CREATING VALUE THROUGH MANAGING KNOWLEDGE IN AN E-GOVERNMENT TO CONSTITUENC

Koh, Chang E;Ryan, Sherry;Prybutok, Victor R The Journal of Computer Information Systems; Summer 2005; 45, 4; ABI/INFORM Complete pg. 32

CREATING VALUE THROUGH MANAGING KNOWLEDGE IN AN E-GOVERNMENT TO CONSTITUENCY (G2C) ENVIRONMENT

CHANG E. KOH, SHERRY RYAN, and VICTOR R. PRYBUTOK University of North Texas Denton, Texas 76203
ABSTRACT Electronic government (e-government) has the promise of changing how citizens interact with their government by increasing accessibility to information. enhancing efficiency, and facilitating greater access to government officials. New opportunities for involvement and collaboration are possible. However, challenges exist because of the size and complexity of governmental structures and the vast amounts of information that these governmental agencies often maintain. This study proposes that governmental agencies go through an evolutionary path as they progress from an introductory digital presence to more complex forms of interactions with constituents. Through an in-depth case study we explicate this path and highlight key enablers that facilitate this progression. Key Words: e-government, knowledge management, Internet, information technology, public sector INTRODUCTION A current report from the Council for Excellence in Government states that electronic government "has the greatest potential to revolutionize the performance of government and revitalize our democracy" by enhancing efficiency, decreasing transaction time, bringing people closer to their government, and enhancing methods for citizens to participate in the governmental affairs (14). E-government refers to the use of the Internet and other digital technologies to simplify or enhance the method by which citizens, employees, business partners and other government organizations interact and transact business. The entry of technology into every aspect of life has changed how people work and live as well as how they expect their governments to serve their constituencies. Many governmental organizations today are working to meet the requirements that constituents are demanding - the use of the Internet to provide services and enhanced communication (10). Citizens view investment in e-government as a high priority because they believe it makes government more accountable, provides greater access to information and allows more efficient and cost-effective operations (21). Governmental agencies have the opportunity not only to cut costs, but also to expand their relationships with constituents into collaborative partnerships that better serve democracy. While e-government is a relatively new phenomenon, issues surrounding enhancing ciuzen participation in government were the focus of a plethora of historic research. Research has affirmed the importance of citizen participation in governmental decision processes (35). Citizen input is crucial to Summer 2005
government because it is the basis for communicating the needs and wishes of the citizenry (17). Arnstein (3) proposed a ladder of citizen participation that shows the different levels of citizen involvement divided into distinct categories (See Figure I). The categories range from non-participation to citizen control. The top three categories, associated with "Citizen Power," represent an environment that allows citizens to share the planning and decision making responsibilities. However, in terms of egovernment capabilities nearly all governmental agencies are at the Informing rung of the Citizen Participation ladder or lower (52). While state and local governments are putting billions of dollars into creating efficient e-government (26), the level of technology adoption is generally low and limited to simple applications such as posting contact information and links to other sites (12, 28). According to a study that analyzed more than 1,500 Web sites in the 70 metropolitan areas in the United States, the majority of local governments used their Web sites to provide phone numbers and address information, while only II percent of the Web sites in the study provided more sophisticated automated online services (52). However, even this nominal use of e-government allows meeting the needs of a wider constituency than in the absence of the e-government service. Still, much more is possible by using technology to assist government agencies in moving up the rungs of the ladder such that government and citizens are partners in a collaborative relationship that benefits the citizenry. To assist government agencies in charting a course for effective planning and implementation, we proposed and examined an evolutionary path of e-government that consists of five transformation phases: (I) Informational phase, (2) Interactional phase, (3) Transactional phase. (4) Integrated phase, and (5) Collaborative phase. We conducted an in-depth case study of a municipal government to explicate our proposed e-government transformation model and highlight key enablers that facilitate the transformation of e-government. We conducted a series of interviews, focus groups and a Web-based survey with the leadership and employees of the City of Denton, Texas. We found that the City has made significant progress with egovernment, but - like many other governments - has only begun to explore the potentials of later phases of e-government. We identified a number of enablers as well as barriers considered critical for the successful transformation of egovernment including knowledge management insight.

LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH MODEL While the topics of knowledge management and egovernment are widely discussed in their own domains there is a

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paucity of studies that address these constructs in ajoint context. In this section, we discuss knowledge management, e-commerce and e-government and their relationship as a foundation for the

proposed model.

research framework

of e-government

transformation

FIGURE ) Eight Rungs on a Ladder of Citizen Participation

(3)

Citizen Control

Oela:;:,atad

Power

Partnenship PfacaIIon

ConauIIaIion
Informing Therapy Manipulation

] J
]

Citizen Power

Tokenism

NonParticipation

The Merger of Internet Technologies with Knowledge Management Collaborative relationships are often associated with internal stakeholders within a single organization. Recently much research was pursued in the area of knowledge management, in which knowledge management initiatives were internally focused, and principally aimed at collaboration and knowledge sharing among employees (2, 22, 3 I, 34). Knowledge management processes are typically defined as the capture, codification and storage, dissemination, and use of knowledge within an organization (47). Conversely, ecommerce projects are focused on transactions with external stakeholders. Recently these two concepts merged into what some are calling K-commerce. K-commerce is the collaboration and sharing of knowledge with external stakeholders (29). Organizations are beginning to seek knowledge collaboration solutions that combine external stakeholder input and their innovative ideas with improvement of core competencies. Webbased applications facilitate the capturing of such input by incorporating them into a variety of digital formats, storing them in appropriate categories in an integrated repository, and facilitating easy access and sharing across previously isolated departments (I, 9, 37, 40). While this type of e-commerceknowledge management merger has occurred primarily in the commercial marketplace, its applicability to governmental institutions is evident and the need for guidance on how governments should embrace the e-commerce knowledge management merger is high. Government officials and policy makers are increasingly aware and interested in the potential of technology to enable transformation from the traditionally inflexible and bureaucratic institutions into nimble and customer-oriented organizations where governmental workers and citizens are partners. With this Summer 2005

goal in mind, we propose a conceptual model that identifies the modes by which governmental organizations and constituents interact, describe how these modes evolve as e-government matures and discuss how an organization prepares to ensure a successful transformation to a collaborative e-government environment. This model is based upon and integrates a number of theories and concepts of IT, e-commerce, knowledge management, and e-government to address the nature of egovernment in terms of its functions and its transformation from a simple Web site to a highly collaborative, knowledge-sharing environment. E-Government Transformation and Knowledge Management Model A number of theories address the evolution of information systems in organizations. The stage theory of information systems is one such theory and refers to the belief that an information system goes through a series of stages to transform into a more matured entity. First introduced in the early 1970's (19), the stage theory was applied in numerous studies attempting to understand the growth of an IS application. The significance of the stage view of IS is that by recognizing such stages and identifying issues and problems associated with each stage an organization can better utilize its IS and increase the chance of success while controlling costs and other potential barriers. Several studies attempted to understand the e-commerce phenomenon from an evolutionary perspective (4, 15, 16, 30, 33, 51). According to these studies, an organization uses the Internet primarily for informational purposes in an early stage because it is simple and inexpensive, and returns are perceived as quick and large. As organizations become more familiar with the technology, they expand their Internet applications to sell 33

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products or provide services. At this stage, integrating Internet applications with existing applications and databases becomes inevitable. In the final stage, all Internet applications are

integrated into a cohesive business agent.

While most of the e-commerce stage theories focused on the private sector, a few attempted to explain the transformation process in an c-govcrnrnent context. These are summarized in Table I.

