Consulting firm LEAD is launching the Municipal Technology Partnership, a new initiative to boost the implementation of successful digital solutions across approximately 40 Danish municipalities. The partnership commits to a 1.5-year program where each participating municipality receives help to implement a specific digital solution that has already proven its effectiveness in other municipalities.
In the Municipal Technology Partnership, LEAD emphasizes the organization where the technology will be used to ensure a successful implementation. This includes employee involvement, strong interdisciplinary collaboration and a seamless transition to operations. In addition, the partnership takes an in-depth approach to change management that involves the entire management chain and focuses on governance levers to anchor the digital transformation.
LEAD and KL will publish articles, podcasts and webinars about the specific cases from the municipalities on this page.
"We know that the difference between success and failure often lies in the organization, implementation and change management, right down to the local manager and employee - and of course the citizens," says Kaare Pedersen, Partner at LEAD with a special focus on digitalization management.
LEAD, which has years of experience working with municipalities, will be at the helm throughout the process. The company's experts will assist in the different phases of the partnership, ensuring progress and helping municipalities achieve their goals. LEAD has also aligned itself with practice experts in the selected technologies, improving the chances of a successful implementation.
The technology partnership offers the best conditions for success, even when the changes extend beyond the 1.5 years before they become an integrated and stable part of everyday life. Towards the end of the process, LEAD will take stock with each municipality and make a plan for further work.
"The lessons you learn during the process about change management, implementation and benefit realization can be applied to other change processes in the municipality," Kaare adds.
With this initiative, LEAD is taking a decisive step towards strengthening digital transformation through good leadership in Danish municipalities and creating a platform for successful implementation of technological solutions.
Digital solutions for Danish municipalities
The Municipal Technology Partnership offers Danish municipalities the opportunity to choose and implement precise digital solutions in two key areas: Welfare technology and automation of administrative workflows.
Municipalities can choose from four solutions under these themes, including screen visits and digitally supported training in welfare technology and establishing and scaling administrative processes and intelligent automation of end-to-end processes in automation. Municipalities have the option to sign up for more than one solution, with separate sign-ups for each course they wish to participate in.
Municipalities also have the flexibility to choose which supplier they want to work with for the specific solution. For municipalities without a supplier and who are about to make a purchase, the partnership will offer a session to help them get an overview of potential suppliers and hear about the experiences and considerations of other municipalities.
The Technology Partnership is ideal for municipalities that want to commit to implementing one of the four solutions that the partnership is built around. It is particularly relevant for those who have little or no experience with the technologies but would like to realize the value the technologies can provide; for those who have some experience using the technologies but do not feel they have reached their goal of creating value; or for those who have tested the technologies on a smaller scale but would like to scale them up for wider adoption in their municipality.
During the program, participating municipalities will be divided into smaller clusters based on their experience with the technologies. This allows for collaboration between municipalities that are in similar situations, while drawing on the experiences of municipalities that have already been successful with their implementation.
"By bringing together municipalities at different stages of digital transformation, we can ensure that all participants learn from both their own and others' experiences," adds Kaare from LEAD. "This gives each municipality the best conditions for success."
With the Municipal Technology Partnership, LEAD continues to pave the way for digital transformation in Danish municipalities, emphasizing the importance of successful implementation of technological solutions for the continued development and improvement of municipal services.
Partnership progress and timeline
The process is built on four pillars:
- Joint partnership days,
- Collaboration in clusters
- 1:1 sparring between the individual municipality and consultants
- Digital toolbox and virtual collaboration.
Partnership days are full days where special implementation themes and successful examples from the municipalities are highlighted. Here, municipalities also meet in clusters, which are grouped by maturity and ambition level. The cluster meetings focus on the specific challenges and solutions they face.
In addition, there is 1:1 sparring between the individual municipality and consultants associated with the partnership. These conversations are based on clarifying the challenges that are important for each municipality's implementation process.
The digital toolbox and virtual collaboration offers municipalities access to methods, tools, workspaces, podcasts, guides and videos through the Miro virtual whiteboard and Teams groups.
The partnership activities span four full days, six cluster meetings and six sparring meetings over a period of 1.5 years. The municipal teams can include up to five participants, including a director, a manager/project owner, and a project manager.
The CEO is expected to attend the first and last joint day and three of the 1:1 meetings with the consultants. The manager, who has the strategic responsibility for the success and benefits of the initiative, and the project manager, who has the daily and operational work, are expected to participate in all activities.
"The time allocated to the partnership activities is only part of the time you need to invest," a representative from LEAD points out. "You need to be prepared to invest time and effort in implementation, change management and follow-up in your own organization. But you'll get the time back when the solutions are implemented."
LEAD's Municipal Technology Partnership continues to pave the way for digital transformation in Danish municipalities by providing a detailed roadmap and support for municipalities striving to improve their services and efficiency through digitalization.
Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your organization
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Contact us and together we will tailor a process that develops the exact competencies and structures that strengthen and future-proof your organization.
Kaare Pedersen
Partner Area Director for Digitalization Management
Mobile: +45 31 25 35 35 04
E-mail: kp@lead.eu
