Information Technology and Government: The Need for New Leadership

Beginning with their introduction into organizational life in the 1950s, information technologies (IT) were thought to raise delegation issues, not leadership issues. Public sector and other leaders were encouraged to delegate IT to "the experts"--to specialized IT staff and vendors. Computing and telecommunications weren't seen as requiring much in the way of political problem solving or leadership. Nor were they seen as offering solutions to important political or policy problems. As a result, senior general managers were minimally involved in technology matters, and technology experts were minimally involved in organizational strategy or operations.
We've come a long way since the 1950s. The technologies are different and the applications are different. But to what extent is "management by delegation" still the rule for IT issues, and with what impacts on government and the larger society? What, if anything, could and should be done?
This study addresses these questions, focusing heavily on the views of practitioners directly involved in governmental IT projects. This paper will define the study's subject and approach, then summarize its primary findings and recommendations.

IT leadership and government performance

For the purposes of this study, we define leadership simply as behaviors which "go in front" so as to influence (and improve) the performance of others (the followers). This sense of leadership is widely shared among practitioners. And in case after case there is copious evidence suggesting leadership's strong impact: from Napoleon's armies, to Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers, to first-graders learning to read, groups that are otherwise equivalent produce markedly different results due to good or bad leadership.
Figure 1 illustrates the primary concepts and relationships explored in this study. In general, we sought to understand how IT leadership, in combination with environmental and other factors, influences government performance. In particular, we evaluated a range of commonly pursued options for improving governmental IT leadership. These options focused heavily but not exclusively on: (1) actors: getting the right people and skills involved in the IT leadership process (e.g., changing the role of IT managers, general managers, oversight agency personnel), and (2) activities: getting the IT leadership process to focus on the right mix of things to do (e.g., changing the emphasis on communication, education, planning, funding).


As Figure 1 suggests, many factors in addition to leadership actors and activities influence performance. Three were of particular importance:

1. The type or level of group involved. Leadership for individual IT projects is different than for entire organizations (which often deal with many projects simultaneously) or for the larger society (and its vast array of organizational and other relationships). In this study we focused primarily on individual projects, but also sought lessons for IT leadership on an organization-wide and society-wide basis.
2. Trends in information technologies and their applications. IT leadership must adjust to rapid technological changes and the doubling of the cost-effectiveness of computers every 18 months. As computers become dramatically cheaper, they are more pervasively used, and the easy applications have already been addressed. The new applications are different:
   • They continue to support existing work flows, but also create fundamentally different work flows.
   • They continue to displace clerical workers, but also redefine the careers of front-line personnel and the managerial ranks.
   • They continue to change communication flows inside the organization, but also change communications outside the organization and even outside the jurisdiction.
   Information technologies have thus become more than a tool for incremental change; in many situations they can now be used for quantum-leap, revolutionary change. This poses fundamentally new challenges for leadership.
3. The nature of the public sector environment. Private organizations have responded rather rapidly and aggressively to changes in IT, primarily by giving front-line and senior general managers a stronger role in IT leadership. But before governments rush to emulate private sector IT leadership practices, we should consider the differences between the sectors. To begin, public agencies deal with spill-overs, or the need to intervene in market transactions to protect the rights and welfare of third parties (as when enforcing regulations and redistributing income); this makes determining the value of a given activity in the public sector inherently more complex, subjective, and controversial than it would be in the private sector. In addition, public agencies have considerable monopoly power (e.g., military forces, tax agencies, public schools). Concerned about potential abuses of this power, we have typically forced public agencies to operate under extensive checks and balances and requirements for due process. In general, we have built our public agencies for caution, not speed: we have been willing to sacrifice efficiency in order to retain democratic controls. This trade-off may also make a difference when it comes to designing IT leadership strategies for the public sector.

A rational strategy depends on estimates of the impacts of the options considered. But estimating the impacts of leadership initiatives is inevitably uncertain, given the complex and ambiguous nature of factors and interrelationships involved. To help with such estimates, we began with the views of practitioners directly involved with governmental IT issues and activities. The summary conclusions of the study which follow are based on surveys of practitioner views as interpreted in the context of recent literature and field work exploring computing applications in public sector contexts.