TABLE] Summary of Different E-government Transformation Models Model Koh& Prybutok (30) Baum& De Maio (4) Focus/Criteria Three Internet usage categories (informational, transactional and operational uses) Characteristics and capabilities of web sites Transformation nrocess Isolated informational uses - Scattered Transactional use - Integrated Operational use - Integrated Presence - Posts generic information relevant to the public Interaction - Provides basic search capabilities, forms for downloading, links to other sites, and e-mail addresses of offices or officials Transaction - Allows constituents to complete entire tasks online Transformation - Provides single point of contact that makes government organizations transparent to citizens Information publishing - Basic information such as lists of services 2 way transaction - Citizens can engage in monetary transactions with the government electronically Multi-purpose portals - Single point of entry for a wide variety of government services available across departmental boundaries Portal personalization - Allows citizens to customize portals for their specific needs Clustering of common services - Citizens begin to approach governments in terms of actual services provided rather than their organizational structure Full integration and enterprise transformation - Full service center that seamlessly integrates all facets of government operation Initiation - Tests feasibility by creating a portal to provide access to government information Infusion - Wide acceptance of web access Customization - Provides services based on individual needs, providing one-to-one marketing Informational Phase As e-government transforms into an advanced phase with an increased level of citizen involvement, it requires different approaches to capturing, codifying, disseminating and utilizing knowledge. During the first phase of e-government (Informational) the primary function of e-government is to disseminate information to citizens and employees using relatively simple Web sites. The nature of information provided is simple and unidirectional. Informational web sites provide such information as contact information, lists of services provided, and announcements of events. Contact information provides citizens a way to access areas of expertise by pointing them to a specific department of interest or to an individual expert. This is a rudimentary form of a knowledge directory. Lists of services and announcements convey explicit, basic knowledge. There is only a unidirectional knowledge flow between the government and the citizenry and the source of knowledge remains internal to the government. In this phase the need for codification of information and integration with other sources is very low. Citizens may find these simple informational features marginally useful and they are likely to expect more advanced services (32).

(1)

(2) (3)
(1)

(2) (3) (4)

Deloitte Research (15)

Eminence of Web-based applications

I)

2) 3) 4) 5)

6)

Watson & Mundy (51)

Principles of skill development, innovation theory and one-to-one marketing concept

I)

2) 3)

Despite the differences in focus and perspective, all of these transformation models propose a common final destination for e-government, where government services are integrated and made available through a single point of contact. This moves up Arnstein's ladder of Citizen Participation to the Consultation rung. Yct nonc of the models address the issue of Citizen Participation or true knowledge sharing and collaboration with the constituency. In addition, most of these models do not address a number of fundamental issues required to achieve successful e-government. Our model extends previous work by addressing these issues. Figure 2 shows our E-Government Transformation and Knowledge Management Model (EGTKM) model. The EGTKM model recognizes and arranges five egovernment transformation phases: (I) Informational, (2) Interactional, (3) Transactional, (4) Integrated, and (5) Collaborative along with four major knowledge management functions: (I) Knowledge capture, (2) Knowledge codification and storage, (3) Knowledge dissemination, and (4) Knowledge usage. Finally the model acknowledges that successful transformation of e-governrnent is subject to various technological, organizational, cultural, and political factors. We tentatively and collectively refer these factors as enablers. It was one of the objectives of our study to identify specific enablers as a municipal government attempts to advance its e-government initiative through the transformation phases. Summer 2005

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E-Government

Transformation

FIGURE 2 and Knowledge

Management

Model (EGTKM)

E-Govemment Transformation

Informational
Knowtedge Capture Primary internal sources

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Q)

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Q)

