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Interview with Dr. Andreas Kohne and Nils Brechbühler

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Interview with Dr. Andreas Kohne and Nils Brechbühler

In an exclusive interview with Silicon Valley Europe, Dr. Andreas Kohne and Nils Brechbühler discuss the biggest hurdles municipalities face in digitalization. Key topics include the misconceptions about digitalization as an IT project, selecting the right technologies, and engaging employees. Both experts highlight the opportunities and risks of digital transformation and explain how targeted implementation not only modernizes municipalities but also makes them more efficient and citizen-friendly. An exciting exchange about the future of digital administration!

What do you see as the biggest challenges municipalities currently face in digitalization?

Dr. Andreas Kohne: Digitalization is often seen as a pure IT project. Frequently, processes are simply digitized without first making them fit for it. Additionally, those most affected by digitalization are often forgotten: the employees. Changes often lead to uncertainties and must therefore be explained and made understandable.

Nils Brechbühler: Then there’s the uncertainty in selecting and implementing the right technologies—there are often so many options that it’s difficult to find the solutions that best fit the respective municipality. Because alongside technical and financial considerations, legal and data protection requirements must also be taken into account. And implementation is by no means just about installing an IT solution.

Why are municipalities focusing on digitalization in the first place?

Nils Brechbühler: In principle, the digitalization of public administration is driven significantly by corresponding legislation. Additionally, digital solutions offer municipalities numerous advantages. When implemented correctly, digitalization relieves employees, for example through automation or improved information quality. It also enhances the traceability of processes and collaboration within the municipality.

Moreover, digitized processes enable better and more transparent services for citizens and businesses. Solutions such as online services or AI-powered chatbots automate and accelerate communication and simplify administrative procedures. Municipalities can thus meet the expectations of a modern administration.

How can municipalities be supported in overcoming the challenges of digitalization?

Dr. Andreas Kohne: In addition to financial prerequisites and legal, organizational, and technical frameworks, municipalities need a competent partner. This partner must support them with experience and pragmatism, explain concepts and technologies, and jointly overcome emerging hurdles. They need a partner who not only develops strategies but also implements them.

What risks arise if digitalization projects are not implemented in a targeted manner?

Dr. Andreas Kohne: High, unnecessary costs can arise and requirements may remain unfulfilled if technologies are not selected in a traceable and needs-based manner. If digital solutions do not fit established processes, inefficiencies occur, errors arise, or the processes simply do not work with this digital solution.

Furthermore, changes always lead to uncertainty and employees often experience worries and fears. The solution here is to explain and clearly communicate the "why." It can also be sensible or even necessary to actively involve employees in the change process.

Based on your experience, what steps should municipalities take to successfully launch digitalization projects?

Nils Brechbühler: At the beginning, the municipality should conduct a comprehensive and realistic potential analysis. This will help identify the greatest opportunities and opportunities for small, quick successes ("quick wins"). The municipality should then focus on these first. In addition, employees should be involved early and regularly trained. This requires a change and communication plan tailored to the specific municipality.

Which technologies or tools have proven to be particularly effective for municipalities in your projects?

Nils Brechbühler: This naturally depends on the initial situation of the municipality as well as the planned goal. We see that there is a lot of potential in three areas in particular.

Many municipalities are faced with the question of how they can digitally capture, process, and provide their employees' knowledge so that, for example, onboarding can be carried out as effectively as possible in the event of a staff change.

In addition, many municipalities are concerned with the topic of digital communication and collaboration. This goes far beyond classic email. We are talking about communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams, the use of cloud computing, or even real-time collaborative document editing.

Dr. Andreas Kohne: Finally, artificial intelligence is also an interesting and important topic for municipalities. The fact that municipal processes are based on data and information and the nature of the activities offer great potential for simplifying work and automating processes. Something that is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of staff shortages.

How can municipalities deal with such topics if they want to address them but don’t know where to start?

Dr. Andreas Kohne: Municipalities can access numerous offerings and opportunities in all areas of digitalization to acquire expertise. This does not mean that a municipality must necessarily become an expert in digitalization itself. Rather, it is beneficial to build up a good level of knowledge and collaborate with partners.
The options are diverse. At federal, state, or even municipal level, there are various offerings for further education and implementation of digital projects. Consulting firms and educational institutions can also be brought in to build competence among employees or to implement digitalization projects.

What happens if municipalities do not take action now?

Nils Brechbühler: The world of digitalization is evolving rapidly. If we look at what has been implemented in the context of the Online Access Act (OZG) alone over the past two years, it becomes clear that there is a lot of momentum in administrative digitalization. Topics such as augmented reality or virtual reality are also coming into focus and opening up completely new possibilities. Not least, we are seeing the rapid pace of development in the field of artificial intelligence, which was not even on the radar for many two years ago but is now already being used in administration. In the business sector, development is even more rapid. There, it is already commonplace to buy online quickly and easily, access knowledge in the form of digital products, or communicate interactively with smart chatbots.

If municipalities do not take action now, they risk no longer meeting the expectations of citizens. Today, the quite understandable question is already being asked as to why one can buy a car online but not register it online. Or why citizens' applications must be filled out by hand but then manually transferred to the specialist system on site.

However, it is also of utmost importance for the municipality itself to seize the opportunities at hand. If we take a critical look at the current administrative workload and the looming, significant shortage of personnel, then it is absolutely necessary to leverage the opportunities of digitalization to accelerate processes, relieve staff, and prepare municipalities of all sizes for the future.
What positive changes have you observed in municipalities that have successfully taken the step toward digitalization?

Dr. Andreas Kohne: In municipalities that use digital solutions and implement them effectively and purposefully, we primarily see faster and more citizen-friendly administrative processes. Collaboration within the administration also becomes significantly more efficient and transparent for all involved. The potential for errors is reduced, as are internal costs. Feedback from citizens also shows that satisfaction increases and that many are surprised by what is already possible entirely online today.

Now, digitalization is a complex undertaking that many may find daunting. What, in your view, is the most important success factor for municipal digitalization?

Nils Brechbühler: We recently connected all municipalities in a federal state to an online service within six months. As part of this, we conducted a survey of the municipalities, and the result was clear. The most important success factor was: complexity reduction.

Technology is inevitably complex, as are the necessary structures and processes. It is therefore crucial to prepare and explain all the necessary information for the municipality in a meaningful and targeted way. Sometimes technical details are necessary. Sometimes it is better to simply take the journey together and leave the details as details. An experienced digitalization partner can shape this journey with the municipality in a goal-oriented and effective way.

Mr. Kohne, what is your most important tip for municipalities that want to become more digital?

Dr. Andreas Kohne: If you are already thinking about digitalization as a municipality today, then you have already taken the first important step. In the book "The Little Prince," it says, roughly: To arrive somewhere, you must have been there before. Work with an experienced and pragmatic partner who not only explains digitalization appropriately but also walks the path with you.