Jerry Mechling

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ICT Solutions for Schools

If you teach ICT or manage a school network then you will know that building effective and reliable ICT solutions for schools that support 21st Century educational initiatives is a demanding and skilled task. Emeka's IT Solutions team is dedicated to seeking out the leading new ICT solutions for education and with it, the increasing opportunities for teaching.

From installations to support, from digital signage to wireless systems and from special needs software to equipment disposal, Emeka's IT Solutions is able to offer schools and colleges a complete service supplying new ICT innovations for teaching.

Consideration of our environment is key today’s world and Emeka's IT Solutions prides itself in championing the leading ecologically sound ICT solutions for schools. Above all, our ethos is to deliver outstanding ICT school solutions to meet your schools needs, timescale and budget. If you teach ICT then enjoy the resources within this blog and contact us should you need any further assistance.

5 Tech Solutions For Common Small-Business Problems

As technology levels the playing field for small businesses, more companies are making the connection between strong IT investment and improved business performance. The 85% of small businesses planning to increase their technology investments are more likely to anticipate higher revenue, said the 2012 SMB Routes to Market Study. Here are five technologies helping to solve common small-business problems.

1. Mobile Applications

The problem: For small businesses, being away from the office makes it difficult to share data and be available to customers.

The solution: Some 94% of small business users believe mobile devices make them more efficient, said the Mobility Edge Report from CDW. Smartphones are the most popular mobile device among small business users, while tablet usage is growing. Evernote is a free app that helps organize users across multiple devices, with the ability to take notes and capture web pages. Square is a mobile-payment device that attaches to a smartphone to accept credit card payments on the go.

2. Analytics

The problem: Small businesses are catching on that social media is where their customers are. But how do they know if their marketing is effective?

The solution: “Companies that figure out how to harness and turn data into insights most effectively will gain huge competitive advantages,” said the SMB study. Beyond  Google Analytics, GeckoBoard is a hosted dashboard that integrates different services so users can see web traffic next to sales figures.Crazy Egg creates heat-map website images so businesses can see exactly where users are clicking.

3. Cloud Storage

The problem: Lack of time and resources for IT tasks can cause big headaches for overworked small businesses.

The solution: Some 52% of small and medium-sized businesses are adopting cloud services to outsource IT tasks like data storage, said the SMB study.Dropbox is a popular app for sharing documents and photos across multiple devices. Microsoft SkyDrive offers the ability to replicate files on multiple systems, said PC Magazine.

4. Mobile Security

The problem: With small businesses depending heavily on smartphones, lost and stolen devices are a top mobile security concern, says Symantec SYMC -0.06%Corp research.

The solution: Securing mobile devices with encryption or data wiping to prevent thieves from accessing sensitive business data. Lookout Mobile Security Premium is PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice for Android security suites, enabling users to remotely lock, wipe or locate devices. Its signal flare feature helps locate phones when batteries die – also available in its iOS product.

5. Web Teleconferencing

The problem: Communication with far-flung employees, clients and vendors can be expensive for many small businesses.

The solution: Web-based teleconferencing services let large groups make video and voice connections, usually without special equipment – or sky-high phone fees. Reigning champ Adobe Connect is “the solution to beat,” said PC Magazine. Up-and-comer Fuze Meeting Pro offers innovative features like Fuze In for dialing in late participants.

As technology keeps expanding the playing field for small businesses, the most innovative solutions are helping companies manage their growing networks of mobile and social media connections.

By Lisa Wirthman

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Who Is Keeping Up in the Tech Race?

Technology disruption is on the horizon. To deal with it, companies are turning to us for Intelligent Technology solutions as a smarter way to run workplaces. But faced with hurdles at every turn — from aging technology that slows down operations, differing opinions on what to adopt and when, infrastructure worries and, of course, budget limits — most companies need to invest in tech backbones.

How are technology professionals handling the rigorous demands on IT departments, in the midst of change and challenges?

Our “Insight Intelligent Technology™ Index” found out. To summarize the results, below is our third infographic in a five-part series. See the first infographic, “Trending Now: Disruption and Adoption,” and second, “Making the Grade: How IT Infrastructure Measures Up.” Look out next week here on Learn for the fourth infographic, “A Day in the Life: 5 Snapshots of Today’s IT Leaders.”

A Day in the Life of Today’s IT Leaders

We’re all running to stay competitive in today’s business world, no matter the size of our organizations. Intelligent Technology solutions are a vital part of this race, putting tech influencers in the fast lane. 

