1. Seminar on Electronic Government
E-Government, Changing
Jurisdictions and Boundary
Management
Victor BEKKERS
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Faculty of Social Sciences, Public Administration
Group, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Reginald G. Ugaddan
SKKU Graduate School of Governance
1

2. Contents
A. Introduction
B. Organizational Jurisdictions and Legal Boundaries
C. Other Organizational Models and Other Organizational Boundaries
D. Nature of Organizational Boundaries
E. Interorganizational Information Processing
F. E-government and the Re-Definition of Organizational Boundaries
G. Management of Organizational Boundaries and Changing
Organizational Jurisdictions
2

3. Introduction
E-government is synonymous with the modernization of
Public Administration
3

4. Citizens
Exchange of Information and
knowledge & communication
Government
(E-government
Initiative)
Other GOs NGOs/POs
Companies
4

5. Blurring of Organizational Boundary
Organizational
Government Blurring of
(E-Government Geographical Organization
Initiatives)
Functional
Barriers
5

6. Blurring of Organizational Boundary
Government Quality of Service Blurring of
(E-Government Organization
Initiatives) Accessibility & Transparency
Efficiency of Gov’t Operations
6
Government

7. Reasons why boundary management is an issue in PA
1. Changing organizational boundaries affects several
organizational domains: structure of the
organization, its process, culture, and the power
relations within the organization.
2. E-government can have a profound impact on the
exchange and communication in relations with
relevant stakeholders in the environment of an
organization: the nature of existing relations could
alter while new relations could be added.
3. The boundary management of e-government has
important normative implications that are reflected in
the notion of jurisdiction.
7

8. From the notion of information ecology of
e-government… In Davenport's idea of information
ecology, it is important to take into
account the internal and external
environment in which e-government
initiatives are initiated.
External Environment
Information Architecture
Strategy of the Organization
Efficacy of ICT
Characteristics of ICT
Organizational Politics
Culture and Staff
Business Processes Internal Environment
8

9. Organizational Jurisdictions and Legal Boundaries
RATIONAL MODEL OF ORGANIZATION
Rational organization is the rational coordination of the
activities of a number of people for the achievement of some
common explicit purpose or goal, through division of labor
and function and through a hierarchy of authority and
responsibility.
Emphasis lies on the organizational structure.
How are the boundaries of organization conceived in
this model?
9

10. Organizational Jurisdictions and Legal Boundaries
Sub-goals
Tasks and competencies
All tasks and competencies are
laid down in all kinds of laws and
regulations that define its
organizational jurisdiction.
10

11. Organizational Jurisdictions and Legal Boundaries
Formalization is the extent to which rules
and procedures are followed in an
organization in order to reduce
uncertainty, variety and subjectivity.
FORMALIZATION
Organizations use formalization to increase
their rationality. In one sense formalization
is an attempt to make behavior more
predictable by standardizing it.
Formalization
11

12. Organizational Jurisdictions and Legal Boundaries
LEGAL MODEL OF THE ORGANIZATION
Government organizations should function according to
some principles of the Rechtstaat.
What is Rechtsstaat?
12

13. Rechtsstaat
Rechtsstaat (German: Rechtsstaat) is a concept in continental
European legal thinking, originally borrowed from German
jurisprudence, which can be translated as "legal state", "state of
law", "state of justice", or "state of rights". It is a "constitutional
state" in which the exercise of governmental power is
constrained by the law, and is often tied to the Anglo-American
concept of the rule of law. (Wikipedia)
13

14. Rechtsstaat
In Rechtsstaat, government action which
influences and very often restricts the behavior
of citizens should be based on the law.
The degree of formalization of the content of a task
and territorial and/or functional domain define to
some extent the legal boundaries of the
government organizations.
Constitutional Right of the Citizen. They are
seen as a safeguard against abuse of
government organizations such as right of
privacy.
14

15. Other Organizational Models and Other Organizational
Boundaries
Cultural Model of Organization
Political Model of Organization
Open System’s Model of Organization
Open’s Systems Model of Organization
Extended: Inter-organizational Relations
15

16. Other Organizational Models and Other Organizational
Boundaries
Cultural Model of Organization
an organization is a community in which it has culture
which can be described in terms of values and
norms, rituals, heroes, legends and communication
patterns. These reduce uncertainty and create stability
and safety in the organization.
Political Model of Organization
Organization is seen as an arena in the political
perspective wherein it consists of a conglomerate of
parties with conflicting, but also with mutual interests.
16

17. Other Organizational Models and Other Organizational
Boundaries
Open System’s Model of Organization
Organizations are seen as natural and open systems
that are connected to an environment through all kinds
of input and output processes. An organization draws
its resources from the environment (input) and
transforms these resources into good or services
(output).
Open’s Systems Model of Organization
Extended: Inter-organizational Relations
Organizations are not fully in control of themselves.
Access, distribution and availability of resources are
controlled by other organizations. There is some
external control and power over them.
17

18. Nature of Organizational Boundaries
Organizational boundaries refer to the
management of critical uncertainty and
ambiguity of the outside world and
uncertainty that can be controlled and
managed in the organization itself. At the
same time, organizations become more
(inter) dependent from each other, which
very often leads to an increase in the
exchange of information. ICT facilitates these
exchange process.
18

