Gerald Grant

Developing a Generic Framework for E-Government

Electronic government (e-government) initiatives are pervasive and form a significant part of government investment portfolio in almost all countries around the world. However, understanding of what is meant by e-government is still nascent and becomes complicated because the construct means different things to different people. Consequently, the conceptualization and implementation of e-government programs are diverse and are often difficult to assess and compare across different contexts of application. This paper addresses the following key question: Given the wide variety of visions, strategic agendas, and contexts of application, how may we assess, categorize, classify, compare, and discuss the e-government efforts of various government administrations? In answering this question, we propose a generic e-government framework that will allow for the identification of e-government strategic agendas and key application initiatives that transcend country-specific requirements. In developing the framework, a number of requirements are first outlined. The framework is proposed and described; it is then illustrated using brief case studies from three countries. Finally, findings and limitations are discussed.

Strategic alignment and enterprise systems implementation: the case of Metalco

This paper explores the issue of strategic alignment and enterprise systems (ES) implementation from the point of view of one organization involved in deploying an enterprise resource planning system globally. Two questions motivated this research. First, given that strategic information systems (IS) alignment is viewed as essential to organizational success in deriving value from information technology (IT) investments, what is the experience of organizations in practice in aligning their IT strategies with their business strategies? Second, what is the impact of global ES deployments on strategic IS alignment? Based on an in-depth case study of one organizations experience, the research shows that achieving alignment is still important yet difficult to attain. The pressure for alignment may be even more intense with the deployment of global enterprise-wide systems. The study provides additional empirical support for the strategic IS alignment construct and goes further to suggest that deploying an ES does not by itself create integrated and seamless operating environments. In addition, such an outcome requires significant organizational change at all levels.

Critical issues pertaining to the planning and implementation of E-Government initiatives

Abstract E-Government initiatives of varying scope and complexity have been implemented at the municipal and other levels of government throughout the world. These projects have been chronicled in both academic and practitioner journals and the proceedings of various E-Government conferences. As a consequence of this growing body of data, it is now possible to look across the experiences of numerous governments to understand if there are common issues that may impact the probability of success of E-Government programs. This paper examines the literature to search for critical planning and implementation issues that have had significant effects upon the success of E-Government initiatives. A conceptual framework is proposed which contributes to the theoretical understanding of E-Government initiative planning and implementation, and may inform practitioner success with new E-Government initiatives.

Designing governance for shared services organizations in the public service

Abstract As shared services organizations (SSO) become more popular as a service management and delivery option in government, properly defining and setting up the governance structure continues to be a key success factor. This paper explores the options and issues to consider when selecting and implementing shared services governance including topics such as oversight, accountability, culture, management of resources, and of day-to-day operations. Shared services organizations are increasingly common in private sector companies and the particular challenges involved in the governance of an SSO in a public service context are highlighted and discussed.

Highlighting the Duality of the ICT and Development Research Agenda

Central to this paper is the argument that existing classifications of the information and communication technology and development literature fail to explicitly acknowledge a fundamental duality between two distinct problem domains found within the research body. Through an extensive review of 184 journal articles and conference proceedings, a framework is proposed that suggests a partitioning of the existing literature into two distinct streams of research: (1) those studies that focus on understanding technology “for development” and (2) those studies that focus on understanding technology “in developing” countries. More than an exercise in semantics, the authors argue that the two streams represent separate sets of research objectives that are currently being conflated and addressed interchangeably within the same research environment. At present, there appears to be little recognition or explicit acknowledgement of this branching of research domains, as well as little reflexive discussion on the epistemological, methodological and theoretical implications of this delineation. A discussion related to the efficacy and relevance of the two separate research agendas is provided, along with recommendations for future research directions.

E-government maturity model using the capability maturity model integration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for assessing the maturity level of electronic government (e‐government).Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual framework is based on two models: the intellectual capital (IC) management and the capability maturity model integration (CMMI).Findings – The framework is composed of four input areas (human capital, structural capital, relational capital, and IT investment) and five maturity stages (web presence, interaction, transaction, integration, and continuous improvement). These areas are assessed by using the IC management model and the CMMI model. Employing the IC management process enables not only practitioners to effectively manage resources, but also auditors to more objectively assess the input area. Using the CMMI model allows governments to conduct process‐based assessments.Originality/value – The paper contributes to the literature and practice in the following ways. First, it outlines how to define and assess key attributes o...

