Observing organisational transformation of the public sector in the e-government era
Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy
ISSN: 1750-6166
Article publication date: 16 March 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a more comprehensive framework that would provide better insight into the characteristics of organisational transformation (OT) of the public sector organisations in the e-government era. Despite the widespread opinion that successful implementation of information communication technology (ICT) is strongly correlated with the appropriate OT of the public sector, a critical analysis of the available literature within the field indicates that this important dimension of e-government development has been dealt with only partially. Accordingly, the paper attempts the following: to develop a more comprehensive framework for observing OT, to empirically explain the framework through analysis of three Slovenian e-government projects and to develop some general characteristics of ICT-induced OT in the public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The development of the framework is based on an analysis of the available literature, whereas the explanation of such is based on a multiple-case study approach.
Findings
The paper contributes to a clearer understanding of what the main characteristics of OT in the e-government era are and how they should be observed.
Research limitations/implications
The findings can help researchers to more accurately focus their attention on the most critical aspects of OT. The identified attributes can provide an important basis for future research, particularly from the methodological perspective.
Practical implications
The framework can help public managers to focus their attention on the most important attributes of ICT-induced OT to exploit ICT potentials more efficiently.
Originality/value
The paper attempts to demystify the concept of OT in the e-government field and place it in a more solid theoretical and empirically explained framework.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work presented in the paper is partially supported by the Slovenian Research Agency through the funds for training and financing young researchers.
Citation
Nograšek, J. and Vintar, M. (2015), "Observing organisational transformation of the public sector in the e-government era", Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 52-84. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-04-2014-0014
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited