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How the IT revolution might speak to Whitehall…

How should a visionary architect of the online revolution speak of the top of the civil service? How about:

“Sir Bonar is a very special permanent secretary. He’s old school. I like him a lot.”

To understand what this really means consider that

when we say someone is “special” we mean as in “special education.” As in, “rides the short bus.” When we say “old school” we mean “likely has Alzheimer’s.” When we say “I like him a lot,” it means we can’t wait to rip out his heart and eat it in front of him. Peace, Sir Bonar, you wacky old civil service dope. I like you a lot. Truly. And I sincerely wish you the best with this Transformational Government thing. The XYZ Corporation will stand by you all the way as your key strategic business partner.

Illustrates the culture clash well, I reckon. The big difference of course is that when the big hitters of the IT industry meet Whitehall they just want contracts. They don’t really tackle the question of what we’re really trying to achieve, or who is going to be displaced or replaced in the process, and with what, and how. I doubt they ever spend any time discussing public services which are designed entirely around users needs. The recesses of Whitehall have dug themselves in for decades. They’re a lot safer from hostile forces of change than the deepest caves of Tora Bora.

Published by William Heath on 26/10/07 at 10:14am

Comments

1. What is this XYZ Corporation?

   Reply by AndreyM  on  11/04/07  at  11:16 pm

Ideal Government

Let's say what we want from e-enabled government. Let's observe government first-hand. Let's say "Wouldn't It Be Better If" (WIBBI). Become an ethnographer of bureaucracy today! It beats getting frustrated with public services.

Categories

• "What do we want?"
  • Wibbipedia/MindtheGap
  • Design: Co-creation
    • Online Maps
  • Design: user-oriented
  • Foundation of Trust
    • Identity
    • Data nitwittery
    • Official fibbing/bad stats
  • Save Time and Money
• Greener government IT
• Pertinent Art
• Power of Information
• Political engagement
• "Transformational Government"
• Government Procurement
• Across the Board
• Ideal Goverment - project

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