Advance Search

Diffusion and adoption of information and communication technologies in the public sector: The case of selected government departments in KwaZulu-Natal

The case of selected government departments in KwaZulu-Natal

Blessing Mbatha
University of South Africa
Zandi Lesame
University of South Africa
Keywords:
Copyright and Licensing:

Copyright (c) 2022 Blessing Mbatha, Zandi Lesame

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Share:

How to Cite

Diffusion and adoption of information and communication technologies in the public sector: The case of selected government departments in KwaZulu-Natal. (2013). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 32(2), 40-62. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v32i2.1638
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
  • Articles
  • Submited: October 15, 2022
  • Published: December 1, 2013

Abstract

This study seeks to shed some light on the types, usage and availability of information and

communication technologies (ICTs) in four selected government departments in the KwaZulu-
Natal government in South Africa. To achieve the stated aim, the study posed and then answered

the following research questions: What types of ICTs are available in government departments?
What is the purpose of using ICTs in government departments? What are the benefits of
using ICTs in government departments? What are the ICTs that civil servants consider to be
effective in improving work productivity in government departments? What are the civil servants’
recommendations for improving ICT usage in government departments? The study was informed
by the diffusion-of-innovations theory. Government departments considered to be central to service
delivery were targeted by means of a survey. To obtain a representative sample, a systematic
sampling method was applied. The collected data were analysed using thematic categorisation
and tabulation, and the findings were presented descriptively. The results indicate that a variety
of ICT tools and services have been adopted in the government departments included in the
survey so as to facilitate information sharing and improve communication. All the civil servants
surveyed indicated that they used ICTs to communicate with fellow colleagues and to disseminate
departmental information. The most popular recommendations included the need for sufficient
and coherent government policies to regulate the training of staff in the utilisation of ICTs in the
sector. Detailed recommendations for further study are provided.