Knowtedge Codification & Storage Knowtedge Dissemination Knowtedge Usage

Low integration

Low integration

High integration with operational data Online transactions

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Web page access

Online forms and e-mail

Ol "0
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c

Low to moderate value to constituents

Moderate value to constituents

High value to constituems

Enablers of transformation

Interactional Phase In the second phase (Interactional) of the transformation, egovernment includes early stage interactions between citizens and government employees through online forms and e-mail. Citizens can download forms to apply for permits and licenses without having to visit government offices. E-mail enhances communications among citizens and employees and provides a method for electronic knowledge exchange. This interactivity allows the government to capture knowledge from external sources. However, knowledge captured in this phase is still relatively simple and it can be easily codified into operational databases. Consequently, the need for integration with other sources is low. Nevertheless, the value of c-governrnent as perceived by constituents is moderately improved due to the added ability to carry out certain business and communicate with government officials electronically. This ability to exchange information in both directions eventually leads to the next phase in which exchange of goods and services can be accomplished electronically. Transactional Phase Having grown accustomed to convenient e-cornrnerce sites where customers can shop for goods and service without ever leaving home, citizens expect the same convenience and efficiency from their government Web sites. Government officials and political leaders also recognize e-government as a means to cut costs by automating voluminous routine business transactions. The potential of c-government for cost saving is Summer 2005

substantial. According to an estimate by the Department of Commerce, the use of the Web can reduce the cost of processing payments to citizens and businesses by up to 80 percent and the sheer volume of government transactions implies a saving of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayers' money (18). However, carrying out transactions on the Web requires a substantially increased level of information exchange between the government and citizens (16). Also the nature of information required for transactional Web sites demands much higher degrees of data security and integrity. It also requires extensive integration of data from different sources. This provides the government an opportunity to capture knowledge from a wide range of internal and external sources and the effective use of such knowledge can increase the value of government services perceived by the constituent. Integrated Phase The integrated phase of evolution is characterized by a seamless interface that integrates all aspects of government processes. This is a different approach from the standard way of doing business where services traditionally are provided on the basis of departments in the hierarchical organizational structure. The integrated approach provides services based on function that may cut across organizational lines. Examples of applications in this phase include highly tailored Web sites, where government codified knowledge is pushed to citizens, and where they can pay local property taxes, renew state driver's licenses and apply for federal passports all in one place, with seamless interfaces back to the respective agencies involved in the transactions. 35

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In addition, in this phase the constituent is given the opportunity to customize the government portal for their needs. During customization, e-govemment enables a one-to-one relationship between the government and the citizens they serve (51). This phase depends on fully functional customer relationship management tools and alternative service delivery mechanisms that restructure interactions between citizens, businesses and governments. Integration and personalization are the key concepts in this phase. Knowledge capture in the integrated phase is from both internal and external sources. In this phase, codification and integration of knowledge is along functional rather than departmental lines. Data warehouses facilitate this type of integration and support applications that rely on the assimilation of facts. Knowledge dissemination is through personalized interfaces which the constituency themselves can customize. Thc high degree of individualization also leads to high value to the constituents. Collaborative Phase

In the Collaborative Phase, knowledge is captured from both internal and external sources. Knowledge is highly integrated, and requires new methods of codification (36). Issues to consider include determining the most advantageous way to capture knowledge exchanged on virtual whiteboards or other collaborative project spaces. Knowledge dissemination is via synchronous or asynchronous collaboration tools and can range from interactive chat tools to formalized citizen polling applications. This phase typifies Arnstein's (3) participation rung on the Citizen Participation ladder. This phase provides vehicles for high levels of involvement by the constituency and therefore delivers a considerable value to the constituent. Issues and Challenges Today, many KM tools are geared toward explicit knowledge (39). That is, "knowledge that has been captured and codified in manuals, procedures, and rules and is easy to disseminate (49). However, much of the knowledge in government organizations, and certainly within a constituency base, is tacit in nature, that is, "knowledge that cannot be easily articulated and thus only exists in people's hands and minds, and manifests itself through their actions" (49). However, Nonaka (42) argued that knowledge was transformed within and between forms. Externalization ~ the process of transforming tacit to explicit knowledge ~ is difficult because of the very nature of tacit knowledge, but "through conceptualization, elicitation and ultimately articulation, typically in collaboration with others, some portion of a person's tacit knowledge may be captured in an explicit form" (39). While technologies, such as on-line discussion databases and other collaboration tools can help support this tacit to explicit transformation, culture change is also needed to support both non-technology and technology driven knowledge sharing and transformation. Organizational culture is often cited as the most critical factor in successful technology assimilation (7). In a study analyzing data collected from 300 senior executives, Gold et al. (20) identity an information sharing culture as the most important aspect of effective knowledge management. The organizational norm must be that knowledge sharing is "usual, correct, and socially expected workplace behavior" (13). Yet in the collaborative phase of e-government development, knowledge must be shared not only internally, but also externally with constituents. This mandates a culture that is Summer 2005 Journal of Computer