Every day, IT pros are dealing with current tech and maintenance needs, while overseeing challenges with disruption and adoption of new technologies. At the same time, they face mounting concerns, including security.

As tech professionals strategize and prioritize, they share a concern that tops all others: data privacy. Nearly 70% of influencers at organizations of all sizes have flagged this as a concern, with midmarket companies fearing the greatest vulnerability.

So who will go the distance? Organizations that can handle the balancing act: upgrading their core infrastructure while also incorporating Intelligent Technology as the smartest way to run their businesses.

Our “Insight Intelligent Technology™ Index” asked tech pros to share the responsibilities they juggle. To summarize the results, below is our fourth infographic in a five-part series, “A Day in the Life: 5 Snapshots of Today’s IT Leaders.” See the first infographic, “Trending Now: Disruption and Adoption,” second, “Making the Grade: How IT Infrastructure Measures Up” and third, “Keeping Up in the Tech Race.” Look out next week here on Learn for the fifth and final infographic, “Prioritizing and Budgeting for Tech Innovation.”

Alternative payments impact South Africa’s payments market

Alternative payments are gaining traction in South Africa, with banks and payment companies introducing new solutions. Recent initiatives include the launch of MasterPass, Zapper, FlickPay and SnapScan. The MasterPass digital International payment solution provider PayPal has also strengthened its presence in South Africa. PayPal entered South Africa through its domestic partner, First National Bank (FNB), in 2010. 

The service was initially only available to FNB customers, but in November 2011, FNB extended the service to non-bank customers, allowing them to receive funds from anyone in the PayPal network, regardless of which South African bank they use.wallet was introduced in association with Standard Bank in July 2014. Users can shop online without disclosing payment and shipping information with every purchase. Zapper, FlickPay and SnapScan are mobile payment solutions that enable consumers to pay using QR codes.

FNB now offers money transfer service to 500,000 consumers with PayPal accounts in the country. PayPal also enables individuals to pay for online purchases with merchants by linking current accounts and credit cards with PayPal accounts.

“Alternative payments such as digital wallet, mobile wallet and carrier billing is gradually becoming a popular mode of payment for online shoppers and the two collectively account for 13.2% of overall e-commerce transaction value in the country. The new payment methods will continue to gain market share in the years to come,” comments, Kartik Challa, Timetric Analyst.

The unbanked population – a market still to be tapped

A significant share of the South African population is still unbanked – nearly 30% of the population aged 15 or above have no access to formal banking. Banks in South Africa are striving towards providing the unbanked population access to formal financial services.

For instance, Absa Bank, Standard Bank, FNB and Nedbank offer the Mzansi account – a low-cost basic savings account that comes with a debit card. Consumers are only required to provide a valid ID to open an account. Banks are also promoting other low-cost accounts: Standard Bank, for example, offers Access, a zero-balance account with no monthly fee.

“The South African government is developing programmes to better serve the unbanked, and is encouraging banks to do the same. Many South African banks now see the unbanked as a key target market – partly in response to government pressure and partly due to the potential it holds. Since a considerable portion of the South Africa population is unbanked, it provides opportunities for banks to access a new consumer base by launching low-cost products and opening branches in rural or remote areas,” concludes Challa.

BY ALEX ROLFE

Czech footwear retailer Bata closes stores, bets on ecommerce

Bata, a global operating footwear manufacturer and retailer from the Czech Republic, has decided to shut down all its stores in Switzerland where it’s headquartered. With customers buying footwear and accessories more and more through multi-brand retailers and ecommerce websites, Bata has been trying to restructure its operations for years. Now it came to the conclusion maintaining the Bata stores in Switzerland wasn’t an option anymore.

Bata announced the news on its website, explaining how the company tried for years to successfully respond to the shift in shopping patterns. “Throughout this period, Bata Switzerland has been able to count on the support of its shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders”, the Swiss company says. “Despite its best efforts, however, the impact of ecommerce and fashion retailers entering into an already-crowded Swiss footwear market, plus the shift in buying habits amongst Swiss consumers to shop for footwear and other goods in France, Italy and Germany, has proved too much to maintain Bata stores in Switzerland.”

