How does digital transformation take place within local authorities?

Today, we are living in the digital age. In daily life, at work and at home, everything can be organized, prepared and ordered in one click via your smartphone, tablet or computer.

In the same way that the Industrial Revolution profoundly changed society in the 19th century.^E century, digital transformation is changing our current society and our relationship to work.

Some local authorities have understood this well and are already involved in this digital revolution despite the numerous obstacles (change of mandates, budgetary constraints, etc.). Dematerialization of documents, electronic signature, mobility and teleworking, various tools and applications or even the Internet of Things, discover how digital transformation takes place within communities.

What is digital transformation?

To begin with, do you really know what digital transformation or digital transformation is?

According to 1min30, the digital transformation refers to the process by which an organization fully integrates digital technologies into all of its activities.

Local authorities, like businesses, are therefore gradually integrating new technologies such as dematerialization, the Internet of Things or even mobility, and are changing the way they work by focusing in particular on digitalization and collaboration. All this in order to simplify the lives of citizens, to better meet their needs and requirements, to facilitate the daily work of agents, to gain in efficiency, but also to improve the attractiveness of territories.

In 2018, a large number of local authorities embarked on this digital transformation to make it one of the priority axes of their development.

Digital transformation in communities

Here is how digital transformation is implemented within local authorities.

Modernizing work tools

Digital transformation requires equipping departments and agents with adapted tools in order to offer them efficient working conditions, in line with the new challenges they face.

These new digital tools should therefore enable agents to better fulfill their missions and to satisfy users whose expectations have also evolved.

To promote the digitalization of services, you must therefore:

• equip departments and agents who need them with tablets and laptops;
• set up instant messaging and videoconferencing systems to facilitate communication between departments, but also with the various partners;
• make files and documents easily accessible to everyone by storing them in a single space.

To facilitate the work of agents, there are now numerous software and collaborative platforms available on the market. Tools of sharing documents online such as Wimi or Wimi Armoured are particularly suited to local authorities because, in addition to offering all the essential aspects (messaging, videoconferencing, document storage, agenda, etc.), they guarantee the protection and security of data by hosting them in France. A condition that has become mandatory since the April 2016 circular concerning the use of a sovereign cloud.

The development of collaborative work

It is not because your agents are equipped with tablets that you have succeeded in your digital transformation. It's a bit more complicated than that.

The digital revolution requires a cultural change and an evolution of the way of working. Communities need to change the way they work and adopt collaborative work.

Now, departments can no longer work separately. It is necessary to establish transversality between services so that the various functions communicate and collaborate with each other in order to guarantee the success of projects and to propose effective solutions to the problems and needs of citizens.

Thus, to promote the decompartmentalization of services and facilitate collaborative work within communities, it is necessary to:

• create an environment favorable to collaboration with, in particular, the establishment of open spaces to facilitate communication and exchanges between agents.
• Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of everyone in this new organization.
• Promote the transparency and accountability of agents.
• Develop team spirit and trust between employees.
• Use appropriate tools.

The implementation of change management

It is a fact: change worries and elicits negative reactions such as fear, opposition, resistance, etc. Many agents may feel overwhelmed in the face of the new challenges of the digital revolution. To avoid them being strongly opposed to it, you must help them, support them and give them the means to take ownership of this digital transformation.

Change management is essential for this transformation to succeed. To do this, several solutions are available to you:

• training in new working methods and new tools;
• the creation of communication supports;
• the establishment of a reference person to reassure and answer the questions of agents.

Conclusion

The digital revolution should not be perceived as a risk by local authorities, but as an opportunity. In particular, digital tools save time and simplify the work of public service agents. However, this transformation involves a cultural and behavioral evolution that forces communities to rethink their operating methods and managerial practices.