Investigating drivers of information technology governance in South African public healthcare sector

Abstract

As organizations continue to heavily invest in Information Technology (IT), effective information technology governance is critical to make sure that IT spending leads to the fulfilment of organizational goals and delivery of expected value. The purpose of this study is to determine IT governance drivers in public healthcare in South Africa. The study applied exploratory mixed methods research, through semi-structured interviews and an online survey questionnaire with selected IT and business decision-makers. Data were analyzed through thematic data analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis. Through the lenses of the technology organization environment (TOE) framework, findings indicate that organizations are driven by internal and external context-based governance imperatives, which manifest as trigger events and pain points, necessitating new or changed IT governance policies. The implication is that organizations require specifically tailored IT governance strategies that respond to their specific governance needs. The study calls for policymakers and implementers to be conscious of their IT problem context. In the absence of IT governance drivers’ contextualization, organizations may fail to tailor IT governance initiatives, and risk investing in costly IT governance practices that do not address their specific needs. The study contributes to reflective and pragmatic IT governance approaches in developing economies.