Assimilation of e-government systems at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Botswana

Abstract

A lot of research has been done on the multitude of benefits of the use of information and communication technologies for businesses, citizens and governments, the impact of which improved service delivery, reduced corruption, increased national competitiveness and promoted citizen participation in the democratic process (Cho & Choi, 2004; Moynihan, 2004; West, 2004; Von Haldenwang, 2004). However, there has been little research and empirical studies on exploring factors that determined the assimilation of e-government systems in developing countries, hence this study. Using the structuration theory, this study investigated the assimilation of the e-government system at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) in Botswana in order to ascertain its impact and benefits. A theoretical framework, E-Government Systems Assimilation Framework (EGAF), was applied to examine the assimilation of the e-government system in MTI through the structuration of its organisational factors. A case study approach was used to get an in-depth insight into the comprehensive interactive factors that affect the assimilation of the e-government system. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews from sixty-one (61) purposefully selected respondents that implemented and used the e-government system at the MTI. These are classified as follows: thirty (36) action officers; fifteen (15) MTI clients; five (5) departmental leaders/supervisors; four (4) IT officers and one (1) officer at the e-government co-ordination office. The researcher also observed the e-government assimilation processes at the research sites. Items that were observed were guided by the observation protocol. The findings show that the implementation of e-government at the MTI has been affected by several structuration organisational factors namely: meta-structure of signification, domination and legitimization. Consequently, while there is some on-going review of the current regulatory e-environment, challenges such as the lack of awareness of the e-government campaign; the lack of implementation of policies on rules and standards for information security; unreliable internet infrastructure and a lack of top management support, still persist. The study recommends that a deeper reflection on these structuration organisational factors is essential to any strategic efforts that would ensure the successful assimilation of the e-government system at the MTI in Botswana. This study was limited to the assimilation of e-government systems at MTI. There are other possible areas of study related to this study. A much broader study covering more government ministries can be conducted to study the assimilation of e-government systems across government as a whole. Another possible area of study would be to investigate the role of culture in the assimilation of e-government systems,