Pdf
Pdf

Article Metrics Graph

Article Views | PDF Downloads
Chart Graph | Range Graph

References

  1. Abdul, R., Hamdan, Y., Yahya, M., Shanudin, Z. & Mohd, Z.M. (2000). Information technology.
  2. Malaysia: McGraw-Hill. Akoojee, S. & Arends, F. (2009). Intermediate-level ICT skills and development in South Africa:
  3. private provision form suited to national purpose! Education Information Technology, 14 (1), 189-204.
  4. Akpan-Obong, P. & Parmentier, M.J.C. (2009). Linkages and connections: a framework for research in information and communication technologies, regional integration, and development. Review of Policy Research, 26 (3), 289-309.
  5. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-1338.2009.00383.x
  6. Almatarneh, A. (2011). Privacy implications for information and communications technology (ICT): the case of the Jordanian e-government. Journal of International Commercial Lawand Technology, 6 (3), 151-164.
  7. Al-zhrani, S. (2010). Development of a soft system model to identify information and communications technology issues and obstacles in government organizations in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 12 (1), 93-104.
  8. Ayoo, P.O. (2001). An evaluation of the effectiveness of the internet as a source of information to industrial researchers in Nairobi. Unpublished Master's dissertation, Moi University, Kenya.
  9. Bhatnagar, T., Jha, A.N. & Singh, H.K. (2011). A study of information communication technology effectiveness in select government organizations at Jharkhand State. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 3 (6), 4648-4655.
  10. Borins, S. (2007). Conceptual Framework. In S. Borins, K. Kernaghan, D. Brown, N. Bontis, Perri 6 & F. Thompson, Digital state at the leading edge (pp. 14-36). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  11. https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442685468-003
  12. Brown, I., Collins, T., Maleka, B., Morrison, D., Muganda, N. & Speight, H. (2007). Global diffusion of the internet xi: internet diffusion and its determinants in South Africa: the first decade of democracy (1994-2004) and beyond. Communications of the Association for Information
  13. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.01909
  14. Systems, 19 (2), 142-182.
  15. Bussell, J. (2011). Explaining cross-national variation in government adoption of new technologies.
  16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2478.2010.00644.x
  17. International Studies Quarterly, 55 (1), 267-280.
  18. Clarke, R. (1999). A primer in diffusion of innovations theory. Retrieved September 10, 2012,from https://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/InnDiff.html.
  19. DeRouen, K.R. & Bellamy, P. (2008). International security and the United States: an encyclopedia. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.
  20. Dunleavy, P., Margetts, H., Bastow, S. & Tinkler, J. (2006). Digital era governance: IT corporations, the state and e-government. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  21. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296194.001.0001
  22. Kenny, C. (2002). The costs and benefits of ICTs for direct poverty alleviation. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.worldbank.org.
  23. Khalo, T. & Hu, S. (2010). An analysis of e-government in the Department of Home Affairs of South Africa. Journal of US-China Public Administration, 7 (9), 39-52.
  24. Kling, R. (2000). Learning about information technologies and social change: the contribution of social informatics. The Information Society, 16 (3), 217-232.
  25. https://doi.org/10.1080/01972240050133661
  26. Le, S., Tang, X. & Trimi, S. (2005). Current practices of leading e-government countries. Communication ACM, 48 (10), 99-104.
  27. https://doi.org/10.1145/1089107.1089112
  28. Mandela, N. (1995, October). Address at the opening ceremony of Telecom 95, the 7th World Telecommunications Forum and Exhibition. Geneva, Switzerland. African National Congress.
  29. Matsepe-Casaburri, I. (1999, October). Speech at the International Telecommunications Union Interactive 99 Development Forum. Geneva, Switzerland. Department of Communications.
  30. Mbatha, B.T. (2009). Web-based technologies as key catalysts in improving work productivity and creativity: the case of Zululand District Municipality. Journal for Communication Sciences in Southern Africa, 28 (2), 82-95.
  31. -. (2011). The diffusion of social informatics in South African government departments. DudweilerLandstr: Lap Lambert Academic Publishing.
  32. -. (2012). Exploring the potential of electronic commerce tools in South African SME tourism service providers. Information Development, 29 (1), 1-14.
  33. Mbatha, B.T. & Ocholla, D.N. (2011). Contextualising the use of ICTs in the public sector, the case of selected government departments in KwaZulu-Natal. Mousaion, 29 (2), 193-208.
  34. Mbatha, B.T., Ocholla, D.N. & Le Roux, J. (2011). Some implications of information and
  35. communication technologies on public service work environments in South Africa.
  36. Information Development, 27 (4), 47-62.
  37. Mbeki, T. (1995, February). South Africa and the information superhighway. Paper presented at the G7 Conference on the Information Society, Brussels, Belgium. In T Mbeki (Ed.), Africa: the time has come Selected speeches pp. 181-185). Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers and
  38. Mafube Publishing.
  39. Migiro, S.O. & Kwake, A. (2007). Information needs and communication technology adoption in Africa: a comparative study of rural women in Kenya and South Africa. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 22 (1), 109-141.
  40. Mostert, J. & Ntetha, M. (2008). Information and communications technologies (ICTs) in secondary educational institutions in the Umhlathuze Municipality, South Africa: an insight into their utilization, impact and the challenges faced. South African Journal of Libraries and
  41. Information Science, 74 (1), 23-40.
  42. Mutula, S.M. & Mostert, J. (2008, September). Impact of e-government on service delivery inSouth Africa. Proceedings of the Faculty of Arts Conference, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa.
  43. Nasi, G., Frosini, F. & Cristofoli, D. (2011). Online service provision: are municipalities really innovative? The case of larger municipalities in Italy. Public Administration, 89 (3), 821-839.
  44. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01865.x
  45. Ndou, V. (2004). E-government for developing countries: opportunities and challenges. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 18 (1), 1-24.nhttps://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2004.tb00117.x
  46. Netchaeva, I. (2002). E-government and e-democracy: a comparison in the North and South. https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485020640050601
  47. The International Journal for Communication Studies, 64 (5), 467-477.
  48. Ngenge, G.A. (2003). Gender equity and new information and communication technologies.
  49. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.sdnp.undp.org/sdncmr/fawecam/ngenpe.htm.
  50. Ntetha, M.A. (2010). The access, interaction, use and impact of information and communicationtechnologies among civil servants in the uMhlatuze area: a social informatics study.
  51. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Zululand, Kwa-Dlangezwa.
  52. Odat, A.M. (2012). E-government in developing countries: framework of challenges and opportunities. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 46 (2), 1013-1021.
  53. Paterson, A., McGrath, S. & Badroodien, A. (2005). The National Skills Survey 2003. Unpublished client report for the Department of Labour. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council.
  54. Paul, R.L. & Lorsch, J.W. (1997). Organizations and environment: managing differentiation and integration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
  55. Popescu-Zeletin, R., Jonas, K., Rai, I.A., Glitho, R. & Villafiorita, A. (2012). E-infrastructure and e-services for developing countries. Springer: New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29093-0
  56. Rogers, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press.
  57. Rowland, W. (2006). Spirit of the web: the age of information from telegraph to internet. Toronto:
  58. Thomas Allen Publishers. Shaw, L.H. & Gant, L.M. (2002). Users divided? Exploring the gender gap in internet use. Cyber
  59. Psychology & Behaviour, 5 (6), 517-527.
  60. Silcock, R. (2001). What is e-government? Parliamentary Affairs, 54 (1), 88-101. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/54.1.88
  61. Surry, D.W. (1997, February). Diffusion theory and instructional technology. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology
  62. (AECT), Albuquerque, New Mexico. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/diffusion/.
  63. Surry, D.W. & Farquhar, J.D. (1997). Diffusion theory and instructional technology. Journal of Instructional Science and Technology, 2 (1), 24-36.
  64. Tobin, I.M., Porumbescu, G. & Lee, H. (2013). ICT as a buffer to change - a case study of the
  65. Seoul Metropolitan Government's Dasan Call Center. Public Performance & Management Review, 36 (3), 436-455.
  66. Trimi, S. & Sheng, H. (2008). Emerging trends in m-government. Communications of the ACM, 51 (5), 53-58.
  67. https://doi.org/10.1145/1342327.1342338
  68. Turban, E. & King, D. (2012). Electronic commerce: managerial and social networks perspectives. New York: Pearson.
  69. United Nations Development Programme [UNDP]. (2000). World Report on Human Development
  70. Brussels: De Boeck University for UNDP.
  71. Williams, D., Wilson, K., Richardson, A., Tuson, J. & Coles, L. (1998). Teachers' ICT skills and knowledge needs: final report to the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department. The School of Information and Media, Faculty of Management, The Robert Gordon University, Scotland.
  72. World Bank. (2006). Information and communications for development. Washington: World Bank.
  73. Zawada, B., Wallmach, K., Ngcobo, M. & Mabule, R. (2007). Advisory report on the provision of government information and services for socio-economic development in local South African languages of choice, using ICT platforms. Research commissioned by the Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development. Pretoria: Department on Linguistics, University of South Africa.
How to Cite
Diffusion and adoption of information and communication technologies in the public sector: The case of selected government departments in KwaZulu-Natal. (2013). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 32(2), 40-62. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v32i2.1638

Send mail to Author

Send Cancel

Custom technologies based on your needs

  • ORCID
  • Crossref
  • PubMed
    • Clarivate