So now Bata is busy closing the 29 physical stores it has in Switzerland. The company’s future business plans in Switzerland will be built around the Bata brand. It will sell products to local customers through a multi-channel approach, which includes multi-brand retailers, its own ecommerce website Bata.com and Bata dealers.

The retail stores in Italy, Spain, Czech and Slovak Republics and its domestic and international franchise businesses will continue operating as they were used to.

About Bata
The Bata Shoe Organization was founded in 1894 and is said to be one of the world’s leading manufacturers and retailers of footwear. The company has over 30,000 employees, 24 production facilities, 5,000 international retail stores and a presence in over 70 countries.

Update 20 April 2016: The article previously appeared to describe Bata as a company that’s founded in Switzerland. As our readers rightly pointed out, Bata was founded in what’s now the Czech Republic by Czech entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa, while now being headquartered in Switzerland

Why Interswitch’s partnering SlimTrader on transaction monitoring

Africa-focused digital payment and e-commerce company, Interswitch recently announced a strategic partnership with Africa’s turn-key e-commerce solution provider, SlimTrader to deploy a new payment monitoring portal on the MoBiashara for Hotels platform. MoBiashara was recently introduced by SlimTrader.

 In this interview with Jonah Nwokpoku, the Divisional CEO, Switching and Processing, Interswitch Limited, Mr. Akeem Lawal explains that through this partnership, SlimTrader will be better positioned to facilitate seamless transactions between hotels and their guests. Excerpts What is this new payment monitoring portal on SlimTrader’s MoBiashara and what does it mean for hotels? The payment monitoring portal is another milestone in the road map of products and services we have jointly deployed with SlimTrader to enhance the business of local hotels across Africa. This follows our partnership to enable booking and payments for hotel rooms online and at hotel front desks, the introduction of an integrated hotel management system as a service that allows hotels manage their inventory online and on premises as well as perform other value added services at the front desk like airtime purchase and even providing a prepaid card for foreign visitors to use while they are in Nigeria.

 This portal will allow hotels see all bookings and payments made for hotels whether online or on premise, see the settlement due to them as well as reconcile bookings, stays and inventory. What definite problems is the payment monitoring portal built to address? The biggest problem that the payment monitoring portal solves is the lack of visibility by hotels (their administrators and managers) into their financial position and condition at any point in time. For hotels connected to SlimTrader’s MFH, the portal provides real time display of all payments made to the hotel; whether those payments were made online on the hotel’s website, on other travel agency’s sites or on the hotel’s premises. This means that those customers will no longer be confronted with situations in which a hotel is unable to confirm their payment. It also means that hotels will know exactly how much is in their account for settlement at each point in time, allowing them to plan their business more effectively. What is Interswitch’s role in this partnership?

 Interswitch provides the payment systems that integrate with MFH’s online and on premise platforms. We guaranty that once a payment is confirmed; the hotel will get their settlement the very next business day. We have partnered with SlimTrader to build this platform in a way that fully integrates into the Interswitch payment network, the most reliable payment network in Nigeria today. Why have you chosen to partner with SlimTrader (MFH)? Interswitch is constantly looking to partner with innovative companies that are solving payment challenges in Africa. SlimTrader is one of such companies; this is the reason why the company was one of the very first that Interswitch invested its $10 million growth fund to support their growth. We have since worked with SlimTrader to significantly enhance their value proposition in the hospitality space, co-creating several products, the latest of which is this payment monitoring portal on SlimTrader’s MoBiashara for Hotels platform. When will this go live and how soon can hotels begin to benefit from it? 

The portal is already live and we have started offering it to hotels. Hotels can get this and the other innovative products and services as soon as they sign up for SlimTrader’s MFH platform. What are the benefits to the end-user, that is, the hotel guests? With this portal, hotel guests never have to worry about discrepancies with hotel records with reservations made online. Paying online would be just as good as paying cash at the hotel premises. In fact, paying online might be better as the hotel guest can find discounts for booking and paying online on SlimTrader partner online travel agencies.

www.vanguardngr.com

How KongaPay is tackling pay on delivery issues to drive e-commerce in Nigeria

E-commerce appears the way  to go, particularly with the younger generation seeming eager to embrace new ways, but issues of trust and safety threaten growth. At the just concluded, Nigeria Summit in Lagos, the Ag Chief Executive Officer  of Konga.com ,  Shola Adekoya  Konga.com revealed  how his company is using an innovation, KongaPay to tackle these issues. Shola Adekoya Driving e-commerce ecosystem in Nigeria, KongaPay example Despite barriers hindering electronic commerce growth in Nigeria and the rest of the world, the system has received significant attention in the country as buying goods online with smart devices  is fast becoming an essential part of life for many people in Nigeria. 

