This article is written by Sofía Varas Concha, Digital Adoption and Content Team Coordinator, Digital Government Division, Chile

  • __The problem: __The digital transformation process in government presents various challenges for institutional teams. Public servants are coming up with brilliant solutions to these challenges. But currently, this knowledge is stagnating because the learnings aren’t being shared.
  • Why it matters: Facilitating spaces for the exchange of learning experiences among different agencies enhances decision-making and boosts public innovation, leading to the creation of new solutions.
  • The solution: Creating communities within government agencies facilitates the exchange of knowledge among teams and highlights opportunities for innovation, promoting resilient digital transformation.

Imagine facing the challenge of coordinating the digital transformation of your institution for the first time. You know the goal, the intermediate milestones, the tools at your disposal, and the associated timelines. But you don’t know how the process will unfold once it begins in your agency. Now, imagine that other public servants like you are facing the same challenge, working in over 900 institutions. Beyond the contextual differences each team will face, does it make sense to operate like a large archipelago of isolated teams, each starting from scratch?

Probably not.

In a global scenario where public trust in institutions has declined, a digital governance framework can be helpful. For example, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has proposed a framework that emphasises the adoption of technology to strengthen democracy, facilitate citizen participation and enhance government efficiency. A framework like this offers the opportunity to positively impact the quality of life for citizens and their trust in democratic institutions.

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Therefore, breaking down silos and creating joint opportunities and cooperation among different government agencies is essential to progress toward this goal of knowledge-sharing and cross-learning. To help public servants work towards this collaborative goal, I have three pieces of advice I’d like to share.

1. The need for a liaison

The Digital Government Division in Chile has, as part of its action lines, coordinated and guided institutions in implementing policies related to digital transformation. In 2019, each agency of the central administration was asked to designate an institutional counterpart responsible for reporting progress in achieving the set objectives. This led to the creation of the Network of Digital Transformation Coordinators for the State.

At that time, this group consisted of around 200 people, mainly from the IT sector, who were making progress in these operational areas and sharing their achievements with the Digital Government team on a quarterly basis. Having a liaison like this in each agency proved to be an essential way to keep our finger on the pulse of new innovations developing in different government sectors. As well as sharing quarterly updates, the liaisons would come together on an annual basis to jointly review progress and address any common questions or problems that had come up.

In the wake of COVID-19, we found that a recurring question was surfacing: "Are there others out there facing the same challenges as my agency?".

To address this concern, we began holding bi-annual general meetings in collaboration with some prominent institutions. In these meetings, the agencies would showcase successful examples of team management, process digitisation and change management. The response was clear: this was the way forward. By sharing successes, different agencies could learn from each other and create a sense of communal motivation.

2. Moving toward horizontality

With more than a threefold increase in the number of institutions joining the Network of Digital Transformation Coordinators, vertical communication centred on a small team within the Digital Government Division was no longer feasible. We had to let go a little, and that was a challenge.

Based on feedback received from our counterparts in 2023, we launched a digital engagement platform to provide greater visibility and interaction among counterparts. This enabled them to showcase projects to improve their service delivery to citizens through technology. The premise was simple: the Network had to work as a network.

But, it’s not always easy to encourage participation. Having a digital platform is not enough. Teams are human and need examples that spark creativity. So, to kickstart this platform, we launched a Transformative Institutions Award, where Digital Transformation Coordinators could present their outstanding cases in areas such as service digitisation, citizen digital adoption, and change management. Coordinators would emphasise the takeaways and learning process attached to each project. The aim was to create a knowledge base where officials could connect with peers who were facing similar challenges.

3. Promoting diverse perspectives

To advance the Digital Transformation of the State, it was also essential to promote internal leadership and encourage interdepartmental coordination within the same agencies. This helped bring diverse perspectives to the table and develop more sustainable solutions over time.

In this context, promoting female participation within Digital Transformation teams was crucial to avoid reinforcing existing gender biases and gaps. As part of the experience of the Network of Digital Transformation Coordinators, in the second half of 2023, we launched the digital community "Más Transformadoras" (More Transformers). This community aims to create a network of women working in various agencies in pursuit of the Digital Transformation of the State. Its goal is to be a platform to raise visibility and collaboration among the few women working in this field in order to promote a more equitable and inclusive digital ecosystem..

Through meetings, webinars, a digital engagement platform and mentorship programs, this community also seeks to promote leadership and highlight projects that serve as examples of equitable, sustainable, and non-discriminatory digital transformation as best practices.

So, if you have the opportunity to bring new perspectives to the table, do so. To make the leap from digitalisation to transformation, it’s key to make important decisions with a wide view.

Conclusion

If you’re still not convinced about the value of building internal communities for digital transformation, I have one word for you – resilience. In my experience, the cooperation of different operational teams working on digital transformation is crucial in an environment of periodic changes. These actors retain the memory and history of decisions related to policies that drive administrations. They are a critical source of knowledge for generating a resilient transformation focused on improving the relationship between the government and its citizens.

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