Exploring smartness in public sector innovation - creating smart public services with the Internet of Things

Abstract

The use of the term “smartness” in the context of public service delivery indicates an ambition of the public sector to become more agile and resilient through the adoption of emerging technologies. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that will be key to the realisation of smart public services. The research presented in this paper explored the role of IoT in public sector innovation through a qualitative study of how IoT technology can be leveraged to create and deliver smart winter road maintenance services. We use an existing smartness framework – based on the dimensions of efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and collaboration – to examine the consequences of introducing IoT-based innovation to road maintenance services. The findings suggest that IoT enables public sector innovation and that smartness is created through the combination of technology, people and organisations. The realisation of smartness in public sector innovation requires sufficient management capabilities and robust technology strategies, along with a willingness to explore and adopt new work practices rather than simply implement emerging technologies.