TOKVIL meetup XI

#govtech #tokvil

Zombie administration

Tanguy De Lestré

info@tokvil.be

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TOKVIL innovation II in the public sector

25/2

Design:

Human capacity to create and shape our environment in the way that it satisfies our needs and give meaning to our lives.

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(source : Heskett, Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Housekeeping

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Technical:

We use ZOOM

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For ease of conversation, please mute your microphone and raise your hand when you want to speak; so that I will give you the floor.

Say goodbye if you want to leave

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Besides that we will use following interactive board to present ourselves and see the agenda; check in here on the board:

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TOKVIL - Who was Alexis de Tocqueville?

What did he do?

• XIX century philosopher
• Thinker on representative democracy en sociologist
• Philosopher describing /observing democracy and the way it is working
• Went to the USA to observe and write a book on the emerging forms of civic organisations in the different settlements: la démocratie en Amérique

Why is this relevant now?

• Similarities in timing:
• Digital transformation and societal transitions impose a new and fresh look on new ways of organising society and administering it;
• The future is already here, just needs to be made visible;
• In terms of ideas, thinking about roles of civil society, next to individuals, administration, government,…
• Similarities in approach:
• Observe of what is being done: learn instead of theoretical ideas

Program

�In terms of content we will

First want to hear how you are doing, how your life looks like.

First we want to hear how you are doing, how your life looks like and what type of projects keep you busy.

Than I ‘ll make an intro

Than we start the discussion

Trends

Failures

Zombie administration

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How are you?

�Where are you working?

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What has been changing?

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Some innovations on the horizon?

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2021 TOKVIL labs

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TOKVIL lab 1,5 au CCN – pop up

• Public services
• Transversal programs
• inspiration sessions/ design thinking steps

TOKVIL.BE site

TOKVIL.BE meetup

TOKVIL.BE COP foresight

Bxldotnode.brussels

Zombie administrations?

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Definition Zombie

A zombie company is a company that is so much in debt that it can no longer function properly; it is just kept afloat and waiting to disappear. (AVIS, HEMA, Thomas Cook,...)

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But what about Zombie public services: kept alive because they exist, no actual output because of changes (technology pace/evolution,competence moved to other policy level, no longer reason of existence)

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Question Zombie

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Is this a term that can be used for the 1000s of administration personnel that will remain in zombie state in remote working, while the AI technology has overtaken their administrative tasks, the frontdesk has disappeared, the industry sector they are supposed to control no longer exist like company restaurants, or the competence has been regionalised due to state court rule?

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Zombie administration research : no purpose but asking for personnel at the end

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Trends?

AI

14% of jobs in OECD countries are highly automatable and another 32% could face substantial changes (estimate by Parliament's Think Tank 2020).

Use of AI in the workplace is expected to result in the elimination of a large number of jobs.

AI can help achieve one of the most

prominent dreams of public administration, which is to improve

the service quality and simple procedures

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Trelleborg

(Trelleborg)

There are still many paperbased processes within the organisation which could lead to double documentation and inefficient processes,

as well as existing software with very poor interfaces and usability levels. Hence. Process Automation in general

and AI systems in particular can strongly improve one specific government process, but the interoperability with

other organisational processes should never be forgotten.

Failures?

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Zombie administrations?

Let’s discuss

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