Over 50 percent of Organisations Claim Existing Processes Preventing Digital Adoption

Agilisys, the digital transformation specialist for the public sector, has released a report highlighting some of the greatest challenges organisations are facing as they approach the next digital frontier.

The ‘State of the Digital Nation’ draws on findings from a survey of over 400 individuals from private and public sector organisations, who shared the progress they are making on their digital transformation journeys.

Agilisys has been working with the public sector for over 15 years, using the power of digital technology to transform services for millions of citizens across the UK. The report, based on the key findings of a survey conducted Digital by Default News, considers the role of digital inclusion in the adoption of digital public services.

The survey revealed that 40 percent of respondents had a clear digital vision and were already well on their way to realising the benefits. The majority (65 percent) of those surveyed considered digital one of their top organisational priorities.

Yet, when asked what the biggest barriers were for shifting to digital service delivery, almost two-thirds of respondents cited unwillingness by staff to adopt digital ways of working, suggesting that a desire to hold onto existing processes is prolonging large-scale transformation programmes.

Steven Beard, chief executive at Agilisys, said: “It is a known fact that organisations across both the public and private sector are undergoing phases of massive disruption. Organisations are under pressure to digitise their core services in order to manage demand and meet customer expectations.

"This usually starts with rethinking their existing processes and the experience they provide to customers, and ends with them completely redesigning core applications and underlying IT infrastructure.

"Whilst the report highlights that letting go of traditional ways of working is difficult, it is an essential part of the digital transformation process. In our work with the public sector we see organisations striving to encourage their staff to work more collaboratively and move away from functional silos.

"The drastic departure from existing workflow systems and processes that organisations have been accustomed to for several decades has to be handled with sensitivity and consensus building if it is to be successful."