Developing a GCIO system: enabling good government through e-leadership

Electronic Government (e-Government) has the potential to contribute to the good government agenda through citizen engagement, effective service delivery and improved efficiency in government. However, realizing this potential is dependent on strong Technology Leadership (e-Leadership) realized through executive IT leaders and Government Chief Information Officers (GCIOs). The paper presents the motivation for e-Leadership and GCIOs, introduces the evolving role of GCIOs, and discusses the main components of GCIO systems, such as readiness assessment, legal and regulatory frameworks, institutions, and education and development. It also presents and analyzes the experiences of five countries in establishing GCIO systems including regulatory frameworks, capacity-building programs, organizational support and national mechanisms and policies to coordinate GCIO efforts through cross-agency institutions and programs. Learning from such experiences, the paper proposes a step by step framework for instituting a GCIO system in the public sector.