Migrating from Physical to Virtual Administrative Work Environment: A Case Study of a Sub Saharan African Higher Education Institution

The purpose of this study is to understand how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) can migrate from physical to virtual administrative work environment. Information systems (IS) research on virtualness in HEIs has focused more on teaching and learning and less on administrative work. Therefore, a knowledge gap exists on virtual work environment and how it emerges. This study focuses on the experience of an HEI in using an off-shore consulting agent to virtualise its administrative work environment. The study uses an interpretive case study approach as the methodology and activity theory as the theoretical lens to trace the HEI’s attempt to virtualise the administrative work environment. The findings show how AT can explain IS development and implementation process through principal-agent relationship. This paper contributes to research and practice by offering critical insight into how HEIs in SSA can migrate from physical to virtual administrative work environment.