constituent-focused. Development of internal and external knowledge sharing processes requires the restructuring of organizational culture from one where individuals are relatively private to one where business knowledge and ideas are actively shared throughout the organization and with constituents (25, 38). Managers must evaluate the organization's skills and develop procedures for knowledge management based on the organization's "values" (6). A key value that requries communication through the governmental organization is that partnership with the constituent base is respected and even mandated. While implementation of knowledge sharing tools can aid in the transformation to this type of culture, prior research suggests that people, as opposed to technology, are the central factor in effective cultural change in an organization (8). Culture must support collaboration. Even after clamoring for knowledge sharing tools, employees are often suspicious when they are implemented. Therefore, top levels of the organization must model internal and external knowledge sharing behaviors. In order for governmental organizations to reach the higher levels on Arnstein's ladder of Citizen Participation, and for agencies to transform its interactions with constituents into a truly collaborative environment, culture change is necessary. METHODOLOGY-THECASESTUDY We studied the evolutionary process of a city government transforming itself from a traditional government institution into an e-government provider at the City of Denton, Texas. Using our proposed model as the conceptual framework, we identified key enablers of this process. The City of Denton 's journey along this path is not complete, but gave us insight into the phases of transformation and to potential drivers of the process. This case example is described below. The City of Denton Denton is a city located 35 miles north of Dallas, Texas. It has a population of 80,000 with an annual growth rate of six percent. The City Government employs about 1,400 people and has an annual budget of $300 million. The City of Denton has made significant investments in IT improvements over the past several years. In 2000 the City established a long-range technology plan, known as Tech Plan I, in which it recognized more than 40 technical resources and objectives and mapped out support plans. In the following year the City embarked on Tech Plan 2. Building on the decentralization of Tech Plan I, a Tech Plan 2 would promote compatibility, integration, and connectivity of City technology systems. The City approached the researchers and requested assistance in assessing current IT practices and establishing long range IT plans that would increase the contribution of IT investments to the quality, productivity and effectiveness of its operations. As part of a comprehensive study of IT practices, we examined the City's egovernment initiatives, including an assessment of current plans and implementations, as well as the City's readiness for providing e-government. Action Research Methodology

In studying this organization, we adopted a rigorous "action research" methodology. Meredith et al. (41) state that action research can be seen as variant of case research but goes beyond case research. This distinction exists because a case researcher is Information Systems 36

