|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
Transforming service to Canadians: the Service Canada model
Maryantonett Flumian
University of Ottawa
Amanda Coe
Service Canada, Government of Canada
Kenneth Kernaghan
Political Science and Management at Brock University, Canada
Over the past decade, the pursuit of citizen-centred service, combined with rapid advances in information and communication technologies, has stimulated innovative approaches to the organizational design of governments' service delivery systems. Service delivery organizations in Canada and elsewhere have taken a variety of organizational forms, thereby providing a range of models for adoption or adaptation. Service Canada offers Canadians a new model for the delivery of government services. It is a one-stop, multi-channel and multi-jurisdictional initiative that is dedicated to delivering seamless citizen-centred service. It brings together a wide range of government programmes and services from across federal departments and other levels of government to provide citizens with integrated, easy-to-access, personalized service. This article assesses the possibilities that the Service Canada model presents for service transformation through integrated service delivery (ISD) and discusses political, structural, operational, managerial and cultural barriers to its implementation.
Points for practitioners
Successful ISD initiatives can take a variety of organizational forms with an array of governance arrangements. While some of the ISD challenges are not faced by all countries, many of the challenges (e.g. privacy and security issues) are of a generic nature. Many of the solutions to ISD challenges are also of general application, including those utilized by Service Canada — the innovative use of partnerships, adequate funding, guaranteed privacy and security and effective human resource management. Note also that successful service transformation requires the creation of a culture of service excellence among employees, the demonstration of frequent and tangible results, and understanding that leadership in service integration requires a capacity for adapting to an ambiguous and ever-changing environment.
Key Words: citizen-centred service • integrated service delivery • one-stop shops • public service reform • service transformation • single-window service
References
- Accenture (2005) EGovernment Leadership: High Performance, Maximum Value. On-line at http://www.accenture.com/xdoc/en/industries/government/gove_egov_value.pdf
- Accenture (2006) Leadership in Customer Service: Building the Trust. On-line at http://www.accenture.com/xdoc/ca/locations/canada/acn_2006_govt_report_FINAL_sm.pdf
- Bent, Stephen, Kernaghan, Kenneth and Marson, Brian (1999) Innovations and Good Practices in Single Window Service. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Management Development.
- Binkley, Alex (15 June 2005) `Yes, but... Service Canada comes under fire', CIO Canada Government Review. On-line at http://www.intergovworld.com/article/idgml-7d54e53c-c512—4f68—9d02-dcd93ce6da19/pg1.htm
- Canada, Department of Finance (2005) Budget 2005, Expenditure Review for Sound Fiscal Management. On-line at www.fin.gc.ca/budget05/pdf/bkexpe.pdf
- Canada, Government On-Line, 2006. On-line at http://www.gol-ged.gc.ca/index_e.asp
- Crossing Boundaries National Council (August 2005) Privacy in the Information Age: Government Services and You. On-line at http://www.crossingboundaries.ca/files/kta_final_report_050805.pdf
- d'Auray, Michelle, Flumian, Maryantonett and Valeri, Tony (2003) `From Ideas to Actions: Toward Seamless Government', Policy, Politics and Governance 6: 1—8.
- Erin Research Inc. for the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (2003) Citizens First 3. Toronto: Institute of Public Administration of Canada.
- Heintzman, Ralph and Marson, Brian (2005) ` People, Service and Trust: Is there a Public Sector Service Value Chain?', International Review of Administrative Sciences 71(4): 549—75.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Kernaghan, Kenneth (2005) `Moving Towards the Virtual State: Integrating Services and Service Channels for Citizen-centred Delivery', International Review of Administrative Sciences 71(1): 119—31.[Abstract]
- Kernaghan, Kenneth (2007) `Beyond Bubble Gum and Good Will: Integrating Service Delivery', in Sandford Borins, Kenneth Kernaghan, David Brown, Nick Bontis, Perri 6 and Fred Thompson Digital State at the Leading Edge, Ch. 4. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- Phase 5 Consulting Group Inc. for the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada ( 2005) Citizens First 4. Toronto: Institute for Citizen-Centred Service.
- Roy, Jeffrey (2006) `E-service Delivery and New Governance Capacities: "Service Canada" as a Case Study', International Journal of Services Technology and Management 7(3): 253—71.
- Service Canada (31 May 2006) Service Canada: Awareness Baseline Study, Final Report. On-line at http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/about/por/awareness/index.shtml
- Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (2004 ) Serving Canadians Better: Moving Forward with Service Transformation at the Enterprise Level. On-line at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cio-dpi/2004/canada/canada05_e.asp
International Review of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 73, No. 4,
557-568 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0020852307083458
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
K. Kernaghan
Moving towards integrated public governance: improving service delivery through community engagement
International Review of Administrative Sciences,
June 1, 2009;
75(2):
239 - 254.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Samaratunge, K. Coghill, and H.M.A. Herath
Tsunami engulfs Sri Lankan governance
International Review of Administrative Sciences,
December 1, 2008;
74(4):
677 - 702.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
