| Improper adoption and implementation of information technology (IT) can negatively affect organizational effectiveness, including the waste of resources and errant delivery of services. However, the problem of which factors affect IT projects, alignment against IT adoption models, technologies, and which knowledge management tools are utilized in the public (PU) and private (PR) sectors remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to delineate IT differences between the public and private sectors. This was done under such theoretical frameworks as the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of reasoned action (TRA). The study used the descriptive quantitative research method. This cross-sectional survey of PU and PR IT professionals was analyzed using ANOVA, Binomial, and MANOVA statistics. Senior leadership, funding, and IT methodologies were among those identified as key factors that affect IT projects. Findings suggest that the public sector is behind the private sector in IT governance, funding, and IT implementation. The data also suggests the public sector may be unnecessarily inefficient specifically because of these IT deficits. The findings show that TAM is most appropriate to align with the public sector. These findings have strong implications for social change. By building IT into public policy programs at the design stage, rather than implementing IT as an afterthought, and by focusing senior leadership on IT technologies, it is possible that public sector organizations can deliver services to the people more efficiently and more quickly with fewer errors, resulting in a healthier, safer, and more prosperous society. |
