In developing countries, the adoption of technology in the public sector is critical for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government services. Digital adoption has become increasingly of importance in Pakistan’s public sector as it seeks to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance service delivery. However, the process is complex and challenging. There are various factors that can impact the entrenchment of technology in these contexts, including organizational culture, resource availability, and employee attitudes.l amongst others.
One major factor is obviously the availability of funding which in turn impacts continuity of tech projects and often their completion. Many public sector organizations in Pakistan have limited budgets, which can make it difficult for them to invest in new technologies. This can result in a reluctance to buy these new technologies or a preference for cheaper, less sophisticated options that may not be as effective. To overcome this, it is important for the government to provide sufficient funding for public sector organizations that can improve their operations and service delivery.
Another factor that can impact ICT adoption is the availability of skilled personnel. Many public sector organizations in Pakistan struggle to recruit and retain skilled personnel who have the expertise to implement and manage new technologies. This can result in a lack of confidence in the technology and a reluctance to invest in it. To address this challenge, the government can provide training programs to help public sector employees develop the skills they need to effectively implement and manage new tech. There may also be opportunities for public-private partnerships to invest in technology infrastructure and training programs. This could help stretch limited government resources further and leverage private sector expertise to improve technology adoption in the public sector.
Furthermore, the regulatory environment has its own impact. Complex regulatory requirements and bureaucratic procedures can slow down the adoption process, making it more difficult for public sector organizations to implement digital projects. At this point, the government could and should work to streamline regulatory requirements and reduce bureaucratic procedures to make it easier on the whole.
In addition to the above, another mitigating factor is cultural attitudes towards technology that create their own hurdles. This resistance can come from a variety of sources, including workers who are used to doing things a certain way and are resistant to change, or bureaucratic structures that make it difficult to implement new systems. There may be a lack of awareness or understanding about the benefits of new technologies, or a preference for traditional ways of doing things. To address this, the government can work to raise awareness about the benefits of new technologies and promote a culture of innovation and openness to change in the public sector.
Also there remains even now a massive dearth of IT infrastructure in the public sector. Without the proper hardware, software, and network capabilities, it’s difficult for public sector workers to effectively use technology to perform their jobs. This lack of infrastructure is particularly problematic in rural areas of Pakistan, where access to technology is limited and a large civic base has been serviced.
One recent study in the past five years (much hasn’t changed) looked at some other areas that are obstructs in governmental organizations in developing countries, with a focus on Pakistan. . Research methodology involved collecting data through a questionnaire-based survey from the respondents. who were all public sector employees involved in decision-making processes related to technology adoption.The results of the study indicate that factors such as perceived usefulness, compatibility, complexity, and observability have a significant impact translating idea to paper in terms of building a digital Pakistan spine within the public sector spaces..
Continuing on, another area of concern is top management support which is critical for successful tech implementation. If leaders do not prioritize technology adoption and provide support for its implementation, employees may be less motivated to take to it. Top leadership can push through the change by involving workers in the technology buildup process and provide incentives for them to embrace new systems. This can include bonuses for workers who demonstrate proficiency or opportunities for workers to provide feedback.
Finally, the lack of trust in technology is a strong barrier to adoption. This lack of trust can come from a variety of sources, including concerns about data security and privacy, as well as worries that technology will replace human workers. Addressing concerns about trust in technology will be crucial for improving adoption rates. This can include investing in robust data security and privacy measures, as well as communicating the benefits of technology assistance to workers and the public more broadly.
To conclude, there remains a complex web of factors that are still impacting digital buildup in the public space in Pakistan. Despite e- government directorates that were set up way back in the 2000s to the policy work done in the past five years, you will still catch usage of personal Hotmail/Gmail/Yahoo accounts by senior government officials and hear stories of hacks and data leaks. Until a robust follow up to the policy work and politik speak is done neither will there be a transparent system of governance built on digital and social assets nor will digital civics ever come into play within the entrenched bureaucratic structure that is Pakistani governance for the last 7 decades. Speedy efficient tech empowerment of government is not only imperative but there also needs to be a realisation that this can never really work unless top down and bottoms up approach is tailored in such a way that digital transformation of the bureaucratic behemoth happens slowly but surely if not seamlessly, and that the end goal remains to serve the 5th large population of the world.
Sources:
- Akhtar, N. (2018). Technology and economic development in Pakistan. Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 18(2), 1-10.
- Government of Pakistan. (2018). Digital Pakistan Policy. Retrieved from http://www.moit.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/Digital%20Pakistan%20Policy.pdf
- Hussain, A., & Liang, Y. (2016). An analysis of factors affecting mobile banking adoption in Pakistan. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 21(1), 1-13.
- Mahmood, M. A., & Akram, M. (2019). Determinants of technology adoption in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. Journal of Small Business Management, 57(4), 1526-1543.
- Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. (2021). Annual Report 2020. Retrieved from https://www.pta.gov.pk/assets/media/annual_report_2020_170621.pdf
- World Bank. (2021). Pakistan: Leveraging the power of digital transformation. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/pakistan/publication/pakistan-digital-transformation
- Zia, M., Hussain, A., & Hussain, J. (2017). The influence of perceived security, privacy and trust on social networking sites: A study of user adoption in Pakistan. Information Development, 33(4), 406-419.
- Ali, M. & Zaman, N. (2017). A Study of Impacting Factors on Technology Adoption in the Public Sector of Pakistan. Cogent Business & Management, https://cibgp.com/article_9470_ebf05321a570bb6b56b3b757a77bd98a.pdf
