Towards e‐Government: Evaluation of Innovative Activities in Public Administration Organizations in Lithuania
Aelita Skaržauskienė, Steponas Jonušauskas and Monika Skaržauskaitė Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania aelita @ mruni. eu steponas @ ecdl. lt skarzauskaite @ mruni. eu
Abstract: The paper presents innovative management practices for addressing complexity, uncertainty and changes. The subject of the research paper is to evaluate the innovative activities in public administration organisations implementing e‐ Government in Lithuania. The authors wanted to explore the way managers in public administration organisations perceive innovation and how they report on hinders or facilitators of their innovative activities. Data were collected through an e‐questionnaire survey. Drawing on quantitative evidence the paper is seeking to improve the understanding of the role of innovation and to give guidance on how to handle the relationship between technologies and innovative management practices in public administration organizations.
Keywords: e‐government, innovation, public administration
1. Introduction
Demographic, economic, and technological shifts are creating an innovation imperative for government. In both the developed and developing world, many governments face a number of urgent challenges— one of which is that the rising demand for innovative services is running headlong into the reality of limited resources. At the same time public budgets are shrinking and citizens, now accustomed to new technologies and constant connectivity, have higher expectations as to the speed and quality of public services( McKinsey Center for Government, 2012). The emerging answer— from various places across the globe— is bold, rapid management innovation. Public‐sector innovation can reduce costs, raise productivity, and improve the public’ s opinion of government.“ E‐Government refers to government’ s use of information technology to exchange information and services with citizens, businesses, other arms of government and may be applied by the legislature, judiciary or administration, in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services or processes of democratic governance”( Limba, 2011). Nowadays, e‐Government has reached its critical point, because it seems insufficient to move public services into electronical environment only.“ Further development of e‐ Government requires innovations that increase the efficiency and security of electronic public services. Therefore, one of the most important aspects related to e‐Government is ensuring a better service receiver`s satisfaction with electronic services, paying full attention to such electronic public services that could be provided at international level”( Jastiuginas et al, 2012). Significant progress in e‐Government field requires innovative, effective and safe management practices.“ It’ s really clear that innovative technologies should change the relationship citizens have with their government because of the ability to have a constant dialogue. Businesses are doing that today very, very successfully. They’ re acquiring data and using it to see patterns that tell them how they might serve their customers differently. Government should be doing the same thing”( Brown, 2012). The use of ICT creates basis for E‐Government and impacts sustainable development in public sector. There is the need for the redefinition and rethinking of e‐Government development in order to understand how the opportunities offered by new technologies promote new level of e‐Government and to assess how and to what extent public administration organisations understand the role of innovation, to explore why and how innovation is transforming the way government interacts with citizens, civil society, and the private sector. The authors of this research paper wanted to explore the way managers in Lihuanian public administration organisations perceive innovation and how they report on hinders or facilitators of their innovative activities.
2. Technological and nontechnological innovations
„ Various definitions have been developed to explain innovation, and as a result the term has gained greater ambiguity“( McFadzean et al, 2005). Examination of the innovation literature confirms that there is enormous diversity in views and approaches to what actually constitutes innovative activity. Innovation has been recognized to have a central role in organisation development. However, the majority of empirical evidence concerning the relationship between innovations and organisation performance has focused on technology
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