Technology model of e-government readiness in Libya

Abstract

E-government has become a reality and it has become a global issue that has a great impact on all aspects especially governmental reform programs. The technology readiness is a significant aspect of e-government readiness and vital for its successful implementation. However, most barriers and challenges resulting in failures of egovernment come from the technology perspective. Although there are studies on egovernment readiness, there is still a lack of agreement on which factors shape the technology readiness of e-government. The aim of this research is to formulate a model for the technology factors contributing to e-government technology readiness. Analysis of the related literature led to the identification of eight factors namely, hardware, software, connectivity, security, operations and maintenance, technical support and skill, IT standard and information system structure. The Technology- Organization-Environment theory was used to guide the research theoretical foundation and measure the e-government technology readiness. A quantitative approach using structural equation modelling was utilised as a research design to collect the data from respondents in three ministries and five universities in Libya. A survey questionnaire was developed and verified for its content validity and reliability based on judgments of 12 experts and a pilot study involving 30 respondents by using the SPSS. Exploratory factorial analysis was conducted by the IBM SPSS version 24 on 100 respondents to verify that the research variables could actually measure their relationships. The actual survey was conducted on 380 respondents comprising technicians, engineers, programmers, administrators, lecturers, researchers and students who were selected through a simple random sampling technique from the target ministries and universities. The SPSS AMOS was used to conduct the confirmatory factor analysis and develop the structural equation model. The results indicated that all hypotheses were supported which proved that the selected technology factors affect significantly the e-government technology readiness, and are incorporated as the variables in the model. In conclusion, the identified eight technology factors contribute significantly to assess the e-government technology readiness. Besides, the technology model can help the Libyan government to assess readiness and ensure efficient implementation of their e-government systems.