Challenges in technology adoption in Indian public distribution system: a quality management approach

Abstract

Information and communication technologies are being used by various countries to provide faster and transparent services to their citizens through e-government initiatives. A large population in developing countries remain deprived of these services due to lack of skills, training and infrastructure. Local community intermediaries with necessary skills are employed to provide these services to beneficiaries. The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritise the challenges faced by intermediaries in adopting e-government technology. Quality management tools of list reduction, affinity diagram and Pareto chart were used for this purpose. Utilising quality management tools is an unconventional approach to problem solving in public administration sector. The six identified priority areas were lack of infrastructure, device hardware design, process design, sales people errors, government support and software design. This research will help policy makers and government agencies to improve technology dissemination for easier adoption of existing as well as new e-government initiatives.