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Martin Duggan - Martin Duggan is the vice president of market strategy, responsible for driving strategic efforts across IBM’s Cúram product portfolio and evaluating new markets. He has 20 years of social enterprise experience working in a variety of delivery, strategy development, and consulting roles and is viewed as a social services thought leader around the globe.

Smarter Governments Need Smarter Benefits and Services
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One thing that is often overlooked in the conversation about the size and role of government is making sure that the benefits and services that are delivered actually achieve a result at an affordable level. All too often, benefits and services are delivered using service-delivery models designed way back in the last century. The conversation needs to change to be how can governments deliver benefits and services that are targeted at the people most in need in an efficient and effective way. And how to do this while respecting social rights and individual obligations.

The service-delivery models of most social organizations are based on a one-size-fits-all approach. This model has been proven to be effective for the majority and brings with it an efficient model of delivery. But people's requirements are not the same, and this one-size-fits-all approach means that few people are receiving the help they need in the most effective way. Some people are over-serviced where they need less help (or intervention) and some of the most needy members of society are actually under-served (i.e. they would be more likely to achieve an outcome if more effort was made with them).

Effective governments are looking closely at how to deliver their social programs in order to get finite resources focused and delivered at the right time, in the right place, and with the right amount of effort -- a concept we call "RightServicing." RightServicing allows you to achieve better social outcomes while lowering administration costs by applying a differential approach to service delivery instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.

The IBM Cúram Research Institute has explored this concept at length and produced a report where we detail nine organizational capabilities that allow RightServicing and differential response to be implemented. In the report, available at www.curamresearchinstitute.com, IBM explores examples of each of the characteristics and how they can be used to cut costs, improve outcomes, or truly transform your organization by doing both.

RightRail_Info_Promo.jpgDiscover more. Click to view our infographic on how smarter social programs help caseworkers better serve clients.


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Citizen-Centered Services

Martin Duggan

In cities across the country, social-service organizations are focused on breaking down operational barriers and bringing benefits together across overlapping agencies.

Smarter Social Programs Yield Thriving Populations

Jeff Rhoda

Analytics and improved information sharing can help governments better support the social and economic wellbeing of citizens in need.

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