19. Inter-organizational Information Processing
Characteristics of
Communication Potential. Presence
availability in terms of sharing the same
time, place and location is not an essential
condition for effective communication
anymore.
Network technologies offer new
possibilities for establishing all kinds of
links between people and organizations.
They become ‘wired’ and the quality and
quantity of their interaction increases.
19

20. Characteristics of
Enhances the transparency and access of
organizations. Information systems of
government agencies can be consulted through
internet.
There is virtual reality. Everything that occurs
in the real world also happens in cyberspace.
20

21. Do boundaries exist in cyberspace if everything
is connected?
Through ICT information
processing, communication and
interaction are being facilitated in the
organization – wiring of organizations.
Consequently, lose some of their
autonomy.
21

22. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Two (2) Types
of Scenarios
Scenarios about Scenarios
the Changing Regarding the
Direction of Changing Nature
Organizational of Organizational
Boundaries Boundaries
22

23. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Two (2) Types
of Scenarios
Scenarios about Scenarios
the Changing Regarding the
Direction of Changing Nature
Organizational of Organizational
Boundaries Boundaries
23

24. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Scenarios about
the Changing
Direction of
Organizational
Boundaries
The integration of
organizations
24

25. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
an organization tries to formalize and discipline
the exchange of data by extending its discretion
through ICT in the exchange of data. Electronic
Data Interchange (EDI) favors this kind of
colonization strategy.
Electronic Data Interchange
25

26. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Scenarios about
the Changing
Direction of
Organizational
Boundaries
The integration of
organizations
26

27. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
In this scenario we see the opposite. The
organization can be penetrated by the
environment thereby using ICT and
confronting the focal organization with new
and unknown forms of uncertainty.
The boundaries become electronically permeable.
27

28. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Scenarios about
the Changing
Direction of
Organizational
Boundaries
The integration of
organizations
28

29. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
The integration of
organizations
In this scenario, the information between
organizations is shared and exchanged in such
a way, that organizations integrate or couple
their information processing, planning and
other working processes in order to further
reduce uncertainty
This integration takes place between
organizations that are a member of the same
value-chain. The electronic coupling of the links
in the chain created new interdependencies
between them
29

30. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Two (2) Types
of Scenarios
Scenarios about Scenarios
the Changing Regarding the
Direction of Changing Nature
Organizational of Organizational
Boundaries Boundaries
30

31. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
The blurring of
organizational
boundaries
Scenarios
Regarding the
The fixation of
Changing Nature organization boundaries
of Organizational
Boundaries
Controlled transparency
31

32. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
The blurring of
organizational
boundaries
Boundary blurring can be understood from a
cultural and political model. If people from
other organizations can look into certain
information systems, this influences the
notions like awareness and interdependency
It influences how these people at the other end
of the line conceived, for instance in terms of
‘Big Brother’.
(e.g. District Attorney’s Office of Dutch City of Rotterdam and Dutch BVE Network)
32

33. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
The blurring of
organizational
boundaries
Scenarios
Regarding the
The fixation of
Changing Nature organization boundaries
of Organizational
Boundaries
Controlled transparency
33

34. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
The fixation of
organization boundaries
Organizations are afraid of external uncertainty
that is mobilized by ICT. They try to put their
own autonomy by establishing firewalls or
buffers. Boundaries are reinforced by using ICT
applications.
it’s a company-wide network that very
often operates like the internet but has
none or a limited amount of access to the
outside world.
34

35. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
The blurring of
organizational
boundaries
Scenarios
Regarding the
The fixation of
Changing Nature organization boundaries
of Organizational
Boundaries
Controlled transparency
35

36. E-Government and the Re-Definition of Organizational
Boundaries
Controlled transparency
Combination of blurring and fixation of
organizational boundaries (Scenario 1 + Scenario
2).
The degree to which organizations become
transparent to each other is fixed within a certain
limits. Within a well-defined framework they
become mutually transparent.
36

37. The Management of Organizational Boundaries and
Changing Organizational Jurisdictions
Environment are being
colonized
Organizations are Blurring of
penetrated by the Boundaries
outside environment
Integration of
organizations
The management of organizational boundaries is an important strategic issue in the
discussion about the nature of E-government because E-government initiatives influence
the definition of organizational jurisdictions.
37

38. The Management of Organizational Boundaries and
Changing Organizational Jurisdictions
Issues:
1. Some jurisdictions become more powerful and
dominant while other shrink or integrate .
2. A question of whether the original description
and allocation of certain tasks and competencies
still matches with the changing organizational
boundaries and jurisdictions and the
corresponding changes in the distribution of
power.
3. Checks and balances are challenged while
perhaps new checks and balances are created
which do not correspond with well-established
principles of the legal system.
38

39. Organizational
Boundaries
Organizational
Jurisdictions
It is important to analyze and assess e-government initiatives from
information ecological perspective: looking at the complex interplay of
factors which relate to external and internal and institutional environment of
a government organization and the technology which is selected, used and
implemented.
39

40. Reginald G. Ugaddan
Seminar on Electronic Government
Thank You!
40