To achieve this autonomy will require knowledge that cannot be acquired comprehensively and must be updated constantly. Provided universal access is guaranteed, this can only be achieved effectively by an electronic network of information and services. The development of such a network must take place in conjunction with appropriate infrastructures and public access resources. In the past few years, much research has been devoted to identifying how such tools could be used by individuals, regardless of their role within organizations. The aim of the program was to identify conditions for successfully implementing re-engineering and computerization projects in the context of major social change.
Experiments conducted in many countries reveal a high failure rate for such projects.
And failure seems to stem from the difficulty of ensuring that organizational change, particularly with respect to human resources, is managed in step with technological change. Based on the results of Phase 1, which are fairly generic, discussions are under way to initiate practical steps designed to carry out parallel and complementary projects in certain strategic areas so that the impact of new technologies on organizations and their environments can be clearly assessed. In the area of health and social services, this assessment will focus on the acquisition of greater citizen autonomy through new technologies and on the conditions required for such a transformation in the light of the needs of individuals. Citizens will therefore have an opportunity to contribute in a variety of roles, including as taxpayers, voters, members of advisory or decision-making committees, clients, users, critics and volunteers. In other words, in any of the roles that citizens will eventually adopt when using the health and social service information highway.