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an independent observer while an action researcher is an active participant in a joint collaboration to study and address issues that are practical concerns to the sponsor of the study (45). From February to May 2001 a team of researchers conducted a comprehensive study with the City on various technical and organizational issues related to the use of information technologies. The research team conducted interviews with the city leadership, held focus groups with employees from a wide range of functional areas and governance levels, and administered a Web-based survey to address the following issues (11,29): How well are the technical and social subsystems of city operations aligned with each other? How effective are the policies, procedures, and processes by which IT decisions are made? How effective is IT training in improving IT resource utilization and productivity? How effective are the policies, procedures, and processes for continuously assessing and improving the effectiveness of IT resource utilization? How well is the city prepared for e-government? As part of this comprehensive research project, we studied how well the City was prepared to embrace e-government. Multiple sources of data were used so that one source of evidence could be used to augment and corroborate the others (53). We conducted 13 focus group sessions, each of which consisted of members from the executive team, management team, and work team. In total, 73 city workers were involved in the focus group sessions. Each focus group session was conducted by two research team members and lasted between I Y, and 2 hours. At the end of each session, the research team prepared a report that detailed the conversations that took place during the session. We also interviewed the director of IT Services and studied archival records and web site pages to assess various technical, organizational, and social factors that may have relevance to the issues in question. The data were iteratively analyzed and categorized by the researchers. Disagreements were resolved through rounds of discussion and eventual consensus (46). STUDY FINDINGS We present the findings from the study using the format proposed by the e-government transformation model. First, we describe how the City utilizes e-government and to what extent e-government supports knowledge management in each phase of the transformation model. Second, we describe several enablers for e-government that are observed within this study. Phases of Transformation We found that the City has embarked upon an evolutionary path by which they are transforming their operations to facilitate electronic interaction with their consistency. We integrated data gathered from the City about their current and future operations around the e-government transformation model (see Figure 2). The City of Denton has made significant strides with its cgovernment initiatives during the past few years, but has only begun the Integration phase of transformation. We observed various technical, organizational and cultural barriers that the City has to overcome to advance its e-government into the Integrated and Collaborative phases as one focus group participant aptly pointed out, "We use file transfers to communicate data between departments. This departmental Summer 2005 Journal of Computer

ownership arose primarily because of the IT legacy, during which you had to do it yourself if you wanted things to get done at all. We still don't know who to call if we need training and support. The departments seem to enjoy maintaining control over their own data and systems. If you don't have aecountability and traceability across departments, at least you can control what your department's supposed to enter." Informational. The City's initial forays into e-government were Web-based informational applications. The City's first Web site opened up in early 1997 and it contained basic city information such as addresses and phone numbers of city departments, key individuals, city services offered, and hours of operation. This provided a basic knowledge directory whereby citizens could more readily access the knowledge expertise they required. In addition, other static codified knowledge, such as the city budget was provided. Later, minutes of City Council meetings were placed on the Web site. These applications are classified as online publishing and were part of the City's initial e-government presence. To augment the publishing of meeting minutes, video and audio broadcasts were also made available on the Web. These informational applications map against the fundamental knowledge management functions in our EGTKM model (Figure 2). Knowledge capture is done primarily from internal sources as evidenced by the Web site displaying the city budget or the street address of a city department. There are no special needs for codification of this information and the need for additional integration with existing information is low. Citizens can access the informational content provided only through the Web page, and they must initiate the exchange. It is of moderate value to the constituents. Interactional. The next set of Web applications the City implemented was interactional. This phase of evolution allows citizens to retrieve forms online that previously were obtainable only through a visit to a government office. It also provides citizens with simple search capabilities, an opportunity for dialogs with government officials via e-mail and links to other pertinent Web sites. The City of Denton provides Customer Service types of applications that allow downloading of forms and applications. For example, rather than travelling to the city offices to obtain a job application, a citizen could download the form, print and complete it, and then either mail it back to the City or return it to the Human Resources Department in person. Various departments can also be contacted via e-mail using the Department E-mail Index. An alternative method of exchange is available through the "Contact Us" online form which, when submitted, is forwarded directly to a particular department. For example, if a citizen wants to find more information about a building project in his neighborhood, after viewing the available online information he can complete a "Contact Us" form and a representative from the Building Department will telephone the citizen. In this way, tacit knowledge can potentially be exchanged, going beyond codified explicit knowledge. In terms of mapping interactional applications against fundamental knowledge management functions (see Figure 2), knowledge capture is done from both internal and external sources. Information collected is codified and stored in standard operational databases. Therefore, the need for additional integration with existing information is low. Knowledge dissemination takes place through the downloading of online forms or by e-mail. It is of moderate value to the constituents. Information Systems 37

