Dubai Government: Smart Services and Re-Engineered Processes Research Paper

Literature Review

The present literature review is devoted to the topics of smart services (SS) and the re-engineering processes that are required to implement SS. As of late, the UAE has been actively employing SS in the form of e-government, and Dubai is not an exception in this respect (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2016; Kusek, Verheijen, & Bhatti, 2014). As a result, the introduction of SS at DEWA has been informed by theory and practice and promoted by the government, which allows for situating the event in a literature review on the topic.

Smart Services

Service is regarded as a “smart” one if it employs modern technologies and innovative approaches or models to improve its ability to reach its goal, which is typically concerned with customer satisfaction that can be achieved through the development of various service parameters like effectiveness or speed (Dolicanin, Kajan, Randjelovic, & Stojanovic, 2014). Concerning the government, SS is concerned with public services that are enhanced through the use of technology to improve their effectiveness as well as the transparency of the actions of the government (Kusek et al., 2014). Both these outcomes are increasingly demanded by modern governments, which explains their interest in SS and smart government that can also be termed as e-government (Morton-Huddleston, 2012).

The implementation of SS is typically correlated with the significant change that often restructures the processes of an organization. As a result, SS is correlated with the re-engineering process that can be defined as the noticeable structural change (Davenport, 2013; Mola et al., 2015). Apart from that, the success of SS largely depends on the way it has been implemented (Bhatnagar, 2009, p. 79). As a result, the importance of process re-engineering for SS cannot be overestimated.

E-Government

The idea of smart e-government has been developing since the 1970s together with the general access of the public to computer technologies (Al-Jenaibi, 2016, p. 21). The notion of e-government defines the use of modern communication technologies by the government, but it may be suggested that the common feature of using these technologies consists of the aim to “transform relations with citizens, businesses and other arms of government” by developing these relations, increasing the quality and quantity of information provided to citizens, enhancing the government’s effectiveness, and generally improving the services that are offered by the body or institution (Kumar, 2015, p. 81).

Apart from that, the governments that employ e-governmental technologies also often expect that the innovation will contribute to other aspects of its activities, eventually resulting in the improvement of the country’s financial and environmental sustainability (Dolicanin et al., 2014). It can be suggested that SS in the field of government is not equal to e-government, but the two notions are closely related.

Smart Services and Dubai

The UAE in general (and Dubai in particular) has been developing SS in the field of governmental services primarily through the notion of e-government (Al-Jenaibi, 2016). The success of the country’s initiative is demonstrated by the increase in customer satisfaction, which also results from improved efficiency, in particular, enhanced speed (Al-Jenaibi, 2016). Similarly, employees typically report satisfaction and a willingness to proceed to work with the UAE e-government systems and initiatives (Al-Jenaibi, 2015).

However, some issues in the field are still reported; in particular, Al-Jenaibi (2016) describes the lack of clear universal vision and centralized coordination of SS the UAE e-government efforts. Also, Al-Jenaibi (2015) has discovered several issues that typically arise during the adoption of e-government, which includes the costs, the lack of IT skills, and the development of evaluation activities. Also, Al-Khouri (2011) reports that the achievement of the goals of the innovation is also typically a challenge that is not always successfully managed. The mentioned issues will be considered in the course of the DEWA investigation in the present research and will inform the creation of the questionnaire.

The Literature on the Topic and the Method and the Present Paper

The bulk of literature on the topic has been growing in the past years, and it is being discussed by practitioners and theorists (Kusek et al., 2014). In particular, the study of specific cases of SS implementation, which, for example, is carried out by Kusek et al. (2014), appears to be a valid strategy in the field. The present study also intends to discuss a case study (that of DEWA), and apart from that, it is going to be dedicated to insider research: the research that is carried out by an employee of the company.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to this type of research: It involves a person who can be biased for the settings but also possesses certain preexisting knowledge on it (Coghlan & Brannick, 2014). As a result, the new case study that is explored through insider research is likely to contribute to the growing field of knowledge and to be of interest to the practitioners within DEWA and outside of it.

