Steria today releases the results of a European-wide qualitative research project which surveyed senior civil servants and public officials in government departments and agencies about their attitudes towards the future of public administration.

The study, ‘Beyond Efficiency: Public Administration Transformation’, revealed that open data, citizen-centric services, collaboration between private and public organisations and citizens as well as shared services are the top issues facing public sector leaders across Europe. One third of European civil servants surveyed agreed that breaking down departmental silos is vital to developing more citizen-centric services.

These themes are being driven by issues such as the financial debt crisis, ageing populations, demand from the public for greater transparency especially with regards to data and Europe moving towards a single market as well as increasing globalisation.

The trend observed in Europe resonates with the public administration functioning in India, where the Parliament of the country endorsed the mandate for timely response to citizen requests for government information by passing The Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI).

Pierre Basquin, Leader of Steria’s Public Administration Business Community, comments, “The research shows that there is a wealth of knowledge about these issues and a passionate desire among European senior civil servants to do things differently and try out new ideas. How each country approaches the issues varies, but they are meeting and sharing knowledge and ideas to drive transformation. If the European Union gets this right it can create a landscape in which political dogma on how services should be designed and provided would no longer prevail but the best solution would be allowed to emerge combining the capabilities of public servants, non-governmental organisations, businesses and citizens themselves at the same time as embracing new tools and information communication technologies.”

François Enaud, CEO, Steria, says, “This research shows that the future pressures facing Governments across Europe will require departments and organisations to simplify and automate processes, particularly around open data, if they truly want to innovate. We are already seeing some of these future themes playing out on the ground in Germany and Belgium for example – countries ahead of the curve for data-sharing. But other countries have further to go to break down departmental silos and regain public trust if they want to improve on their promise of open data and improving front-line services.”

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Methodology

The study, carried out by Global Futures and Foresight (GFF) on behalf of Steria, surveyed 62 senior civil servants in government in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Norway and the Netherlands asking them about their attitudes towards the future of public sector administration. The research was carried out by a combination of email and telephone questionnaires in February and March 2012.

About Steria

Steria delivers IT enabled business services which help organisations in the public and private sectors operate more efficiently and profitably. By combining an in depth understanding of our clients’ businesses with expertise in IT and business process outsourcing, we take on our clients’ challenges and develop innovative solutions to address them. Through our highly collaborative consulting style, we work with our clients to transform their business, enabling them to focus on what they do best. Our 20,000 people, working across 16 countries, support the systems, services and processes that make today’s world turn, touching the lives of millions around the globe each day. Founded in 1969, Steria has offices in Europe, India, North Africa and SE Asia and 2011 revenue of €1.75 billion. 21 percent of Steria’s capital is owned by its employees. Headquartered in Paris, Steria is listed on the Euronext Paris market.