Abstract

This study explains the development and application of a theoretical framework for understanding the use of IT in government organizations. This framework considers three broad theoretical perspectives of public administration—management, policy, and governance theory—and three general uses of IT derived from the work of Shoshana Zuboff—automating, informating, and transforming.

The three perspectives of public administration are distinguished by their (1) history and development; (2) ideas about the source and use of knowledge; (3) beliefs about the legitimate source and use of power; and (4) emphasis on a certain set of values. These elements provide insight into the way each perspective views the overall purpose of theory and practice in public administration. This research argues the distinguishing characteristics of each perspective comprise a set of beliefs that influence the practice of public administration. In particular, these perspectives influence whether information technology is used to automate, informate, or transform public organizations.

The theoretical framework developed in this study is used to identify the dominant perspective of public administration and to examine the multiple uses of information technology in three county government organizations. Grounded-theory methodology is used to explore which perspective is dominant in each organization and how these perspectives reflect the use of information technology.

This research finds that one theoretical perspective dominates in each organization, and this is reflected in the way the organization uses IT to automate, informate, or transform its work processes. The dominant perspective within each organization is associated with one of the three uses of IT. The organization dominated by the management perspective is associated with automating, policy with informating, and governance theory with transforming.

This study fills a gap in the public administration literature by developing a framework for examining the use of information technology in public organizations. This framework considers the unique theoretical history and influences that have characterized public administration. In particular, this research highlights the necessity of considering the multifaceted nature of public administration as we attempt to understand the impact of IT on our democratic system of governance.*

*This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Microsoft Office.