Skip to main content
Log in

E-government adoption in public administration organizations: integrating institutional theory perspective and resource-based view

  • Research Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Information Systems

Abstract

We develop and test a theoretical model to investigate the adoption of government-to-government (G2G) information systems in public administration organizations. Specifically, this model explains how top management commitment (TMC) mediates the impact of external institutional pressures on internal organizational resource allocation, which finally leads to the adoption decision. The hypotheses were tested using survey data from public administration organizations in China. Results from partial least squares analyses suggest that coercive and normative pressures positively affect TMC, which then positively affects financial and information technology (IT) human resources in the G2G adoption process. In turn, financial and IT human resources are confirmed to positively affect the intention to adopt G2G. Surprisingly, we do not find support for our hypothesis that mimetic pressures directly influence TMC. Rather, a post hoc analysis implies that mimetic pressures indirectly influence TMC via the influence of coercive pressures. Our findings provide important managerial implications for public administration organizations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afsar S, Mateen A and Korbatov A (2005) Towards the enhancement of electronic democracy: the adoption of reinventing government and electronic government at the municipal level. Journal of Agriculture & Social Sciences 1 (2), 133–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Akkermans H and Helden KV (2002) Vicious and virtuous cycles in ERP implementation: a case study of interrelations between critical success actors. European Journal of Information Systems 11 (1), 35–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong SJ and Overton TS (1977) Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research 14 (3), 396–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azjen I and Fishbein M (1980) Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Behavior. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barney J (1991) Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management 17 (1), 99–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bollen K and Lennox R (1991) Conventional wisdom on measurement: a structural equation perspective. Psychological Bulletin 110 (2), 305–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bozeman B and Kingsley G (1998) Risk culture in public and private organizations. Public Administration Review 58 (2), 109–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldeira MM and Ward JM (2003) Using resource-based theory to interpret the successful adoption and use of information systems and technology in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises. European Journal of Information Systems 12 (2), 127–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter L and Belander F (2005) The utilization of e-government services: citizen trust, innovation and acceptance. Information Systems Journal 15 (1), 5–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen AJ, Pan SL, Zhang J, Huang WW and Zhu S (2009) Managing e-government implementation in China: a process perspective. Information & Management 46 (4), 203–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen J, Wang DL and Pan SL (2011) Understanding organizational agility development for government – a process model of resource configuration. In Proceedings of the 15th Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (Seddon PB and Gregor S, Eds), queensland University of Technology Publication, Brisbane, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin WW (1995) Partial least squares is to LISREL as principle components analysis is to common factor analysis. Technology Studies 2 (2), 315–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin WW (1998a) Issues and opinion on structure equation modeling. MIS Quarterly 22 (1), vii–xvi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin WW (1998b) The partial least squares approach for structural equation modeling. In Modern Methods for Business Research (Marcoulides GA, Ed), pp 295–336, Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cresswell M and Connelly DR (1999) Reconnaissance Study: developing a Business Case for the Integration of Criminal Justice Information. Center for Technology in Government, Albany, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawes S (1996) Interagency information sharing: expected benefits, manageable risks. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 15 (3), 377–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimaggio PJ and Powell WW (1983) The iron cage revisited: institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review 48 (2), 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dooley D (2001) Social Research Methods. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • EL-Haddadeh R, Weerakkody V, AL-Shafi SH and Ali M (2010) E-government implementation challenges: a case study. In Proceedings of the Sixteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2010 (Santana M, Luftman JN and Vinze AS, Eds), AIS Electronic Library (AISeL) Publications, Lima, Peru.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fornell C and Larcker DF (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research 18 (1), 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gefen D and Straub DW (2005) A practical guide to factorial validity using PLS-graph: tutorial and annotated example. Communications of the Association for Information Systems 2005(16), 91–109.

