OECD Peer Review of E-Government in Denmark - ePractice.eu

Figure 5.3 Skill challenges for e-government implementation
Adapting staff to change
Lack of updated management skills for
e-government
Lack of information management skills
Lack of information technology skills
Lack of information society skills
Lack of outsourced skills
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Very important challenge Important challenge Somewhat important challenge
Not an important challenge Not a challenge (has been mastered) Not a relevant challenge
Source: OECD E-Government Survey: Denmark.
Interviews held for this review revealed that the lack of ICT skills is a major concern in Denmark.
For example, it was reported that a recent effort to fill 13 ICT positions in one ministry yielded only
seven suitable applications. Other ministries report that they are facing the same problem. This
shortage may be partly due to a fragmented ICT training environment, which can make it hard for
students to understand labour market demand and identify the type of roles they should be training for.
From a demand-side perspective, some interviewees also pointed out a lack of knowledge within
organisations about the kind of ICT skills that are being offered by the market.
According to interviewees, insufficient numbers of people are learning about advanced technical
issues (e.g. XML and system integration) during post-secondary education. This may be a result of
both problems with ICT curricula, and entrenched attitudes. Danes typically believe that missing skills
can be obtained through private training courses. While this can help in the short run, it can limit the
progressive build-up of a set of specialised knowledge and ICT skills in support of e-government
development.
Many interviewees cited a lack of project management skills as one of the most important
skill-related challenges to e-government. The current level of project management skills, at both top
and middle management levels, is believed to be insufficient. While some agencies have created
CIO-type positions at the top management level, most commentators felt that people in these and
related positions lack the management skills to oversee large e-government projects.
A differing view was that the key problem is not at the level of top management, but at middle
management (e.g. heads of department etc.). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has switched its
emphasis from the top level of managers, focusing instead on developing the skills of middle
managers. Ministry leaders see individuals in this level of management as the key agents for change in
the Ministry. To this end, the Ministry has laid down a number of guidelines to help middle managers
improve their ability to use ICT, and provides them with appropriate training and support (see Box
5.1).
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