PROceedings Paper Abstract

Charles C. Hinnant. "Information Technology and Organizational Control: Examining the Management of IT in An Era of E-Government." Paper prepared for delivery at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, August 29-September 1, 2002.

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Keywords: Information Technology, Public Organizations, E-government, Organizational Control

Abstract:

This paper examines social and technical factors with influence the level of organizational control placed on the use of information technology in public organizations. Literature regarding the use of various control mechanisms within organizational design is discussed. Hypotheses are developed regarding the influence of organizational formalization, the dependence on IT, and technical innovativeness on the level of control placed on the use of IT. Data from a national study of state program managers is employed to test these three hypotheses. Regression analysis is employed to estimate the effects of these factors on the formal control of IT in public organizations. Results provide evidence that an organization’s overall level of formalization, or red tape, is positively related to the level of control placed on the use of IT. Similarly, an organizations dependence on IT to achieve key goals is negatively associated with the level of formal control placed on the use of IT by public managers. Finally, innovativeness is positively related to the level of formal control placed on the use of IT within public organizations.

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