Stage models for creating joined-up government: from local to nation-wide integration

Joining-up remains a high priority on the e-government agenda. To improve service delivery, departments and agencies have to work together and manage the mutual information flows. Stage models can help further e-government development. Stage models are predictable patterns that exist in the growth of organizations. They unfold as discrete time periods that can best be thought of as stages (i.e. discontinuity). Whereas existing stage models focus on individual organizations, our research focuses on joining-up at the national level. The aim of this paper is to present a five-staged model that describes the progression from stove piped situations toward a nation-wide, customer-oriented and joined-up government. The model we discuss in this paper is aimed at helping local government agencies benchmark their position, realize their role in the creation of joined-up government and adopt centrally developed infrastructure facilities. Furthermore, the model should help improve the development of infrastructure facilities. The model shows that current efforts are only the first step towards joined-up, demand-driven service provisioning.