Why do government institutions tend to be inefficient and lag behind in technology adoption compared to commercial organisations?
The answer may be this: because they can.
However, this is not the full picture. Government inefficiency is often the result of bureaucratic structures and a lack of competitive pressure that forces innovation.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to understand these deeper causes, set clear standards, and communicate expectations. We must have the courage to establish rules of the game and ensure all stakeholders are playing fairly. It’s not about being liked; it’s about ensuring meaningful progress, even if that means having difficult conversations. Leadership demands accountability, both from ourselves and those we lead.
But it’s not enough to simply set standards. Leaders need to investigate the complexities behind inefficiency. We need to ask why governments are slow to adopt technology and how we can work within these systems to drive change.
If we aren’t setting and clearly communicating standards of service delivery, if we aren’t creating an environment where transparency thrives and where stakeholders are encouraged to speak up, then we’re failing in our roles. Pretending everything is fine doesn’t solve anything. Real leadership is about confronting uncomfortable truths, even if that makes us unpopular.
We must remember that when inefficiency persists in our organisations, we share responsibility as leaders. We must take ownership of driving the change we want to see. No one else will do it for us.