Management’s support and implementation of electronic document and records management systems in government departments

Abstract

E-government implementation initiatives achieve different levels in implementing Electronic Document and Records Management Systems (EDRMS). Only a small percentage of e-government systems in developing countries are successful in this regard, while the rest are either total or partial failures (Elkadi 2013: 166; Nengomasha & Chikomba 2018: 254). The public sector has always lagged in adopting new technologies and approaches (Schoonraad & Mthethwa 2018: 26). Government departments in KwaZulu-Natal should align with the e-government strategy to implement the Integrated Document and Records Management System. This study aims to determine the significant impact of EDRMS at KZN COGTA and its role in implementing the system. The objectives of this study are to determine the impact of EDRMS at KZN COGTA. The study also sought to establish factors affecting the implementation of EDRMS at KZN COGTA and assess the role of management in implementing EDRMS at KZN COGTA. The researcher adopted a mixed-method approach whereby closed-ended questions were used for the quantitative data, and interviews were conducted for the qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), and qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Purposive sampling for the quantitative data was used to select a sample size of 181 participants out of 341 population. The 341 population were selected because they were trained to use the system. Census sampling was used for the qualitative data. The population was nine and all nine were selected to participate in the study. This study revealed that EDRMS is an essential system to have, provided that it is utilised to its full potential. It emerged that planning and change management are the factors that hindered the success of the implementation of EDRMS in the department of KZN COGTA. Therefore, management needs to put more effort into overcoming the department’s shortcomings in implementing EDRMS. Managerial roles, like decisional and informational roles, are to be focused upon. “Proper planning prevents poor performance” (McClurg 2020: 56). Lastly, end-user engagement can drive the success of the implemented system. End-users need to be informed about all the benefits of EDRMS before implementation. After training has been done, end-users should be enforced to use the implemented system.