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While creating integrated knowledge structures of best practice databases whereby government employees can search and enhance their customer service capabilities is desirable, evidence from the City (and documentation from other governmental agencies) indicates that this is typically not done in this phase. The Geographical Information System (GIS) is a good example. GIS is used to create site maps and customized maps for numerous applications and requires a high level of integration and coordination to provide citizens accurate and consistent services. However, various problems persisted with the system, ranging from data entry to coding, updating, upgrading, and training. Additionally, departments were reluctant to share their data and were reluctant to trust data from other departments as evidenced by a statement made by an employee who participated in a focus group: "Since we can't trust data from other departments to be accurate or up to date, we use their information as a reference, but we don't integrate it into our system. At least within our own department, we know how far behind we are with data entry. We all run ditferent systems. The technology could be integrated, but nobody trusts anybody else's data for timeliness or accuracy." Transactional. Allowing citizens to carry out entire tasks online typifies the transactional phase of evolution. The City has implemented several online transactions that allow constituents to pay court fines, utility bills, and property taxes; to schedule an inspection; and to register for parks and recreation classes. Since the City opened up the first transactional Web site in November 2000, the number and volume of transactions has steadily increased. As of March 2003 the Municipal Court Web site has processed over $1 million in fines and handled more than 1,300 inquiries. Recently the City installed kiosks in the City Hall and a shopping mall for citizens to pay utility bills. Security is always an issue when payments are transmitted online. The City has implemented a layered security model to ensure system security protection. This multiple layered approach separates the City's internal information from information that is accessed from the outside. The City's sites have implemented security measures to protect from the loss, misuse, and alteration of information under the control of the City. As with the interactional phases, knowledge capture is from both internal and external sources. However, in this phase the requirements for integration with operational data and applications are high. This presents a challenge for the systems developers because transactions from traditional applications as well as Web-based applications are processed with equal integrity. Knowledge dissemination is through the entry and the posting of results of online transactions. Constituents are able to save time by entering transactions on the Web rather than being required to constitute the transaction in person. Therefore, we assess the value to the constituent as high. Integrated and Collaborative Phases. The City of Denton is only beginning to approach these advanced phases of evolution. While their current Web site does have the option of "My Government," little personalization is currently possible. The City has not installed customer relationship management tools, but is developing an integrated data warehouse by which data is consolidated along functional rather than departmental lines. However, for such integration across traditional departmental boundaries to happen, the City must recognize and support several key enablers.

Key Enablers In studying the City's transformational process, identified enablers that were critical to their progression. describe these crucial enablers below,

we We

Strategic Alignment and Focus. Strategic alignment is an organizational issue that goes beyond the domain of IS and should be conceptualized, operationalized, and evaluated as such (22, 24, 48). Strong leadership is critical to the success of ebusiness (50) and e-government initiatives in general, and especially to knowledge collaboration initiatives (27). Senior administrators and managers must become champions of the egovernment evolutionary path for the organization to reap the greatest returns. Specifically at the City of Denton we identified several critical elements. First, the City viewed the presence of egovernment strategic plans as essential for e-government success. Understanding that e-governrnent initiatives were important not only for day-to-day operations but tor the longterm strategic success of governmental interaction with constituents was critical. Thus, the alignment of e-government plans with the business plans of the organization was necessary. Support for these strategic plans from top officials was deemed

