A model for the Adoption and Implementation of Web-based Government services and applications. A Study Based in Grounded Theory Validated by Structural Equation Modelling Analysis in a Jordanian Context.

Abstract

Among the many promises of the revolution in the information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly the Internet, continues to be its potential to significantly transform governments around the world. This transformation is referred to as e-government or web-based government, often used interchangeably in most of the IS literature. Despite these however, the level of adoption and use of such innovation is still low and does not meet expectations in developing countries in general and Jordan in particular. Yet, existing research on the adoption and implementation of e-government in developing countries is still lacking explanatory power for the following reasons: 1) focusing either on the supply-side, or on the demand-side separately to study the adoption and implementation of e-government, and therefore there is no enough research on the integration between them as a single phenomenon, and 2) focusing on the results of previous research, and therefore not to develop theories fit the new context to be investigated to understand the relationship between the IT implementation and social structures in the same context. This research aims to fill these gaps through the use of a holistic approach to enable in-depth understanding and gain valuable insights on the adoption and implementation of e-government from multiple perspectives, and in the real context of a developing country, namely Jordan. This would reduce the gap between government strategies and policies related to implementation of e-government services and applications on the one hand, and perceptions of citizens on the other hand, allowing a better understanding of the needs of citizens and the priorities that must be taken into account by governments in order to ensure the success of such projects on a large scale. Through two phases, this research proposes and empirically tests an integrated model of the determinants of adoption and implementation of e-government services and applications in Jordan. The first phase employs a grounded theory methodology for the development of the research model, as well as the survey instruments necessary to test the model. The second phase employs a survey questionnaire to test the research model using multivariate and SEM with the results demonstrating support for the proposed model. The empirical results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and the security of e-government systems are no longer among the main determinants that affect the decision to adopt and implement e-government services and applications in this particular context. This confirms that the prevailing models and theories on the adoption of IT do not apply equally to the context of developing countries such as Jordan, and thus do not explain and predict behaviour toward the adoption and implementation of e-government services and applications in the same context. There is a direct and positive relationship between citizen involvement in the change process towards e-government and the decision to adopt and implement e-government services and applications. There is also a strong positive relationship between the decision to adopt and implement e-government services and applications and the decision to use such services and applications within the same context. Unexpectedly, the prevailing sociocultural determinants indicate a direct and positive relationship with the decision to adopt and implement e-government services and applications in the same context. Also, the results indicate direct and negative relationships between citizen trust and website design issues with the decision to adopt and implement e-government services and applications. Finally, the research concludes by highlighting the theoretical and practical implications, limitations and future directions.