many stakeholders and interests. • A fourth level, which is not discussed here is the social or working life level, which includes changes in the legal framework, institutions and other political issues , as e.g. digital divide perspectives Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen

12. What is needed - Some suggestions ? • Allow for involvement and participation at various levels • New ways of organizing user participation • Stimulate experimental and evolutionary system development processes • Understand that system development project may have quite different goals, as • e.g. a product design and implementation process versus changes in work organisation, a political agenda or a cooperative and social process,.. • More efforts into to study consequences of alternative design options • Better understanding of the different dimensions of quality Nordichi'06 workshop 15102006 Arild Jansen