crucial. However, in reality, the City nad several deficiencies to overcome. First, there was little or no concerted effort for citywide IT planning. Most departments performed their own technology planning and benchmarking activities. The primary reason for this stems from the legacy of the centralized, mainframe-oriented IT department. Previous technology policy was resistant to change and perceived non-responsive to most departments. Consequently, several departments bypassed formal IT support and created their own technology staff. Over time, a certain amount of departmental pride and efficacy emerged from being able to meet their own technology needs. Furthermore, the City was not proactive in encouraging and providing incentives to share data and knowledge among its employees and constituents across functional and organizational boundaries. Since the IT department has not had the staff to formally schedule meetings with all departments, and to create channels to enable user participation, many departments still feel isolated and can often question the utility and departmental relevance of imposed technology decisions. Yet there is almost universal interest in establishing a partnering relationship with IT and integrating and leveraging technology needs across the City. Therefore, top management must demonstrate support for e-government initiatives by incorporating specific initiatives into their written strategic plans and then communicating them with all levels of the organization. To truly be successful, management must also carefully formulate c-governmcnt knowledge sharing incentives so that employees at all levels will participate in knowledge sharing and collaborative activities. More study is needed, however, to determine if and how incentives should differ from those provided in private organizations. In addition, future research must also evaluate how best to motivate a broad range of constituents to participate in collaborative opportunities. System and Data Integration. A second critical enabler is system and data integration. While this enabler is not crucial at the Informational phase, it becomes increasingly important further down the transformation path. Integration among Internet

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applications and non-Internet applications became increasingly important as the City moved into the transactional phase of constituent interaction. The extent to which data are shared among these applications that inserted, updated and deleted from common data sources became an issue. Because multiple application types (Internet and non-Internet) accessed the same data stores, coordination was essential. For employees and constituents to use the data, aggregate it, and make decisions based upon it, the underlying data had to be viewed as accurate and consistent. However, at the outset, this was not the case. Early on, one employee stated, "Since we can't trust data from other departments to be accurate or up-to-date, we use their information as a reference, but we don't integrate it into our system." To rectify this situation the City took the approach of centralized control and management of data and applications. They also found that a consistent level of data standardization was necessary to ensure smooth transition into a later egovernment phase. Security and Privacy Policies. A citizen's right to privacy remains a central concern of many constituents as well as city officials. Therefore, to ensure successful e-government endeavors, the City deemed it mandatory to deal with this issue by developing appropriate measures and by publicizing its security and privacy policy. The City believed it was not enough to merely implement secure procedures. For the public to feel confident in using the City Web site, they must be informed about the measures that protect their interactions. The City created and displays its privacy statement, and by doing so, demonstrates their firm commitment to privacy. The privacy statement discloses their information gathering and dissemination practices. All City sites have security measures implemented to provide protection for the citizens from misuse and unauthorized alteration of both personal and public data. The City of Denton exhibits only three levels of the proposed e-government model. As part of this action research, we made the following practical recommendations for the City guided by our e-government transformation model to strengthen the key enablers recognized in the study. Cultivate an organizational culture that encourages knowledge sharing and that sees organizational knowledge as a valuable asset to be properly managed and utilized. Establish an e-government task force to develop plans and guidelines. Benchmark against comparable municipalities for the City's progress on e-government initiatives. Develop an enterprise data model. This is one of the most challenging initiatives with the most far-reaching impact. This initiative requires commitment and support of the City's leadership and extensive participation of all departments and personnel. Conduct regular security audits for early detection and prevention of potential security breaches. communicate and guidelines educate employees andand citizens. Set standards and for security privacy and CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

knowledge sharing and partnership between the citizens and the government accomplished. The study revealed that the City of Denton - like most other government organizations - is currently far from reaching the Collaborative stage where citizens are empowered to become partners with government. In order to facilitate the transformational process, the recommendations include that the government institute a constituent-centric, knowledge-sharing culture and focus on key enablers: strategic alignment and focus, data and system integration, and security and privacy policies. Without the presence of these, the transformational process is obstructed. It is our desire that the proposed e-government transformation model and the study's findings provide e-government practitioners with valuable guidance for their initiatives. This study also makes a theoretical contribution because the proposed e-government transformation model provides a framework for future investigations into issues associated with e-government and knowledge management.

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