Modelling Cultural Change by Implementing Technology for Multi-Agency Information Sharing

Background: Inter-organisational information sharing systems are widely accepted as the norm in private sector organisations, from small scale customer relationship management systems to highly complex, intelligent, information sharing systems. Local government trails behind in the adoption of such systems, Desmond and Koteche (2017) confirming that “the state, unlike private enterprise, is struggling to innovate”. Nevertheless, local government is increasingly required to deliver more with tightening budgets, so a push to find technological solutions to deliver a leaner but optimal service is vital. Sivarajah and Irani (2018) go so far as to suggest that councils could become leaders in how emerging technologies can be utilised for the benefit of the public, highlighting examples including London Borough of Enfield Council’s chatbot, Amelia, dedicated to dealing with resident queries or authenticating licences and a drone supplied by Kent Fire and Rescue used to survey the ruins of Grenfell Tower. The introduction of new technologies is a critical move in any organisation, regardless of its size and reach. New technologies enable an organisation to not only exploit its established capabilities but also explore new businesses opportunities, both of which lead to innovation in its management processes, its products and services (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004; Guisado-González et al., 2017). Such innovation often takes the form of new frameworks redefining the existing human relations at the workplace. Data is becoming more important in the way county councils deliver services to their residents. Services are provided by multiple agencies across the county council, however, to deliver an optimal, efficient and cost-effective service, it is required that the data is shared across agencies, but Cowell and Martin (2003) state that traditionally county council agencies operate as silos. To utilise data effectively, county councils are looking to provide the foundation for more integrated, user centric support across local providers by implementing a multi-agency information sharing technological solution (WODA, 2017). The county council understand the importance of a successful project to empower workers with the knowledge and understanding to engage with emerging data sharing opportunities with confidence. However, frontline workers have traditionally not been receptive to technological change and information sharing. Without the engagement of the system users, the frontline workers, the project to implement an information sharing technology solution will fail. A need therefore arises to investigate the attitudes, and the impact on relationships and culture, across the multi-agency local government when implementing an information technology solution. Hence, the aim of this research is to develop a framework that models the cultural change within a complex organisation when implementing an information sharing technology solution. To achieve its aim, the study proposes a longitudinal study that seeks to understand the cultural change that takes place within the organisation as the technology intervention project is implemented. The project will be well-measured to include different settings and possibilities for better observations. Qualitative and quantitative methods including observation, interviews and surveys will allow for the study of those changes as part of an action-research methodological approach involving a sample of up to 3,000 individuals directly involved in the processes being studied. The motivation for completing this research comes firstly from Kate Dobson’s membership of the Worcester Office of Data Analytics (WODA) committee, the force behind the project to produce and implement a single view information sharing system for Worcestershire County Council. The project and committee are still in their infancy, however, support and enthusiasm for the project is demonstrated by leading agencies within the organisation, including the police, fire services, children’s services, acute hospital trusts and others. This research addresses an aspect of the project not yet addressed by the committee, though highlighted as a requirement for the success of the project and furthermore adds significant impact and value to the project. Secondly, the research and the success of the WODA project is driven by Kate Dobson’s first-hand experience of the difficulties agencies have when multiple agencies have contact with a resident and they have no access to shared data. The research seeks to suggest a lasting solution that can ensure a better framework as far as the admission of new technologies in multi-agency working is concerned. Expected Outcomes: The anticipated result of the study will be to map the cultural change within the multi-agency organisation as the program of change progresses. The study will be expected to produce a framework for modelling cultural change when implementing technology to create a single view information sharing system for a multi-agency organisation. The research will be expected to fill the gap that exists in the research around organisational change management occurring due to interventions with technology in multi-agency organisations. In Worcestershire County Council, agencies will use the data system as a single view information sharing source of the residents of Worcestershire, ensuring efficiencies, no data duplication and an aid to provide the residents of Worcestershire with better local government services. This research will offer other Councils an insight of how the application of the system can be used to provide efficient and cost saving services. This research will also provide a justification that a framework for modelling cultural change is important in the course of implementing new technology in a multi-agency organisation

Free and open source software development: the end of the teenage years

This thematic series of the Journal of Internet Services and Applications (JISA) presents a collection of articles around the broad topic of the development of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). This series illustrates the diversity of topics that are related to FOSS – we received submissions from many different areas; for example, dealing with communication and coordination within FOSS communities, licensing, adoption of Kanban in FOSS settings, and the use of an open model in the editorship of standards. Moreover, the studies presented were conducted using data collected from different sources, including software repositories, mailing lists, interviews, questionnaires and field notes, and were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods, including case studies and action research methods