Institutional change in government: puzzles and paradoxes

Abstract

Purpose

Seeks to outline the impact of the information society on the institutional changes taking place in the public sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A veteran of government outlines the impact of the information society on the institutional changes taking place in the public sector. Drawing on his extensive experience and the literature, he provides creative insights into the themes of this special issue.

Findings

E‐government may prove useful in managing routine tasks, he agrees, but the highly complex, interpersonal nature of government places severe limits on the extent to which public work can be automated. With government outsourcing much of its work to private firms, and corporations required to serve the public interest, there is also a marked overlap of the public versus private domains. The old hierarchies of the past are being fragmented by information systems and the need to involve people in managing complexity, leading to “uncentralized” systems in which initiative and creativity must be exercised at all levels. And the mismatch between geographic boundaries and the criss‐crossing nature of real problems creates confusion over how governments should be organized.

Originality/value

All of these trends, the author notes, pose paradoxes that mark the distinctive features of government today.

Citation

Cleveland, H. (2005), "Institutional change in government: puzzles and paradoxes", On the Horizon, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 24-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120510601635