Electronic information systems as means for accountability: why there is no such thing as objectivity

ABSTRACT

The public sector has been confronted with a mounting claim for accountability. While there are many ways to meet this demand, social work increasingly relies on electronic information systems (IS). Although it has been argued that IS assists services in demonstrating accountability, research sheds light on the pernicious effects of IS as well. For this reason, we interviewed 29 local managers to capture their perspective on the role of IS in creating accountability as they are held responsible for informing stakeholders about the decisions that are made. Our findings indicate a positive acceptance of the use of IS to create accountability as local managers referred to the ability of IS to stimulate critical reflection amongst their team members. However, many managers also developed a critical perspective, raising concerns about how the current demand for accountability was fully encapsulated in the logic of the database. They therefore pleaded for a reflexive approach to accountability. We conclude that local managers can be considered companions rather than opponents of practitioners in the search for this reflexive form of accountability in which the justification of their actions may lie not in so-called rational data produced by IS but in the dialogue with all stakeholders.

SAMENVATTING

De publieke sector werd de voorbije jaren geconfronteerd met een steeds groeiende vraag naar het afleggen van verantwoording. Er zijn veel manieren om verantwoording af te leggen, maar toch vertrouwt het sociaal werk steeds vaker op elektronische informatiesystemen (IS). Ondanks de vaststelling dat IS organisaties kunnen ondersteunen in het afleggen van verantwoording wijst onderzoek ook op de problematische effecten van IS. Net daarom hebben we 29 lokale managers geïnterviewd om hun perspectief op de rol van IS in het afleggen van verantwoording te capteren. Deze lokale managers zijn namelijk verantwoordelijk voor het informeren van diverse stakeholders over de beslissingen die ze nemen. Onze bevindingen tonen een positieve waardering aan voor het gebruik van IS om verantwoording af te leggen waarbij lokale managers verwijzen naar de mogelijkheid van IS om kritische reflectie binnen het team te stimuleren. Desalniettemin uiten de lokale managers ook heel wat kritiek waarbij ze bezorgd zijn over hoe de huidige vraag naar verantwoording volledig ingebed is in de logica van de database. Net daarom pleiten ze voor een reflexieve benadering van verantwoording. We concluderen dan ook dat lokale managers gezien kunnen worden als medestanders, eerder dan opposanten van praktijkwerkers in hun zoektocht naar een reflexieve manier van verantwoording afleggen waarbij de justificatie van handelingen niet ligt in zogenaamde rationele data geproduceerd door IS, maar in de dialoog met verschillende stakeholders.

KEYWORDS:

• Child welfare
• accountability
• information systems

TREFWOORDEN:

• jeugdhulp
• verantwoording
• informatiesystemen

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jochen Devlieghere

Jochen Devlieghere is postdoctoral researcher at the department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University in Belgium. His main research interest is the rationalisation and formalisation of social work in general and Child Welfare and Protection in particular. Furthermore, he has developed an interest in the meaning of social research in broader society.

Lieve Bradt

Lieve Bradt is Professor of Social Pedagogy at the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University in Belgium. She is coordinator of the Youth Research Platform, an interuniversity and interdisciplinary policy research center subsidized by the Flemish government. Furthermore, she is national correspondent for the European Knowledge Centre for Youth Policy and the Youth Wiki.

Rudi Roose

Rudi Roose is Professor of Social Work at the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University in Belgium. His research interest is focused on the development of socially just practices in managerial contexts.