An E-collaboration Approach to Buy-in of Development Innovations in Rural Communities: a South African Experience

South Africa is attempting to rewrite its history as a national heritage of empowered citizens working in close collaboration with the government. Recognising the inherent capabilities in fast-tracking development, ICT is regarded as a critical success factor in delivering development innovations in rural communities. However, the ICT innovations do not include the collaboration element. This paper reports on the effect of an e-collaboration approach in a simulated environment to raise awareness of an act of government within rural communities. The research followed an interpretive paradigm with the researchers as participant observers. The collected data was analysed using elements of the diffusion of innovations theory as a theoretical lens to reveal that e-collaboration can lead to the buy in of government development innovations.