Digital Transformation in the Legislature of the Province of Córdoba: An Analysis
About the Legislature of the Province of Córdoba | Argentina. Written on January, 2022
Introduction
The Legislature of the Province of Córdoba, Argentina, recently underwent a significant digital transformation. This shift was driven by the aim to increase efficiency, transparency, and engagement with the citizenry, reflecting a broader global trend towards more open and digitally enabled governance. This essay critically analyses this digital transformation process, detailing its formulation, implementation, and impact. The case presentation of the Legislatura de la Provincia de Córdoba serves as the primary source of analysis.
Context: The Legislature of the Province of Córdoba
Understanding the digital transformation in the Legislatura de la Provincia de Córdoba requires first understanding the institution's structure and operation. The legislature operates as a unicameral system, comprising 70 legislators, 26 allocated by territory and 44 by a single district. It operates 11 months of the year, from February to December, convening every Wednesday. The province itself is home to 427 municipalities and communes, with 261 local legislatures serving a population of four million over an area of 164,000 square kilometres. This broad geographical distribution and population size make the task of the legislature particularly challenging, necessitating innovative approaches to governance.
Formulating the Digital Transformation Strategy
The digital transformation strategy was anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16, which calls for strong institutions, efficiency, transparency, and citizen engagement. This provided a framework for the legislature's open legislature strategy, which was divided into three main strategic axes: innovation, transparency, and societal engagement. The strategy emphasised the legislature's relationship with various actors, such as other legislative powers, academia, civil society organisations, and international bodies. This collaborative approach reflects the spirit of SDG 17, which emphasises partnership for achieving the goals.
Implementing the Digital Transformation Strategy
The implementation of the digital transformation strategy involved the development of software, strengthening of IT infrastructure and services, enhancing telecommunications, particularly connectivity, and the development of multimedia channels for communication. The emphasis was on creating value, enhancing digital security, and utilising emerging technologies.
One of the significant achievements of the transformation was the shift to virtual working, a change accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. By April 2020, less than a month after the beginning of social isolation measures in Argentina, the legislature was already conducting its first fully virtual session. This virtual shift extended to other programs, including the Strengthening of Deliberative Councils of Local Legislative Powers program, which saw its activities move online, reaching councillors in over half of the municipalities and communes in the province.
The digital transformation strategy also saw the creation of a digital legislative management system, which allowed legislators and other legislative workers to track the process of law-making from inception to sanction entirely digitally. This not only improved efficiency and transparency but also significantly reduced paper usage, underlining the environmental benefits of digital transformation.
The strategy also involved significant investment in the legislature's IT infrastructure, with the transformation of its data centre to a hyper-converged solution. This centralised all operations and systems on the same servers, enhancing interaction with cloud services and improving service availability. This move also saw increased emphasis on cybersecurity, recognising the increased threats posed by the shift to virtual working.
Impacts of the Digital Transformation Strategy
The digital transformation strategy has had significant impacts on the Legislature of the Province of Córdoba. It has transformed organisational culture, changed management processes, altered the organisational structure, and revolutionised the way the legislature engages with citizens. This transformation has been guided by three key principles: strong political decision-making, involving and committing all stakeholders, and ensuring that the transformational agenda does not lose sight of its ultimate aim, which is to improve the quality of public services.
Transformation of Organisational Culture and Management Processes
The digital transformation strategy has led to a radical change in the organisational culture of the legislature. This change is characterised by a greater openness towards technological innovation, increased collaboration among different departments, and an overall shift towards a more data-driven approach to decision-making.
Digital tools have also changed management processes, streamlining workflows, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, and speeding up the legislative process. For instance, the digital legislative management system allows legislators and their staff to track the status of bills in real time, eliminating the need for manual tracking and significantly reducing the chance of errors.
Altering the Organisational Structure
The digital transformation has also necessitated changes in the organisational structure of the legislature. With the introduction of new technologies, roles and responsibilities within the organisation have evolved. A new IT department was established to manage the digital infrastructure, including the digital legislative management system and the legislature's data centre. This department also plays a crucial role in training the legislature's employees to effectively use these digital tools.
Revolutionising Citizen Engagement
Perhaps the most significant impact of the digital transformation strategy has been on the legislature's engagement with citizens. Digital tools have opened up new channels of communication between the legislature and the public. Citizens can now access legislative documents online, participate in public consultations digitally, and interact with their representatives through social media platforms.
These digital tools have also increased the transparency of the legislative process. With legislative documents and the status of bills available online, citizens can easily track the progress of legislation and hold their representatives accountable.
Conclusion
The digital transformation of the Legislature of the Province of Córdoba is a striking example of how technology can be used to modernise public institutions, improve their efficiency, and enhance their engagement with the public. However, as this analysis has shown, digital transformation is not just about introducing new technologies. It also involves changing organisational culture, management processes, and organisational structure. This transformation requires strong political leadership, the involvement of all stakeholders, and a clear vision of the ultimate aim of improving public services. As the Legislature of the Province of Córdoba continues its digital transformation journey, it serves as a valuable model for other public institutions around the world.