systems continuance and discontinuance

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ Υπουργείο Διοικητικής Μεταρρύθμισης και Ηλεκτρονικής Διακυβέρνησης

Systems Continuance and Discontinuance: the case of the Hellenic Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction

Antonios Stasis,

Eleni Chaniotaki,

Dimitrios Papadimitropoulos

Hellenic Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction, Directorate General of Finance and Administrative Services/ Directorate of Procurement, Infrastructure & Material Management, Vassilisis Sofias 15, 10674, Athens, Greece


Contents

Theoretical Background: The concept of Information Systems Continuance and Discontinuance

The context

The initiation of the project

Implementing the project

Post implementation period

Organization restructure and government change: System use decline

Conclusions

Limitations and future research


The concept of Information Systems Continuance and Discontinuance

IS Continuance: o behavioral patterns reflecting continuous usage of an Information System

o behavior that refer to the period past to the adoption of a system

o can be investigated either from an individual or at an organizational point of view

o Is connected with the 3 latter phases of development (acceptance, routinization and infusion)

IS Discontinuance: o the cessation of the use of an organizational information system

o can be viewed as a milestone following the stages of IS adoption and continuity

o factors that affect system discontinuity: system performance shortcomings, organizational initiative aiming at altering how and where an organization operates and environmental change

o forces causing discontinuance inertia: system investment, system embeddedness in organizational activity and institutional pressures (i.e. the tendency of organizations to copy the actions of those perceived as having high levels of legitimacy)


Contents


The context





Conclusions



The context Bureaucratic organization model of the Greek state

Document-centric model: documents need to be signed consecutively in order to be valid

Based on ‘decisions’: acts (documents) signed by all members of hierarchy, signifying common

decision on an issue

Traditionally ‘decisions’ were printed and stored physically

Slow pace of documents circulation

Inconvenient filing and indexing system

Inadequacy to follow the European Interoperability Strategy

E-Gov Law (3979/2011) enacted in 2011 allowed Public Agencies to issue and circulate e-

documents

Regulation of eIDAS (regulation No 910/2014 ) about e-signatures, e-stamps and e-delivery acted

as a facilitator

Clarity project obliged issuers to upload their ‘decisions’ in a public portal (www.diavgeia.gov.gr)

Presidential Decree 25/2014 regulated filing issues of e-docs

http://www.diavgeia.gov.gr/








Contents


The context





Conclusions



The initiation of the project (1/2)

When?

Who?

What?

• Summer of 2012

• Deputy Minister of Administrative Support and E-Governance

• Internal processes for issuing public documents based only on electronic means without any major IT investments

Main benefits: 1. Speeding up of circulation of documents and reduce time needed for the

completion of processes 2. Cost saving in terms of paper and printing consumables Main challenges: 1. Definition of new internal processes and workflows 2. Integrity and non-repudiation of draft documents 3. Versioning of the draft documents 4. Filing of different versions of the document 5. Access of the employees to the different types of documents


The initiation of the project (2/2)

Public agencies needed to obtain digital certificates to digitally sign documents (ensuring their integrity and non-repudiation)

The Directorate General of Administrative Support started discussing with the other Directorate Generals about the definition of their internal procedures

Results of this discussion documented in the internal regulation of the Ministry

Plan for this transition to e-documents: Rollout of e-distribution of documents within the Ministry on the 16th of September 2012


Contents


The context





Conclusions



Implementing the project (1/3)

A very challenging project due to:

All public agencies were used to a different way of work (handwritten signatures, filing folders and cabinets, indexing books)

Bureaucracy of the Greek Public Administration, where all processes include official documents that need to be signed consecutively by more than one person in the hierarchy

The strict deadline imposed by the Deputy Minister did not allow for such a carefully designed Process Reengineering plan

Solution: Two alternative ways of exchanging and filing documents



1st alternative

Use of Document Management System to exchange and file documents

The Ministry already possessed such a system but had never put it into operation

The System was being used only as a metadata registry

Main advantage: Versioning and tracking facilities

Main drawback: It was based on a client-server technology and required a lot of support for every client

Needed a web-based version to be easily adopted by users

Its upgrade to the web-based version would cause a delay or several months



2nd alternative

E-mail service for exchanging documents and file server for filing them

Main advantages:

o No training of staff required

o Based on existing infrastructures

Main drawbacks:

o Lack of versioning and tracking facilities

o More storage space required


1st rollout phase

Extensive need of user support

Large spectrum of issues for support

Change management: the most demanding challenge

Most staff members reluctant to change their daily work routine

Full commitment of the IT Dept. needed

Strong support of Deputy Minister reduced the impact of personnel reactions

IT Directorate collected different types of documents and processes in order to propose process changes


2nd rollout phase

Web-based version of the system ready to use and all employees created as users

Training program scheduled by IT Directorate

Difficulties had started to arouse caused by the use of e-mail as an exchange method

Minister signed a circular imposing the use of the Document Management System on October 1 , 2013

The circular also regulated some secondary issues of e-documents

Auto-reply messages from central nodes in the ministry to inform senders about the obligation to send documents through the Document Management System

Change of certain processes was taken over


Process Change

Certainly a big opportunity was given to simplify processes

3 main types of changed processes:

1. Processes redesigned by the IT Directorate but their proposed model was then discussed with the operating unit in charge, thus coming to a commonly accepted solution

2. Common processes throughout the Ministry exclusively redesigned by the IT Directorate, abolishing steps and documents that now became obsolete due to the DMS

3. Processes that were automated by means of interoperability with other Information Systems


Contents


The context





Conclusions



Post-implementation period

2-day training sessions to all users

Plans for building interoperability with other systems

Examining similar systems operating in other European countries

System use increased during 1st year due to:

o Top management support

o CEO-CIO proximity, i.e. the cooperation between the General Director and the IT Director

o Skilled IT staff

o Redesign of existing processes

o User feedback and user-led activities

o Influential lead users


Contents


The context





Conclusions



Organization restructure and government change: System use decline (1/2)

Shrinkage of organization chart of the Ministry by 60%.

Change of the people in charge of the project

More duties assigned to participants in the project

Staff reduction

Change of Top-Management

Different vision and priorities of the top management

Change of strategic plan


Organization restructure and government change: System use decline (2/2)

Results:

o System use decline by 16% due to:

• System performance shortcomings as a result of the failure to continue the project and enhance the system’s functionality.

• Change in the Ministry’s strategic plans

• The replacement of key executives

• Changes in the Ministry’s organizational structure

• Users started discovering workarounds to standard operating procedures

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Contents


The context





Conclusions



Conclusions

IS projects heavily dependent on context

Factors derived from literature detected in current case study

Top-management support, CEO-CIO proximity and skilled IT staff can have impact on system continuity

Replacement of key executives and organizational change can have impact on system discontinuity


Contents


The context





Conclusions




Paper deals with concepts (System Continuance and Discontinuance) at an abstract level

Mere focus on description of facts

A research model needs to be formed and validated

Empirical data need to be collected from users or executive staff

Declining trend of system use obvious, but their causes remain unknown

Distinction between individual and organizational factors needed

systems continuance and discontinuance

Government & Nonprofit