The Deep Dive is your opportunity to meet, share, debate, and discuss ideas and best practices with your global peers and leading experts in the public sector. You have been assigned to a focus group that will gather throughout the summit. Your group will work together to solve some of the issues that face public servants in the intelligent application of IT to assist in public service modernization.

A Deep Dive orchestrates team performance by focusing the team on a well-expressed design challenge. By creating a stimulating and fun environment for creative thinking, the Deep Dive skips the usual, time-consuming steps of forming, norming, storming, and performing to rapidly generate high-quality results. It is a combination of brainstorming, prototyping and testing.

When you register, you will be asked to select your top three choices for Deep Dive discussion groups. If your first choice is not available, you will be placed in your second choice. Attendees will be assigned to deep dive groups when registration closes in November.

Deep Dive Challenges

• GOVERNANCE - The Prime Minister/Premier has charged you with devising an initiative to improve the balance between central control and local empowerment in relation to the delivery of a key public service. Both you and he recognize the benefits of standardization (and the related need for central control), but you also recognize that networks offer new opportunities for decentralization. What actions would you take to empower the edge and build decentralization into your government’s delivery strategy in your chosen area? How would you create a networked organization that gives maximum scope for local initiative while still gaining the benefits of standardization?
• DEMOCRATIC ENGAGEMENT - The Prime Minister/Premier is concerned about the lack of input by citizens into the design and development of both policy and programs/services; although citizens have opportunities to be consulted, they do not feel their input has much impact. He has charged you with developing one or more specific initiatives that show people that the government is capable of fully involving citizens in public policy and management decisions.
• EDUCATION - The Prime Minister/Premier is disappointed with the extent to which IT investment in schools has delivered real benefits and has tasked you with designing a programme or initiative that will deliver measurable benefits (either in terms of cost or in terms of educational achievement) both in a short timescale and in a sustainable and scaleable way over the long term.
• HEALTHCARE - Your government is introducing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) as part of its long-term healthcare modernization strategy. Your team’s challenge is to think through the early consequences of introducing the EHR and to build a strategy to turn it into the major pillar for the successful transformation of your healthcare system.
• CIVIL SERVANTS - You have just become head of a major government department and recognize the need to change the culture and skills of your department, which are typical of a traditional central government department. Outline the change management program you will take forward. What specific actions will you take to quickly and radically change your department’s culture and promote new skill sets? How will you secure staff and management buy-in for the changes you want? What type of incentives will you use?
• IT - You are head of a large government department and have recently become convinced that the biggest problem your department faces is the lack of mutual understanding between those in charge of the business and those responsible for IT. You have to devise a series of measures to create a real partnership between business and IT and so transform your organization.
• LEADERSHIP - You have just been appointed head of a large government department after a successful career in the private sector. You look at your senior management team and are surprised at their lack of knowledge and interest in IT. This is a problem, since you want to use IT to transform the organization. What actions will you take to lead by example in this area? What will you do to ensure that the whole of the senior management team demonstrate their belief and commitment to your e-transformation mission?

Panel Debate

A small panel of leaders, thinkers and analysts who bring deep expertise and experience to the debate about public management, governance and democratic renewal will discuss the problems identified in the deep dive discussions throughout the two-day summit.

Panelists:

Professor Stephen Coleman, Professor of eDemocracy, University of Oxford, UK

Santiago Segarra Tormo, Director General, Information Technology, Agencia Tributaria - Spanish Tax Agency

John Grant, Acting Chief Information Officer, Federal Government of Australia, Department of Finance and Administration, Australia

Stefan Czerniawski, Director of Strategy, Department of Work and Pensions, UK