This is even as  absence of adequate basic infrastructural, socioeconomic factors, regulatory environment, trust, amon others  have combined to create a significant barrier in the adoption and growth of e-commerce in Nigeria. While Konga has continued to drive e-commerce ecosystem in Nigeria, latest study on five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria has revealed that 63 percent of respondents are unbanked, while 52 percent use mobile money through agents. Pricing For many consumers, buying goods from the physical market appears more affordable. But speaking at the summit  during a panel discussion on ‘Meeting the Needs of Consumers,’   Adekoya told the gathering that in contrary popular notion, buying online is cheaper. “We are way cheaper than the local market. You can test it, just pick up a few phones, laptops, etc. When we were doing deals we found out that we even have some customers from these local markets trying to buy from us to resell.” On how e-commerce is able to offer more value on pricing, he explained, “I know for a fact that we are cheaper than a lot of the offline and local markets because we buy in bulk and we are particular about giving value to the customer. Our margins are very thin and tight just to make sure we deliver value to the customer.” Managing trust While issue of trust continues to loom large on online shopping globally, Konga.com has put measures in place to manage it. According to the Konga.com boss, “Trust is a very big item on our agenda. We always monitor customer feedback. So, there are few ways we manage trust issues. 

First of all, we have a whole team of agents working on trust and safety. “We follow up with merchants, and we follow up with even the shippers. We have a whole team dedicated to making sure that our customer experience is right. ” Pay on delivery As part of the solution to trust issues on e-commerce, many consumers prefer to pay for their goods and services on delivery. So there is a system in place that ensures that consumers can pay the courier with cash or with their ATM/Debit card upon delivery of their order. Konga buyer protection program Speaking on this, the Acting chief executive officer of Konga.com further explained that if a consumers pay on delivery with cash, his company may be unable to fully protect them under the Buyer Protection program. “When you shop on Konga, you can choose to pay securely in advance with KongaPay, with your ATM/Debit card, or on delivery with cash or POS. “If you choose to pay in advance with internet banking or your ATM/Debit card, Konga can protect you 100% with our Buyer Protection program. When you’re covered by our Buyer Protection program, you can shop with complete confidence and ultimate peace of mind. If something goes wrong, we help make it right with a refund, repair, or replacement”, he said. However, looking at the way e-commerce is working in Nigeria, pay on delivery is not really working well for the e-commerce giants as many consumers will always give one excuse or the other not to pay on delivery because of change in their economic status. The end result is return of the goods. This is where the introduction KongaPay has changed the game because it addresses the challenges associated with pay on delivery. How KongaPay works With this system, the e-commerce giant has collaboration with banks and operators, by developing secure, flexible mobile financial platforms that help build an interconnected and transparent financial ecosystem. There is also an incentive for the buying public as by using KongaPay, each consumer gets a five percent discount on each and every purchase made on Konga.com. Speaking to newsmen shortly after the summit on a number Konga.com activities in the e-commerce space, Adekoya highlighted that KongaPay is a secure payment method that allows its customers pay for goods without using debit cards. The system, he said gives consumers five percent discount on any product bought. “As a customer, if you are able to use KongaPay to make payment, it just gives you this extra guarantee knowing that your money is there and you’ll get it back in an instant. So one of the benefits of KongaPay is that to do refund is so easy because we haven’t consumed the money. The money can be refunded immediately”, he explained. Noting that the market for e-commerce in Nigeria is still untapped, he pointed out that, “We deliver better value online.” Challenges Adekoya said that regulatory environment, education, awareness, and trust among several factors rank high among the challenges confronting e-commerce in Nigeria.

 He noted  that beyond these challenges, the truth of the matter is that the market for e-commerce is growing with many more Nigerians embracing it. For industry watchers, e-commerce in Nigeria or elsewhere can only be successfully built on trust and safety, which are the two components that would allow for a seamless exchange of goods, services and most importantly payments.