Questionnaire

Development notes

A draft of a questionnaire is proposed below. E-mail communication will be used to disseminate the questionnaire among the majority of respondents for greater convenience to avoid printing the materials and to reach the respondents wherever they may be. Also, personal interviews with the project manager (and other team members who will volunteer) will be carried out with the same questions that will be used as open-ended ones. No disguising is required since the respondents are very knowledgeable about the topic and are likely to be interested in the results of the study. Finally, a mix of various response strategies is employed to make use of their diverse advantages.

Questionnaire

Thank you very much for agreeing to participate in the present study! This questionnaire will help us to examine the re-engineering processes that DEWA has used to implement its Smart Services (SS). Given your direct experience on the matter, we ask you to respond to the following questions while paying attention to their instructions. Please feel free to skip questions if you find that you cannot or do not want to respond to them. No personal information will be disclosed, and the final report of the study will not contain your name or attempts to identify your responses.

Your Role in the Project

• What part did you take (have been taking) in the implementation of SS at DEWA?
  • Project manager
  • Team member
  • Consulting activities
  • Other
• Have you had any prior experience in the field of SS?
  • Yes, ___ years
  • No.
• Have you had any prior experience in the field of process re-engineering?
  • Yes, ___ years
  • No
  • DEWA and SS
• Do you think that the senior management of DEWA considers SS necessary? Why or why not?
  • _______________________________________________________
• Consider the SS implementation project at DEWA. Do you find that it has been:

• Rate the following aspects of SS implementation. Insert numbers where 1 stands for “the most challenging” and the last number (e.g., 5) for “the least challenging.”

• Did the process of SS implementation involve major re-engineering? What did it entail?
  • _______________________________________________________
• Consider the re-engineering process that was involved in the SS implementation. Do you find that it has been:

• Have you been engaged in the resolution of particular challenges throughout the implementation of the project? What did they entail?
  • _______________________________________________________
• Did the project achieve its goals? Is it moving toward achieving its goals?
  • Yes.
  • No.
  • It is not clear yet.
  • I am not sure.
  • I want to elaborate: ___________________________________
• What SS implementation results are noticeable at the moment? You may choose several options.
  • Increased quality of services. Feel free to specify the aspect of the quality:
    • speed
    • efficiency
    • other __________________________________.
  • Increased customer satisfaction
  • Increased employee satisfaction
  • No noticeable results
  • Decreased quality of service
  • Decreased employee satisfaction
  • Decreased customer satisfaction
  • Other _______________________________________
• Do you personally think that SS is necessary for DEWA? Why or why not?
  • _______________________________________________________
• Are you personally satisfied with the results? Why or why not?
  • _______________________________________________________
• What do you think is going to happen to DEWA’s SS in the future?
  • It is durable, and it will be used for a while.
  • It is modifiable, and it will be improved.
  • It is flawed, and it will be dismantled.
  • Other_______________________________________________
• Please make suggestions on the continued improvement of DEWA’s SS if you have any in mind.
  • _______________________________________________________

Thank you for your help!

References

Al-Jenaibi, B. (2015). The New Electronic Government. International Journal Of Knowledge Society Research, 6(3), 45-74. Web.

Al-Jenaibi, B. (2016). Upgrading Society with Smart Government. International Journal Of Information Systems And Social Change, 7(4), 20-51. Web.

Al-Khouri, A. (2011). An Innovative Approach for E-Government Transformation. International Journal Of Managing Value And Supply Chains, 2(1), 22-43. Web.

Coghlan, D., & Brannick, T. (2014). Doing action research in your own organization (4th ed.). London: Sage.

Davenport, T. (2013). Process innovation. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.

Dolicanin, C., Kajan, E., Randjelovic, D., & Stojanovic, B. (2014). Handbook of research on democratic strategies and citizen-centered e-government services. London, UK: IGI Global.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. (2016). MD & CEO of DEWA and President & CEO of KEPCO conduct ground-breaking of Smart Grid Station. Web.

Kumar, V. (2015). E-Governance for Smart Cities. Singapore: Springer Singapore.

Kusek, J., Verheijen, A., & Bhatti, Z. (2014). Logged on: Smart Government Solutions From South Asia. New York, NY: The World Bank Group.

Mola, L., Pennarola, F., & Za, S. (2015). From information to smart society. Cham, Germany: Springer.

Morton-Huddleston, W. (2012). Government accountability: Looking toward 2013. The Journal of Government Financial Management, 61(4), 33-36. Web.