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Digitalization

Many associate digitalization with network-based gadgets such as mobile phones and digital watches. The truth is that digitalization is about much more. Although such technologies individually enable something that was impossible before —for example, checking the weather forecast on mobile —digitalization is also about the overall transformation —called digital transformation —the community and organizations are going through as a result of all digital innovations. Such transformations may be about new opportunities for streamlining services, but also about improving quality of service and availability. Digitalisation will also enable completely new services that were impossible before.

Along with digital transformation, there are often also major organizational changes. Take the case processing in NAV as an example. NAV can eventually automate parts of the case processing process using artificial intelligence (AI). NAV can also make it easier for users to complete parts of the process themselves through web-based self-service. This will mean that caseworkers may have time to do other tasks. It is quite possible that in the long term this digitalisation leads to fundamental changes in the role of case officer, or eliminates the role altogether.

What is important to remember when it comes to digitalisation is that digitalisation and organisational changes go hand in hand. You can't plan a change in your organization, and then order an IT system to make the change. An IT system will in itself lead to unpredictable organisational changes, which is documented time and time again in the research around digitalisation. This is why one often talks about agile and iterative methods in digitalization. By making the changes in several phases, and taking lessons from each phase, one reduces the risk of errors. This is also what NAV has invested in in recent years, namely trying to become a more agile organization.

The unique feature of the collaboration between NAV and NTNU in digitalisation is that research results emerge through realistic implementations in services and through action research and close collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Here is a list of some areas within digitalisation where NAV and NTNU have research collaborations:

• Major software development projects: Studying changes in project organization, from what we describe as a combination of project management advice with advice from software development in "first-generation methods for large-scale agile development", to more customized ways of organizing digital product development in "second-generation methods of large-scale agile development". Key challenges are managing customer needs, how to ensure good technical solutions and how work is coordinated and knowledge is shared across teams.

• Integrated public services: Most labour and health services in Norway involve several public and private actors. The Norwegian Digitalisation Strategy places emphasis on digital services that are to be perceived by citizens as holistic and that are to be based on the life situation of the inhabitants. This means that several agencies must work together to share digital data and integrate their service logic. NTNU has been the facilitator of a dialogue between actors, and we are in the process of creating an arena for these actors to work together towards holistic services.
• Digitized smart dialogue: Communication with citizens is a key function for NAV. Much of this communication has already been digitized. This allows for the use of smart technology such as artificial intelligence, while at the same time presenting challenges for both residents and case officers in NAV. We are researching both the effect of a digitized dialogue, but also on the use of new channel types, such as chatbots and nudging. The collaboration is part of NAV's total channel strategy.
• Citizen-centered artificial intelligence: Digitalisation in the public sector is governed by other objectives and guidelines than in the private sector. This applies in particular to the use of artificial intelligence and data-intensive technologies in public services. Although AI offers many opportunities for improving public services, there are also several challenges in relation to data sharing, privacy and explanation requirements. Together with NAV, we conduct research on how residents experience automation of case processing and decision-making in NAV, and which adjustments are important for government agencies. There is a focus on the involvement of citizens in the implementation of AI.
• Technologies for learning and restructuring: NTNU and NAV have long worked together to create technologies that can be used in the training and restructuring of workers. An example of such technology is virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) in learning and training.

GOALS of the research

• Strengthen evidence-based practice with a focus on improving processes and services
• Build expertise at NAV at NTNU that provides the basis for applying for research funding; internal or from FR and EU
• Increase the quality of education at NTNU with regard to candidates who can work at NAV
• Increase the proportion of research on NAV-related issues with NAV employees involved in building internal R&D competence in NAV 

WHAT is the research about?

• Interaction design and user experience
• User-managed services
• AI and insights, computerised services
• Security and privacy

• Platforms and ecosystems; NAV as a space for the development of services
• Digital transformation and digitalisation of the public sector
• Software development methods including agile and autonomous teams
• Cloud including public cloud
• Software Architecture