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The US Public Sector and Its Adoption of Service Oriented Technology

Posted on:2013-07-01Degree:Ph.DType:Thesis
University:George Mason UniversityCandidate:Coleman, David WFull Text:PDF
GTID:2456390008981592Subject:Information Technology
Abstract/Summary:
Information Technology (IT) provides public sector organizations the capability to provide real increases in organizational effectiveness by aiding in the efficient exchange of information. Adoption of advanced IT such as service oriented environments, Web 2.0, and bespoke systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) promises to markedly improve that capability via presumed gains in efficiency. However, this presumed associated gain in organizational effectiveness may be stymied/enhanced by constraints or incentives, particularly as they may relate to information sharing. This thesis reports on research in this area framed within a case study environment. The dissertation addresses data collected and findings associated with a survey of public sector organizations. It provides, in some detail, the analytical steps involved in the method and reports findings.;Information sharing in the public sector, while similar in execution to the private sector, has a nuanced difference in terms of organizational goals. This thesis draws those differences and explains how they potentially impact the effectiveness of information sharing in federal organizations. As a case study it holistically examines several factors that may or may not contribute to or constrain information sharing effectiveness. In doing so, it addresses concepts such as e-gov (the public's access to information held by the federal sector), privacy as a throttle to e-gov, non-hierarchical structures that may or may not enhance/diminish effectiveness, coupled with a report of the theoretical underpinnings. The broad research question is: "Do organizational and individual attitudes to information sharing have an effect on an organization's implementation of advanced IT?" This thesis addresses the question through a case study analysis that includes surveys of two organizations and the use of the structured equation modeling (SEM) analytical technique.;The paper discusses the use of SEM techniques as a method for analysis, including the strengths and weaknesses discovered. It addresses, in some depth, the relationship of the method to the theory of information sharing effectiveness. The report will include postulated models such as the original Willem and Beulens (2007) factors, which include power games, trust, identification, lateral coordination, and incentives, as well as additional factors relating to IT in particular. It introduces exploratory changes made to the model to align the model with the data acquired. Further, it kneads multiple survey results to address the continuous nature (across samples) of the results and their alignment with theory. Finally, it provides a level of analysis as to the efficacy of SEM in information sharing research.
Keywords/Search Tags:Public sector, Information, SEM, Provides, Effectiveness, Organizational, Organizations
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