Governments are tearing down walls to deliver solutions
Governments are moving from hierarchies to networks to enable intragovernment collaboration, and nurturing collaborative public-private ecosystems to achieve shared outcomes. Explore the nine transformational trends that illustrate governments “bringing down walls” to deliver solutions.
To tackle changing citizen preferences, employee needs, and talent shortages, governments are exploring new workforce models and are prioritising flexibility. The Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2023 report revealed that over 50% of European public sector organisations are making it a priority to match workers better to their work based on skills, and 23% believe that a thriving workplace not only increases, but also maintains worker engagement.
By paying special attention to data governance and the broader purpose of data usage, government agencies can break down barriers to improve data-sharing across government, companies, academia, and individuals to create innovation, enhance public services, and improve people's lives. Initiatives such as SmartMove, Vlaamse datastrategie, the ethical and trustworthy use of AI by VDAB, and the New Interoperable Europe Act introduced by the European Commission illustrate this trend.
Governments have long recognised the need to break down funding barriers to achieve better outcomes. Fostering greater collaboration and shared problem-solving can help resolve roadblocks to creating greater public value. A European example of this trend is the Next Generation EU (NGEU) plan, which represents one of the most recent, largest-scale initiatives to date in Europe.
Digital technology is enabling greater personalisation. Tailored services can be more effective and equitable, toward a “government for one”. In Europe, an example of this trend is the Single Digital Gateway Regulation (SDGR) that aims to reduce the administrative burden on citizens and businesses, eliminate discrimination, and boost free movement within Europe.
Government back-office functions and processes are moving beyond automation and internal efficiency. Government agencies in all sectors are using data to innovate back-office functions to better allocate resources, identify risks, and improve service delivery.
Governments are eliminating silos in areas such as data, funding, and workforce to pool resources and capabilities.
Domain-focused trends
Governments are nurturing collaborative public-private ecosystems to take advantage of shared knowledge and unique strengths to drive solutions in key government domains.
Regulation that enables innovation
To catalyse innovation, government regulatory agencies encourage investment, streamline regulation, and set standards to promote industry best practices.
Governments are actively working toward restructuring complex, multi-layered healthcare systems to deliver integrated patient-centred health and social care services.
Creating a more just society calls for collaboration and resource-sharing across the justice system. This goes beyond courts, law enforcement, and corrections and includes the private sector, non-profits, and communities. In Europe, an ecosystem approach and vision, or collaboration model, is of utmost importance.
The influence of the private sector, non-profits, and individuals on global issues such as national security, diplomacy, technology innovation and climate change is growing. Governments are finding ways to build greater cooperation with these entities—developing mechanisms to align on key incentives and achieve shared goals.