Enterprise Information Systems and Strategic Flexibility

Strategic flexibility is a critical organizational competency in todays dynamic global environment. This paper explores the impact of enterprise information systems on an organizations strategic flexibility using the existing strategy and information systems literature to develop a theoretical model. Strategic flexibility is broken down into five first order constructs: operational flexibility; human capital flexibility; information flexibility; supply chain flexibility; and financial flexibility. These constructs are then used to develop a theoretical model and propositions of the impact of enterprise systems on strategic flexibility.

The influence of job characteristics on IT and non-IT job professional’s turnover intentions

Purpose – Information technology (IT) professionals and their intentions to leave an organization have been studied by researchers; however, these studies do not compare the turnover intentions of IT professionals with non-IT professionals from the same institution. The purpose of this paper is to examine how IT and non-IT job professionals relate to motivational and social job characteristics and their impact on job satisfaction, job performance and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from IT-shared services employees through a survey and quantitative analyses were performed. Findings – Among the motivational job characteristics, IT professionals experienced greater task significance than the non-IT job holders. With social job characteristics, IT professionals had greater outside interaction than the non-IT professionals. However, the non-IT professionals had greater intentions to leave the IT organization than the IT professionals. Additionally, the study examined the...

Reconceptualizing the concept of business and IT alignment: from engineering to agriculture

European Journal of Information Systems (2010) 19, 619–624. doi:10.1057/ejis.2010.50 We have been talking about strategic alignment between the business and information technology (IT) in organizational endeavor for at least two decades now (Venkatraman et al., 1993). Yet, despite heroic efforts on the part of researchers and practitioners we appear to be still far from achieving this business–IT ‘nirvana’, where the efforts of business and IT are synchronized as a well-engineered machine delivering extraordinary value to the business. Researchers have argued that alignment, while a complex and dynamic process, occurs when there is congruence between what the business wants to achieve (its strategy) and how IT may serve that strategy. The thinking is that if business and IT can really become aligned (integrated, synchronized and fused) then organizations will begin to realize extraordinary value from their investments in IT systems and processes, and the services they afford (Maes et al., 2000; Smaczny, 2001) Given that most constructions of the idea of business–IT alignment adopt a mechanistic perspective, the state of alignment envisaged is equivalent to a mirage, seeming to exist in vivid, lifelike color, but in reality, actually non-existent. As with the mirage in the desert, the expectation of a truly satisfying, thirst-quenching repast disappears into a bowl of sun-baked sand when the target is approached. Rather than chasing a dream, often thwarted by the structural and ideological rigidities maintained by vested interests in organizations, we call for more intense effort focused on cultivating and harvesting the products and services afforded by IT investment on an ongoing cycle. We advocate a shift, by both researchers and practitioners, from an engineering perspective on IT business alignment to one that embraces more of an agricultural view. Ciborra’s (1997) critique of the strategic alignment concept exposes the often-futile attempts made to control the relationship between IT and the business. He suggests that the sanitized perception of alignment offered by popular models cannot fully represent the ‘messiness’ of real-world efforts to apply IT in contributing to business effectiveness. As an alternative he suggests that success in deploying and appropriating the benefits of IT will occur through meaningful caretaking (borne out of intimate knowledge and understanding of the situated realities in which IT is being applied), coping with the multiple affordances (positive and negative, congruous and incongruous) of IT platforms and systems, and cultivating the natural evolution of socio–technical systems in ways that will allow the appropriation of benefits over the long term. This accords with emerging ecological views of information system (IS) (Baskerville & Pries-Heje, 2001). Ciborra’s critique notwithstanding, the mechanistic view of the strategic alignment concept persists in the IS research and practitioner literatures (Avison et al., 2004; Bergeron et al., 2004; Byrd et al., 2005; Tallon, 2008; Preston & Karahanna, 2009; Johnson & Lederer, 2010). Why is this so? The persistence of the strategic alignment concept in the IS research and practitioner literature results from the acceptance of a mechanistic view of European Journal of Information Systems (2010) 19, 619–624 & 2010 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved 0960-085X/10

The Role of Leadership

As the value realization cycle (VRC) shows, it is the entire organization that is needed to get a return from investments in information technology (IT). IT plays a critical role in this, and the CIO must be an effective leader to bring about real value. However, the CIO cannot do it alone. In this chapter, we examine the roles of the various organization leaders in the VRC.