MULTI-DIMENSIONAL NATURE OF E-GOVERNMENT: TOWARDS ADAPTIVE E-GOVERNMENT MODELS

Bwalya Kelvin Joseph

ABSTRACT: Many e-Government development models have been conceptualized based on a snapshot or current status of institutions and individuals (Agents) without considering the fact that agent statuses change over time. The implication of utilizing snapshot models to measure factors or frameworks influencing adoption or successful implementation of e-Government is that they capture what factors matter at a given point-in-time but do not look into the effect of those factors on e-Government after a period of time. This work proposes adoption of dynamic/agile development of e-Government solutions which stand a better chance of sustainability since dynamic changes in agent tastes and circumstances can determine which factors influence adoption and usage of e-Government in any given context. Understanding agile factors influencing e-Government adoption is important in designing adaptive e-Government models which are imperative for designing sustainable interventions for e-Government development. In an attempt to showcase the structural and logical limitations of snapshot models, this st udy utilizes the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and TAM2 in understanding the factors that influence e-Government adoption in Zambia. The utilization of three models should normally culminate into increased explanation of factors that influence adoption of e-Government but this is not the case. The results of the study show that the factors extracted only account for 54% variance in the predictor variables and further show that there are many evolving factors given the multi-dimensional nature of e-Government which can never be captured by technology adoption models in measuring factors that sustainably influence e-Government adoption. The novelty of this research is that there is no research so far that has been proposing adaptive models for e-Government adoption.

Keywords: Agile model development, sustainable, e-Government, adoption