Introduction |
The fact that more than half of Norwegian municipal politicians do not seek re-election is a potential threat to local democracy[1]. A constant stream of inexperienced local politicians risks loss of organizational memory and potentially contributes to a considerable reduction in decision-making quality. As in many other fields, information technology has the potential to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of how people interact and work. In the case of political work, improved facilities may encourage more politicians to seek re-election. With this goal in mind, Telenor Research and Development investigated the use of information technology to support political work. A field trial was conducted in the northern Norway municipality of Salangen by the Tromsø laboratory of Telenor Research and Development. |
The problem of high turnover |
The core of organizational memory, the stored history of an organization, is about decisions made and problems solved. Individuals are a key component of organizational memory because they determine what information will be stored and what will be retrieved (Walsh and Ungson, 1991). But what happens to the organization that effectively lobotomizes itself every election when it disposes of many of its gatekeepers -- those who control access to memory and determine the content and structure of what's remembered? Incoming politicians might well lack the knowledge to make effective use of organizational memory. They could be very reliant on a few old hands or the professional administrators, or just remain ignorant of the organization's history. Politicians, like all decision makers, should improve with practice. Experienced politicians have had an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and successes. They are also more likely to have institutionalized universalistic rather than particularistic decision criteria and developed automatic rather than discretionary methods of conducting business (Polsby, 1962). While fresh blood may be desirable, an overwhelming transfusion of new politicians with each election is likely to lower the quality of decision making because those newly elected have little experience in local government. A lack of experienced decision makers in local politics is likely to be exacerbated by the growing complexity of local government issues[2], a reflection of the corresponding complexity of society. |
A potential solution |
Despite the increasing complexity of local politics, there have been few changes, in terms of organization, resources, and technological tools, in how political work is performed (Fevolden et al., 1992). As in other areas of society, it is possible that information technology can change the nature of political work and possibly result in more local politicians seeking re-election or reduce the effects of a high turnover on local governance. Communication is a central activity of politics (Arterton, 1987). Politicians must communicate with citizens, fellow politicians, and local government administrators. Politicians variously persuade, cajole, negotiate, orate, listen, and question -- all dimensions of communication -- as they attempt to fashion coalitions that meet stakeholders' desires. Furthermore, most local politicians work full-time and handle political matters before and after working hours -- precisely when administrators are not available. If politicians were given information technology to make communication more effective and efficient, they may be more proficient and more willing to serve longer. |
The project |
This paper describes a project that addressed the issue: How can telecommunication technology support local politicians in their everyday work? The project's goals were to:
As well as implementing POT (politicians' channel in the telecommunications network), we were interested in discovering whether the introduction of this system altered the way politicians organized their work. This article describes the project from the requirements phase through to a field trial. The article also includes descriptions of the specification, technology platform, and user interface. It concludes with a discussion of the findings. |
