FACTORS INFLUENCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF T-GOVERNMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA: A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Abstract

Governments worldwide have invested substantially in information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivered to citizens. Due to the lack of interoperability amongst numerous state entities, this expenditure did not have the expected effect. Consequently, several governments have recently begun to abandon the concept of e-Government in favor of a significantly more transformative strategy known as transformational government. Transformational government, often known as t-Government, involves the entire relationship between government agencies and public service users. The implementation of t-Government necessitates a high level of interoperability amongst government agencies. This study employs a qualitative research methodology to refine and validate the research model for t-Government (TG) execution in the Saudi Arabian context, focusing on technological compatibility (TC), governance readiness (GR), the e-Government Program (Yesser) (EG), organizational compatibility (OC), and citizen centricity (CC). The results indicate that technological compatibility (TC), organizational compatibility (OC), governance readiness (GR), e-Government Program (Yesser) (EG), and citizen centricity (CC) have a positive impact on the compatibility required for t-Government (TG) deployment in this context. Moreover, it reveals that the e-Government initiative (Yesser) (EG) has a direct and positive impact on technology compatibility (TC). It also demonstrates that citizen centricity (CC) has a direct and positive effect on the e-Government initiative (Yesser) (EG). Surprisingly, the Yesser e-Government Program (EG) had no impact on organizational compatibility (OG) or governance readiness (GR).