In many countries, citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with government
services-and compare them unfavorably with nimble, app-driven services
in the private sector. Governments know they must transform; the task
is made all the more urgent by megatrends such as population aging,
urbanization, and the need to reskill workforces. Unfortunately, 80 percent
of government transformations fail to meet their objectives. This report
shows how governments around the world can learn from the 20 percent
of change efforts that do achieve their goals. It identifies five disciplines
which together can more than triple the chances of success of such
transformations-but which require a set of change-management and
delivery capabilities quite distinct from the policy expertise that has long
been at the heart of government. The good news is that innovations in
citizen engagement, design thinking, and technology-inspired approaches
are making the task of government transformation easier and opening up
new horizons for better, faster delivery.

This research is based on a major global study on government transformations conducted by the MCG. We surveyed nearly 3,000 public servants who had been involved in transformations across 18 countries. We interviewed more than 30 leaders who had personally driven such change efforts and combined this with analysis of more than 80 case studies of government transformations around the world.