Public Technologies Transforming Work of the Public and the Public Sector

TL;DR

This study examines how the digital platform OneStop has transformed work practices in U.S. building departments, revealing impacts on stakeholders' experiences, equity, and standardization in public sector technology adoption.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into the effects of a specific public sector digital platform on diverse stakeholders and discusses implications for equitable technology design.

Findings

OneStop standardized work practices for public employees.

It exacerbated inequities for local business owners.

The platform revealed tensions around standardization and equity.

Abstract

Technologies adopted by the public sector have transformed the work practices of employees in public agencies by creating different means of communication and decision-making. Although much of the recent research in the future of work domain has concentrated on the effects of technological advancements on public sector employees, the influence on work practices of external stakeholders engaging with this sector remains under-explored. In this paper, we focus on a digital platform called OneStop which is deployed by several building departments across the U.S. and aims to integrate various steps and services into a single point of online contact between public sector employees and the public. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 22 stakeholders, including local business owners, experts involved in the construction process, community representatives, and building department employees, we investigate how this technology transition has impacted the work of these different stakeholders. We observe a multifaceted perspective and experience caused by the adoption of OneStop. OneStop exacerbated inequitable practices for local business owners due to a lack of face-to-face interactions with the department employees. For the public sector employees, OneStop standardized the work practices, representing the building department's priorities and values. Based on our findings, we discuss tensions around standardization, equality, and equity in technology transition, as well as design implications for equitable practices in the public sector.