Information Systems Innovation in Public Organisations: An Institutional Perspective

Purpose The paper takes an institutional approach to the analysis of organisational-level challenges of IS innovation in public organisations. It seeks to answer the question: how can the challenges of IS innovation in public organisations, presented by the interactions between IT and public bureaucracy, be explained and addressed? Design/methodology/approach Empirical study approached with an interpretive philosophy that influenced the gathering of qualitative evidence. Findings The analysis reveals the institutional tensions between the low-entrepreneurial ethos of public organisations and the efficiency principle of information technology (IT). Practical implications (if applicable) Public bureaucracy should be adjusted by de-institutionalising its variable characteristics such as standardised and centralised employee roles and information. Information technology should be adjusted by restraining commitments to and expectations in public organisations. Originality/value The paper argues that the primary principle of IS innovation should be institutional adjustments of public bureaucracy and information technology. It informs e-government policy makers to think primarily about the institutional relations between IT and public bureaucracy.