What we do
Public Services
Forward-thinking government for citizen-first services
Highlights
- Generation GovTech will help governments cope with major societal challenges.
- Institutions should also embrace an ecosystem of public organisations and commercial service providers.
- At the iBestuur conference, Michael Beerman of TCS shared his views on the subject.
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Societal challenges
If institutions join forces and put their trust in Generation GovTech, the government will be better able to cope with the major societal challenges we are facing today.
So said Michael Beerman, Head, Technology, Public Services, TCS Netherlands, at the iBestuur conference, which took place in September 2024.
Government organisations face several major societal challenges. Themes such as poverty, climate change, labour market shortages, and changing laws and regulations are stretching organisations to the limit.
Digitisation is a great way for institutions to tackle many of these challenges, Michael explained. The key is to find the right people to take up the issues: professionals to develop and implement solutions iteratively, analysts who understand the business, and specialists who know all about technology regulations. This is where it gets tricky.
We are all running out of people, Michael added. Being an optimist, he sees opportunities to attract good talent to the civil service. Smart recruitment would be one way to persuade people sharing the right mindset: the Generation GovTech (GT).
Generation GovTech
Generation GT (or GenGT) was created as an analogy to a successful recruitment campaign by the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
There, the Generation D campaign had resulted in a whopping 70% more visitors to the recruitment website and 30% more applications. For many people, the campaign appealed to their sense of community and commitment to society.
GenGT has no birth year, Michael says. He believes it is about finding the right people, those with a commitment to society and a creative take on its major challenges, people who do not give up easily and are willing to look beyond their own organisations. “After all, why not reuse their knowledge and experience elsewhere in government?”
Embracing ecosystems
For a digital government to cope with these challenges, it is not just about having the right people in place.
It is also about making a change in how we think and work together, Michael says. Institutions should move away from their traditional supplier-customer relationships, he elaborates.
Instead, they could embrace an ecosystem of public organisations and commercial service providers. By sharing their talent, experiences, knowledge, solutions, products, and services, they can achieve new objectives.
This is about more than just ICT, adds Michael. “Non-IT parts also need to adapt. Not just to keep up, but to get ahead and stay in control.”
Non-IT parts also need to adapt. Not just to keep up, but to get ahead and stay in control.
Business translation
Besides, labour and knowledge shortages are not limited to ICT. “It is equally important to translate this into the business.”
The major societal challenges and the tight labour market require a new approach in government, Michael concluded. With smart recruitment campaigns and nifty cooperation with suppliers and i-craftmanship within ecosystems, this might actually be achieved.
