DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESS USAGE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN PUBLIC SECTOR IN THE STATE OF QATAR

Abstract

In the wake of current knowledge based global economy, information and communications technology (ICT) has remained the central focus in both developed and developing countries. This is because most of the activities conducted at both national and international realms are mostly leveraged through information systems. The Qatar government has recognized the importance of information technology in its service delivery to the public, and hence envisioning ICT integration in its 2030 vision. In this study, the factors affecting successful usage of information system in Qatar’s public sector by the government are explored. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 151 participants from the various sectors in Qatar’s public sector, which include health, education, public administration, and public security. The collected data were later analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software. From the results it was revealed that users’ attitudes and system characteristics were fundamental determinants of their frequency of use and utilization of information system, which subsequently contributed towards successful usage of the information system. Among the key factors that were identified to affect the attitudes of employees in the Qatar public sector include performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating condition. However, this study revealed that attitudes of the Qatar public sector towards information system were not influenced by service quality; because of the limited user-friendliness of the current information system in the public sector workplaces in Qatar as revealed in the findings in this study. The moderating roles of gender, age and computer confidence were also found to be significant on the results obtained in this study. From the results obtained, the researcher pointed out that the Qatar government needs to adopt up-to-date information system, integrated easy-to-use technology, and train its employees on how to use the technology in order to promote efficiency and effectiveness of information system usage in the public sector.