Deloitte Report Shows Government Digital Maturity Around the World

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - November 02, 2015) - A new report from Deloitte's Public Sector Research group, The Journey to Government's Digital Transformation, examines digital technology's ability to fundamentally transform the way the public sector operates and delivers services to citizens and offers strategies for government leaders to help accelerate the rate of their progress.

"Overall, we found that in order for digital technology to really take hold, governments should be willing to re-imagine their services and continually innovate the way they engage with citizens," said William Eggers, director of public sector research at Deloitte Services LP. "While nearly all -- 96 percent -- of respondents said digital technologies are having a major impact on government, there are varying levels of maturity but much commonality on the obstacles holding many governments back."

The research team surveyed more than 1,200 government officials from more than 70 countries and interviewed an additional 130 government leaders and digital experts. The survey results revealed that governments across the world are at different stages in the digital transformation process. A small percentage of those surveyed fall into the "digitally maturing" category, while the large majority of governments are still in the early or developing stages of their digital transitions.

"As Canada progresses through the developing stages of its digital transformation public organizations need to adapt in order to enhance their digital capabilities," said Richard Carson, Partner and Digital Government Leader with Deloitte Canada. "The top barriers for organizations include; too many competing priorities, lack of an overall strategy and insufficient funding. By adapting to the new digital era, organizations can help to remove these barriers and enable their digital strategies to meet the demands of Canadian citizens. "

Key Canadian findings:

• Canada has the highest percentage of respondents (64 percent) that cite citizen demands as the primary driver of digital transformation and the lowest percentage (4 percent) of organizations that use customers to co-create with and open-source technologies to deliver their digital services.
• Not a single organization reported they were ahead of the private sector in terms of their digital capabilities.
• Digital strategies are aimed at improving citizen engagement and experience, according to the majority of respondents.

Key global findings:

• Only about 30 percent of respondents said their organization's digital capabilities were ahead of their public sector peers.
• Nearly 70 percent of respondents said they were behind the private sector.
• Respondents' overall satisfaction with their organization's current reaction to digital trends and their confidence in its readiness to respond to digital trends are both low.

Deloitte found public sector organizations at the forefront of using digital technologies tend to share a number of common characteristics, including a clear digital strategy, digitally savvy leadership, a workforce with the skills to realize their digital strategy, user-focused design, and a culture conducive to digital transformation.

Many governments around the world share a series of barriers that can stall transformation: culture, procurement, workforce, and leadership. Three of the primary barriers common to digital transformation are insufficient funding, competing priorities and lack of a strategy.

In order to help accelerate digital transformation, public leaders should consider these five major areas:

• Developing a clear digital strategy
• User-centricity
• Culture
• Workforce skills
• Procurement

About Deloitte Research

Deloitte Research, a part of Deloitte Services LP, identifies, analyzes, and explains the major issues driving today's business dynamics and shaping tomorrow's global marketplace. From provocative points of view about strategy and organizational change to straight talk about economics, regulation and technology, Deloitte Research delivers innovative, practical insights companies can use to improve their bottom-line performance. Operating through a network of dedicated research professionals, senior consulting practitioners of the various member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, academics and technology specialists, Deloitte Research exhibits deep industry knowledge, functional understanding, and commitment to thought leadership. In boardrooms and business journals, Deloitte Research is known for bringing new perspective to real-world concerns.

About Deloitte

Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte operates in Quebec as Deloitte s.e.n.c.r.l., a Quebec limited liability partnership.

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