Diffusion and adoption of information and communication technologies in the public sector

Abstract

This study seeks to shed some light on the types, usage and availability of information and
 communication technologies (ICTs) in four selected government departments in the KwaZulu-Natal government in South Africa. To achieve the stated aim, the study posed and then answered
 the following research questions: What types of ICTs are available in government departments?What is the purpose of using ICTs in government departments? What are the benefits ofusing ICTs in government departments? What are the ICTs that civil servants consider to beeffective in improving work productivity in government departments? What are the civil servants’recommendations for improving ICT usage in government departments? The study was informedby the diffusion-of-innovations theory. Government departments considered to be central to servicedelivery were targeted by means of a survey. To obtain a representative sample, a systematicsampling method was applied. The collected data were analysed using thematic categorisationand tabulation, and the findings were presented descriptively. The results indicate that a varietyof ICT tools and services have been adopted in the government departments included in thesurvey so as to facilitate information sharing and improve communication. All the civil servantssurveyed indicated that they used ICTs to communicate with fellow colleagues and to disseminatedepartmental information. The most popular recommendations included the need for sufficientand coherent government policies to regulate the training of staff in the utilisation of ICTs in thesector. Detailed recommendations for further study are provided.