Understanding e-government services: integration of process virtualization theory and user resistance
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-11-2021-0153 |
| Published date | 30 September 2022 |
| Date | 30 September 2022 |
| Pages | 418-434 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information policy |
| Author | Philemon Seth Ackom,Kwame Owusu Kwateng,Francis Kamewor Tetteh,Manuel Wiesche |
Understanding e-government services:
integration of process virtualization theory
and user resistance
Philemon Seth Ackom, Kwame Owusu Kwateng, Francis Kamewor Tetteh and
Manuel Wiesche
Abstract
Purpose –Literature reveals that citizens’ intentions or willing ness to adopt and use e-government services in
developing countries like Ghana have not been encouraging regardless of the impor tance of these services.
This study aims to examine the factors that inhibit the virtualization of government to citizen e-government
processes by assessing citizens’ intentions to resist or use government’s virtualized processes.
Design/methodology/approach –This study used a survey questionnaireto collect data from public
school teachers who are users of the Government of Ghana’s e-pay slip system. Out of 500
questionnaires administered, only 423 useable responses were obtained. The data was analyzed with
both inferentialand descriptive statistics.
Findings –The results of this study showed that process virtualizability significantly predicts virtual
processuse, and it is associated with user resistance towardvirtual process use.
Practical implications –The findings will helpgovernments and managers to comprehend that certain
processesare more acquiescent to virtualization thanothers.
Originality/value –This paper provides researchers with a contemporary perspective toward
understandingthe adoption and use of e-government services in sub-SaharanAfrica through the lens of
processvirtualization theory.
Keywords Processvirtualization theory,E-government, Teachers,User resistance, Informationsystems
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
With the rapid development of information and communications technology (ICT) and the
impressive enhancements in the advanced network, governments are reevaluating the
manner in which they function and communicate both within their organizations and with
outer organizations (Bryson, 2018;Zheng et al.,2018;Sandberg et al., 2019). This
innovation in technology has empowered public organizations and affiliations to reevaluate
their interior and outer relations and exchanges. Consequently, public administrative
procedures are transmittedto electronic framework in an attempt to flourish and work for the
future. This phenomenon is knownas electronic government (e-government).
E-government may be explained as the “usage of technologies related to information and
communication to give people and firms the chance to network and conduct transactions
with governments by the use of several electronic means like telephone touch pad, fax,
smart cards, self-service booths, e-mail/Internet, and electronic data interchange (EDI)”
(Almarabeh and AbuAli, 2010,p.30).
E-government, according to Valle-Cruz et al. (2016), has been regarded as the modern
pattern in a series of market-driven adjustments pushed by many nations. In turn, a number
Philemon Seth Ackom is
based at the Department of
Supply Chain and
Information Systems,
KNUST School of Business,
Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, Ghana.
Kwame Owusu Kwateng is
based at the Department of
Supply Chain and
Information Systems,
Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, Ghana.
Francis Kamewor Tetteh is
based at the Department of
Supply Chain and
Information Systems,
KNUST School of Business,
Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, Ghana.
Manuel Wiesche is based
at the Department of Digital
Transformation, Technical
University of Dortmund,
Dortmund, Germany.
Received 25 November 2021
Revised 21 June 2022
Accepted 24 August 2022
PAGE 418 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jVOL. 24 NO. 5 2022, pp. 418-434, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2398-5038 DOI 10.1108/DPRG-11-2021-0153
of e-government projects have been pursued by both advanced and emerging countries
(Zafiropoulos et al.,2012) as a way of improving the delivery of public service
communication with industry and business (Mensah, 2016). The Government of Ghana
(GoG) has taken action to adopt and implement e-government as a way to improve public
service delivery (Mensah, 2016). For instance, processes such as government polling,
distribution of pay slips, tax filing, vehicle and driver licensing and renewal, passports
acquisition, penalties payment, books buying, banking and transport check-in, which had
earlier been physically provided in service centers and across the desk, are now
increasingly being performedusing the internet.
The effort of the Ghanaian Government to indulge in e-government in its civic activities has
transformed from speculation into existence as it has been recognized and supported by
the state as an official strategy (Owusu et al.,2017). The e-Ghana Project, launched in
2008, attempted to develop feasible public-sector digital approaches to enhance the
provision of public services. Some government organizations were particularlycaptured (as
a pilot project) as part of the e-Ghanaproject to use different ICTs and further e-government
alternatives to attain higher effectiveness, transparency and accountability. These
organizations include the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Revenue Authority,
Department of the Registrar General, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Birth and Death
Registry, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Tourism
Authority, Minerals Commissionsand Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ghana Judicial Service
and the parliament had the task to ensure the increasing use of ICTs to improve the
distribution of public service (Adu and Bentil, 2018). The governments’ main goal is to
provide the citizenry with a one-stop shop and internet connection to data and facilities
(Balci and Rosenkranz, 2014;Ofoedaand Boateng, 2016). Research shows that Ghanaians
already have the right to access facilities such as issuance of a driving license, registration
for enterprises, payments of taxes, procurement of marriage and birth certificates and visa
requests through the GoG website (e-service) and electronic payment (e-pay) (Mensah,
2016).
E-government as a concept has beenactualized in many developed nations but it is not yet
clear to most emerging nations (Ibrahim and Zakaria,2013;Adjei-bamfo et al.,2019). Many
governments face the possibility of failure during the process of adopting e-government
initiatives (Nkohkwo and Islam, 2013;Dash and Kumar, 2016). In a report cited by Ibrahim
and Zakaria (2013), 35% of e-government schemes in developing countries had failed
totally, while 50% of these developments were partially unsuccessful and just 15% were
considered fruitful. This problem is evident in both government and private sector because
they encounter similar risks (Akman et al.,2005;Ibrahim and Zakaria, 2013). According to
Gartner (2007) and Fedorowicz et al. (2010), a total or approximately 60% of e-government
schemes are classified as either a complete failure or a partial success. Many governments
are still faced with the issue of little e-government services acceptance by their citizens
(Alateyah et al., 2012;Joseph, 2017). Studies have shown that the regions of the world with
the highest levels of adoption for e-government by citizens in rank are Europe, America and
Asia (Alateyah et al., 2012;Ibrahimand Zakaria, 2013;Amegavi et al., 2018).
Some studies in the domain of e-governance and its associated applications exist. For
example, research has been carried out on e-government execution and acceptance
(Zafiropoulos et al.,2012;Voutinioti, 2013;Alkhalifah, 2017); e-government challenges and
opportunities (Ndou, 2004;Nkohkwo and Islam, 2013;Alateyah et al.,2014); assessment of
e-government projects (Stefanovic et al., 2016); and e-government synthesis of literature
(Nkohkwo and Islam, 2013;Ashaye, 2014;Yusuf et al.,2016;Adjei-bamfo et al.,2019).
Some studies also centered on e-government services (Adu and Bentil, 2018) while others
specifically focused on citizens-centered e-government facilities (Munyoka and Maharaj,
2017; Governance, 2018; Ofoeda et al.,2018); corruption (Krishnan et al.,2013;Aladwani,
2016) and non-usability (Venkateshet al.,2017;Verkijika and De Wet,2018a, 2018b).
VOL. 24 NO. 5 2022 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jPAGE 419
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