Abstract
Being among the largest creators and gatherers of data in many countries, public administrations are looking for ways to harness big data technology. However, the de facto uses of big data in the public sector remain very limited. Despite numerous studies aiming to clarify the term big data, for many public managers, it remains unclear what this technology does and does not offer public administration. Using the concept of technological frames, we explore the assumptions, expectations, and understandings that public managers possess in order to interpret and make sense of big data. We identify nine big data frames, ranging from inward-oriented techno-enthusiasts to outward-oriented techno-skeptics, each of which characterizes public managers' specific viewpoints relating to the introduction of big data in public administrations. Our findings highlight inconsistencies between different perceptions and reveal widespread skepticism among public managers, helping better understand why the de facto uses of big data in the public sector remain very limited.
Highlights
Since the 1970s, many researchers have promoted the idea that public administration will undergo a data revolution, which will fundamentally reshape governmental structures, processes, and tasks (Shuman, 1975)
Suspect that public organizations' uncertainty about whether and how to implement big data arises from public managers' very different opinions, expectations, assumptions, and understandings about uses of big data in public administrations
We reviewed the literature on the upsides and downsides of big data in public administrations and highlighted promising effects for government and society (Chen et al, 2012) or outlined risks and challenges from big data usage
Summary
Since the 1970s, many researchers have promoted the idea that public administration will undergo a data revolution, which will fundamentally reshape governmental structures, processes, and tasks (Shuman, 1975). Using path analysis, Thomas, Clark, and Gioia (1993) showed that interpretation behaviors of hospital managers in 1987 predicted strategic changes in the following 3 years These findings are of interest, because the de facto uses of big data in public administrations remain in their infancy (Kim et al, 2014), including in Switzerland (Jarchow & Estermann, 2015). We use technological frames analysis (Orlikowski & Gash, 1994) as a theoretical lens to uncover public managers' underlying perceptions and assumptions relating to big data. This theoretical approach suggests that technology is cognitively embedded and that cognitive patterns influence individuals' acceptance of a technology. Based on our interpretation of Q-methodology data, we discuss our study's primary implications and conclude with a description of limitations and avenues for future research
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