Content Management Implemented as Shared Service: A Public Sector Case Study

Sharing services has gained the interest of governments to reduce costs. The basic idea is that services provided by one department can be provided to others with relatively few efforts. A new emerging trend is the implementation of content management (CM) shared services. As a new phenomenon, there is little understanding of this concept. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by investigating a public sector case study and analyzing the decision process concerning the introduction of a CM for Shared Service Centers (SSCs). The case is analyzed using a decision framework based on a multi-theory approach found in outsourcing literature. The differences with other types of SSCs are highlighted. The complexity of this arrangement originates from the need to manage content in the many parts of the organization and the involvement of many different roles. A CM SSC requires a holistic decision-making approach by balancing the management, technology and content dimensions carefully, as these dimensions influence the resulting arrangement and potential benefits.