Factors Influencing the Failure to Manage Official Email Records by the Central Government of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Email has emerged as one of the most important and frequently used business records in almost all types of business organisations. This has been due to the advantages inherent in email such as low cost, speed of transmission and ease of use as well as opportunities brought about by the adoption of the electronic government programme. Nevertheless, many organisations face challenges when it comes to managing email as an official record where email messages are captured into the record-keeping system of the organisation, classified, appraised and preserved for future use and reference, and appropriately destroyed when no longer needed. This study seeks to promote the economic, efficient and effective management of email as official records in Zimbabwe’s central government. The case of Zimbabwe’s central government was used and 12 out of 22 head offices of government ministries participated in the study. Using a mixed methods research approach with an explanatory sequential research design, the study collected data using structured questionnaires and open-ended interviews. The study revealed that many government ministries failed to properly manage email as official records due to lapses in the regulatory, policy and procedural frameworks as well as due to skills and infrastructural deficiencies, among other factors. If no urgent efforts are effected, a lot of email records will be lost, thereby compromising accountability, transparency and informed decision-making in Zimbabwe’s central government. The study recommends that Zimbabwe’s central government should channel requisite material, financial and human resources as well as craft legal, policy and procedural frameworks in order to make email a useful record of choice worth its salt.