  • Gil-Garcia JR, Chengalur-Smith I and Duchessi P (2007) Collaborative e-government: impediments and benefits of information-sharing projects in the public sector. European Journal of Information Systems 16 (2), 121–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackney R, Jones S and Losch A (2007) Towards an e-government efficiency agenda: the impact of information and communication behaviour on e-reverse auctions in public sector procurement. European Journal of Information Systems 16 (2), 178–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho AT (2002) Reinventing local governments and the e-government initiative. Public Administration Review 62 (4), 434–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z (2007) A comprehensive analysis of U.S. counties’ e-government portals: development status and functionalities. European Journal of Information Systems 16 (2), 149–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z and Bwoma PO (2003) An overview of critical issues of e-government. Issues of Informational Systems 4 (1), 27–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irani Z, Love PED and Montazemi A (2007) E-government: past, present and future. European Journal of Information Systems 16 (2), 103–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kernaghan K (2003) Integrating values into public service: the values statement as centerpiece. Public Administration Review 63 (6), 711–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis W, Agarwal R and Sambamuthy V (2003) Source of influence on beliefs about information technology use: an empirical study of knowledge workers. MIS Quarterly 27 (4), 657–678.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Tan CH, Teo H and Siow A (2005) A human capital perspective of organizational intention to adopt open source software. In Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) (Avison D and Galletta D, Eds), Las Vegas, NV.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang H, Saraf N, Hu Q and Xue Y (2007) Assimilation of enterprise systems: the effect of institutional pressures and the mediating role of top management. MIS Quarterly 31 (3), 59–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell V (2006) Knowledge integration and information technology project performance. MIS Quarterly 30 (4), 919–939.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moon MJ and Norris DF (2005) Does managerial orientation matter? The adoption of reinventing government and e-government at the municipal level. Information Systems Journal 15 (1), 43–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore MH (1995) Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Harvard University Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore MH (2005) Break-through innovations and continuous improvement: two different models of innovative processes in the public sector. Public Money & Management 25 (1), 43–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • North D (1990) Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver C (1997) Sustainable competitive advantage: combining institutional and resource-based views. Strategic Management Journal 18 (9), 697–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penrose E (1959) The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. Basil Blackwell, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petter S, Straub D and Rai A (2007) Specifying formative constructs in information systems research. MIS Quarterly 31 (4), 623–656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer J and Salancik GR (1978) The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective. Harper & Row, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter ME (1990) The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Free Press, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ranganathan C, Dhaliwal JS and Teo TSH (2004) Assimilation and diffusion of web technologies in supply-chain management: an examination of key drivers and performance impacts. International Journal of Electronic Commerce 9 (1), 127–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Realini AF (2004) G2G e-Government: The big challenge for Europe. Masters Thesis, University of Zurich, Lugano, Switzerland.

  • Ringle CM, Wende S and Will A (2005) SmartPLS (2.0). [WWW document] http://www.smartpls.de (accessed 10 August 2010).

  • Schachter HL (1994) The role of efficiency in bureaucratic study. In Handbook of Bureaucracy (farazmand A, Ed), pp 27–40, Marcel Dekker, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott WR (2008) Institutions and Organizations: Ideas and Interests, 3rd edn, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon H (1976) Administrative Behavior. Free Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straub DW (1989) Validating instruments in MIS research. MIS Quarterly 13 (2), 147–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teo HH, Wei KK and Benbasat I (2003) Predicting intention to adopt interorganizational linkages: an institutional perspective. MIS Quarterly 27 (1), 19–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas JC and Streib G (2003) The new face of government: citizen-initiated contacts in the era of e-government. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 13 (1), 83–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Titah R and Barki H (2006) E-government adoption and acceptance: a literature review. International Journal of Electronic Government Research 2 (3), 23–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wade M and Hulland J (2004) Review: the resource-based view and information systems research: review, extension, and suggestions for future research. MIS Quarterly 28 (1), 75–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson RT and Mundy B (2001) A strategic perspective of electronic democracy. Communications of the ACM 44 (1), 27–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber M (1947) The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Oxford University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JQ (1989) Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. Basic Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wixom BH and Watson HJ (2001) An empirical investigation of the factors affecting data warehousing success. MIS Quarterly 25 (1), 17–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao Y and Murphy L (2007) Remote electronic voting systems: an exploration of voters’ perceptions and intention to use. European Journal of Information Systems 16 (2), 106–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang C and Dhaliwal J (2009) An investigation of resource-based and institutional theoretic factors in technology adoption for operations and supply chain management. International Journal of Production Economics 120 (1), 252–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zheng, D., Chen, J., Huang, L. et al. E-government adoption in public administration organizations: integrating institutional theory perspective and resource-based view. Eur J Inf Syst 22, 221–234 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2012.28

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2012.28

Keywords

Navigation