TITLE:
Factors Affecting the Adoption of GIS Systems in the Public Sector in Saudi Arabia and Their Impact on Organizational Performance
AUTHORS:
Ahmad Alzighaibi, Masoud Mohammadian, Majharul Talukder
KEYWORDS:
GIS Training, Managerial Support, Incentives, GIS Adoption, Saudi Arabia, GIS Usage
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.8 No.3,
June
21,
2016
ABSTRACT: This study investigates the adoption of the new phenomenon of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) in an organizational context in an emerging economy, namely Saudi
Arabia. It explores the determinants of employees’ perceptions of GIS, their actual
usage and expected outcomes when they use it. A model was developed for this study
based on relevant theories and existing literature. In total 221 responses were
collected from the Ministry of Water and Electricity (MOWE) in Saudi Arabia using
a structured survey questionnaire. Several statistical techniques were applied to
the data collected. Results show that factors having the most significant impact
on employees’ perceptions of GIS are managerial support, IT expertise and exposure
to GIS. However, some factors did not have any significant impact on employees’
perceptions, these being GIS training and incentives. It also emerges that attitude
to GIS has an impact on and relationship with the actual usage of GIS. In the outcomes
of GIS adoption, results indicate that its usage influences enhanced risk management
and better customer relationships. However, no significant relationship was found
that led to more efficient decision-making and saving of costs. This paper also
highlights implications and discusses the limitations and suggestions for future
research.