Robotic process automation in local government a system for efficiency, or just another system to handle
- 1. Robotic process automation in local government: a system for efficiency, or just another system to handle? Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021 Ida Lindgren PhD., Associate Professor of Information Systems Division for Information Systems and Digitalization Department of Management and Engineering Linköping university Contact: ida.lindgren@liu.se
- 2. RPA in Swedish Municipalities • Swedish municipalities face an ageing population, shrinking budgets, and increased difficulties in recruiting new personnel. – New ways of working are needed. • Policy documents by the Swedish Association for Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and the Trelleborg case – highlights Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as a means for increasing efficiency and effectiveness in local government. 2021-07-18 2 Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 3. The underlying problem and idea 2021-07-18 3 Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021. Pictures ©Ida Lindgren/Ellen Lindgren
- 4. From form to robot? Findings from an ongoing project • The aim of the project is to map the development of automation of administrative processes in Swedish municipalities and develop a decision support tool that can be used to decide if, and to what degree, a specific process can be automated. • We build on qualitative interpretive case studies, gaining insights from semi-structured interviews with employees at: – Three large municipalities that have implemented RPA – Two small municipalities that are preparing for RPA implementation – Three RPA suppliers – The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) 2021-07-18 4 Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021. *The project ”From form to robot? On automated case handling in Swedish municipalities”, 2020-2022, is funded by AFA Försäkring. Picture ©Ida Lindgren/Ellen Lindgren
- 5. Theoretical framing 7/18/2021 5 • Automation = the execution by a machine agent (usually a computer) of a function that was previously carried out by a human (Parasuraman & Riley, 1997). • Automation is understood in terms of several digital technologies, e.g., Robotic Process Automation, systems integration, APIs, chatbots, integration platforms, and more. • We study automation of administrative processes through the lens of stakeholder theory and public value (e.g., Rose et al., 2015). R. Parasuraman & V. Riley 1997. Humans and Automation: Use, Misuse, Disuse, Abuse. Human Factors, 39(2), 230-253. Rose, J., Persson, J. S., Heeager, L. T., & Irani, Z. (2015). Managing e‐Government: value positions and relationships. Information Systems Journal, 25(5), 531-571. Efficiency Efficiency Value for money Productivity Performance Service Public service Citizen centricity Service level and quality Professionalism Durability Equity Legality Accountability Engagement Democracy Deliberation Participation Digital technology as an enabler of value? Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 6. Citizens Public e-Service Public organization (Digitalization) strategist IT-personnel Information system (software, hardware, networks, etc.) Private IT supplier(s) can work at the public organization can work for private IT-supplier provides is made up by, and interacts with provides actors in the organization interact with interact with Top and middle manager(s) Public servant/ case worker Point of departure: Digital government from a stakeholder perspective Directions from the political layer Economists and controllers Legal expert Project managers, Business process developers Own illustration. Inspired by: Lindgren, I. (2013). Public e-Service Stakeholders. Doctoral Dissertation, Linköpings universitet. Heeks, R. (2006). Implementing and Managing eGovernment. An international text. London: Sage. …and others! HR/HRM Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 7. Citizens Public e-Service Public organization Digitalization strategist IT-personnel Information system (software, hardware, networks, etc.) Private IT supplier(s) can work at the public organization can work for private IT-supplier provides is made up by, and interacts with provides actors in the organization interact with interact with Top and middle manager(s) Public servant/ case worker Directions from the political layer Economists and controllers Legal expert Project managers, Business process developers …and others! HR/HRM Efficiency Professionalism Service Own illustration. Based on: Lindgren, I. (2013). Public e-Service Stakeholders. Doctoral Dissertation, Linköpings universitet. Toll, Lindgren, Melin (2021) Process Automation as Enabler of Prioritized Values in Local Government – A Stakeholder Analysis. Research Paper accepted at EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2021. Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 8. Citizens Public e-Service Public organization Digitalization strategist IT-personnel Information system (software, hardware, networks, etc.) Private IT supplier(s) can work at the public organization can work for private IT-supplier provides is made up by, and interacts with provides interact with Top and middle manager(s) Directions from the political layer Economists and controllers Project managers, Business process developers Own illustration. Based on: Lindgren, I. (2013). Public e-Service Stakeholders. Doctoral Dissertation, Linköpings universitet. Toll, Lindgren, Melin (2021) Process Automation as Enabler of Prioritized Values in Local Government – A Stakeholder Analysis. Research Paper accepted at EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2021. …and others! Cost-reductions Reduce workload More interesting work content Efficiency Professionalism Legal expert HR/HRM Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 9. IT-personnel Information system (software, hardware, networks, etc.) can work at the public organization provides Project managers, Business process developers …and others! actors in the organization interact with Citizens Public e-Service Public organization Private IT supplier(s) can work for private IT-supplier is made up by, and interacts with provides interact with Top and middle manager(s) Directions from the political layer Economists and controllers Own illustration. Based on: Lindgren, I. (2013). Public e-Service Stakeholders. Doctoral Dissertation, Linköpings universitet. Toll, Lindgren, Melin (2021) Process Automation as Enabler of Prioritized Values in Local Government – A Stakeholder Analysis. Research Paper accepted at EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2021. Faster & better service Reduce workload More interesting work content Service Professionalism Public servant/ case worker ? Digitalization strategist Legal expert HR/HRM Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 10. Citizens Public e-Service Public organization IT-personnel Information system (software, hardware, networks, etc.) Private IT supplier(s) can work at the public organization can work for private IT-supplier provides is made up by, and interacts with provides actors in the organization interact with interact with Top and middle manager(s) Public servant/ case worker Directions from the political layer Economists and controllers Project managers, Business process developers …and others! Own illustration. Based on: Lindgren, I. (2013). Public e-Service Stakeholders. Doctoral Dissertation, Linköpings universitet. Toll, Lindgren, Melin (2021) Process Automation as Enabler of Prioritized Values in Local Government – A Stakeholder Analysis. Research Paper accepted at EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2021. can work at the public organization Robustness Streamlining Efficient use of IT resources Professionalism ? Digitalization strategist Legal expert HR/HRM Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 11. Challenges • There is a general understanding that RPA needs to be developed bottom-up. However, due to lack of interest in the organizations, a top-down approach is used. • RPA implementation requires new roles and structures in the organizations. They lack key competences to fill these roles and depend on external consultants and a few committed enthusiasts. • The municipalities experience challenges related to – resource planning and lack of methods/workflows for RPA development, including how to identify suitable processes for automation and process modeling. – assessing return of investment and value created by RPA. – moving from pilots to large-scale implementation. 2021-07-18 11 Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 12. Directions from the political layer call for further digitalization and automation of work in local government. These directions are built on ideals, rather than concrete experiences. Digitalization is recognized as a driver of change for the whole organization, spurring changes in the role and purpose of e.g., the traditional IT-department. Automation further highlights and accelerates this change. Automation calls for new work processes in which people from both IT and the business processes can develop technology together. This, in turn, requires e.g., new funding and budgeting procedures. 1. 2. 3. Summary Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 13. Publications • Toll, Lindgren, Melin (2021) Process Automation as Enabler of Prioritized Values in Local Government – A Stakeholder Analysis. Research Paper accepted at EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2021. • Söderström, Johansson, Toll (2021), Automation As Migration? - Identifying Factors Influencing Adoption of RPA in Local Government, Research in Progress paper accepted at Twenty-Ninth European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2021), Marrakesh, Morocco. • Lindgren, Toll och Melin (2021). Automation as a Driver of Digital Transformation in Local Government. Exploring Stakeholder Views on an Automation Initiative in a Swedish Municipality. Accepterad full research paper, DG.O’2021, 9-11 June, 2021. • Lindgren, I. (2020). Exploring the Use of Robotic Process Automation in Local Government. EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2020, 249. • Toll, D., & Söderström, F. What is this ‘RPA’ they are selling?. EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2020, 365. • Ongoing book project (Springer): https://publicserviceautomation.com 2021-07-18 13 Ida Lindgren, Presentation at Samos 2021 Summit, 28 June 2021.
- 14. Thank you for listening! Ida Lindgren PhD., Associate Professor of Information Systems Division for Information Systems and Digitalization Department of Management and Engineering Linköping university Contact: ida.lindgren@liu.se