CHAPTER 7: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

7.1 Discussion
This study reports that organizational factor is a significant dimension affecting e-government
adoption among employees. The findings of this study corroborate the results of the previous
literature (Kim and Lee, 2004; Hussein et al., 2007; Pedersen, 2018). In previous studies, the role
of an organizational factor was examined from other perspectives for e-government adoption (Al-
Refaie and Ramadna, 2020; Stamati and Martakos, 2013; Córdoba et al., 2009). This research
study indicates top management support, training and technical support to be the critical factor
influencing e-government adoption among the employees of the e-district in the Uttarakhand state
of India. Top management support helps employees to understand and execute work smoothly.
Poor organizational strategy, vague vision, poor leadership, measure top management support,
lack of clarity and direction are major organizational factor that restrict e-government adoption
among employees (Meijer, 2015; Ebrahim and Irani, 2005). Top Management should provide a
budget for procuring new technology that includes hardware and software for effective adoption
of e-government among employees (Rehouma and Hofmann, 2018; Gupta et al., 2017). Also, an
Indian government organization has a top-down, bureaucratic organizational structure and a long
chain of command that limits the direct transformation of information to the employees (Kor et
al., 2008). This restricts the employee to receive clear instruction and direction and affects their
job performance. Employees want their organization to provide proper training to operate on e-
government effectively. Savoldelli et al., (2014) has proved in their study that lack of training,
limited management capabilities, and lack of top management support are crucial factors
influencing technology implementation and adoption. The organization needs to realize that
successful implementation requires additional effort from organisation side by empowering their
workers with training. Due to lack of training, employees in government departments find it
difficult to adopt e-government (Markezini et al., 2013). Previous researches have proven that
there is a strong positive relationship between training and job performance where it was
highlighted that training helps in improving the job performance of the employees (Park et al.,
2018; Al-Mzary et al., 2015; Bin Atan et al., 2015). Employees have to cope with technological
issues such as device failure, network failure, etc., and the repercussions are dissatisfaction,
negative attitude, and poor job performance (Gupta et al., 2017). Many government employees
require technical support for effective service delivery and sustaining a positive attitude (Batara et
al., 2017). The organization needs to provide a dedicated technical support department so that
employees can request technical assistance to solve the problem at the earliest.

Technical factor is seen as the critical factor that influences e-government adoption among
employees. Employees need the technological environment in their organization. The findings of
this research support the results of previous literature. In previous studies, the role of a technical
factor in e-government adoption has been explored from diverse perspectives (Bhaskar et al., 2020;
Batara et al., 2017; Córdoba et al., 2009; Barua, 2012). This study observed technical
infrastructure, internet speed and website quality are the vital factors that drive e-government
adoption among the employees of the e-district in the Uttarakhand region of India. For the efficient
implementation of e-government, strong technological infrastructure, good internet speed, updated
software configuration and good quality websites are important (Al-Refaie and Ramadna, 2020;
Zhan et al., 2011). Employees need the necessary technological infrastructure such as a computer,
printer, and internet access for the smooth working on e-government (Rehman et al., 2012). Due
to a lack of technical infrastructure, employee job performance also gets affected (Dillon and
Pelgrin, 2004). India continues to struggle and lag in IT infrastructure that has made it difficult to
effectively implement e-government. Employees want to operate e-government efficiently without
any technical problems, but in many government departments, internet connectivity is very weak.
The low internet bandwidth and regular failure of the internet also frustrate employees and
gradually decrease their job performance (Glyptis et al., 2020; Gupta et al., 2017; Al‐Busaidy and
Weerakkody, 2009). E-government website is developed on upgraded software that requires strong
internet connectivity to load website easily. Many computers are not updated in the government
department to manage the complex software setup, so employees face difficulties when working
on e-government websites. Gupta et al., (2017) emphasized that internet access speed and layout
of the website significantly influence e-government adoption. Complex configuration and non-
user-friendly interfaces of e-government websites also demotivate employees to adopt e-
government. A website's technical features such as navigation, aesthetic impact, and website
design influence the adoption of e-government systems by employees (Vance et al., 2008).
Moreover, Websites are not regularly updated to include recent information. Employees struggle
to locate the details under the numerous tabs and many times hyperlinks are broken. This
slowdown their work and leads to poor job performance

Trust factor was found to be another significant factor that influences e-government
adoption among employees. The results of previous literature are validated by the findings of this
study. The trust factor for e-government adoption has been discussed from different angles in
previous studies (Sulistyowati et al., 2020; Abu-Shanab and Al-Azzam, 2012; Carter et al., 2011;
Bélanger and Carter, 2008). In this study also trust in the government system, trust in technical
infrastructure and trust in data storage and management are the important factor that influences e-
government adoption among the employees of e-district in the Uttarakhand state of India.
Employees did not found e-government to be safe and reliable as they have a fear of data hacking,
viruses, phishing, and external threats. Their perception is that an e-government website can be
crashed due to a high server load that will result in huge data loss for the government. The findings
are similar to the findings reported by (Rana et al., 2013; Bélanger and Carter, 2008), where
employees show less trust in the technical infrastructure of e-government. Employees did not show
trust in e-government system and online transactions and tend to avoid working on e-government.
Non-adoption behaviours affect their level of job performance. Similar findings were reported by
Roberts and David, 2020; Min and Bambacas, 2020; Botwe et al., 2016 where due to lack of
"Trust", employee's job performance gets affected. Organization needs to develop trust among
employees for e-government. Trust in technical infrastructure, trust in storing data online, and
trust in data management are reported as significant factors that influence e-government adoption
(Gupta et al., 2017; Papadopoulou et al., 2010). Employees have doubt on data storage facilities
of e-government. Employees do not trust in the e-government website's security and privacy
settings and fear that data security will be breached and that any third party may tamper or misuse
it (Al‐Busaidy and Weerakkody, 2009; Vance et al., 2008). Due to a lack of trust in e-government,
employees show resistance towards its adoption and prefer to work on manual mode in government
offices (Gupta et al., 2017).

It is also noticeable in the results that "Social factor" are also an imperative factor that
influences e-government adoption among employees. The findings of this study substantiate the
outcomes of previous researches where social factor has influenced e-government adoption
(Dečman, 2020; Sawalha and Abu-Shanab, 2015; Talukder et al., 2013; Sykes et al., 2009). This
research study reports peers, social network and image as the critical factor influencing e-
government adoption among the employees of the e-district in the Uttarakhand region of India.
Employees are inspired to work on e-government by their social network that includes social
references, such as family members, relatives, colleagues and friends (Irani et al., 2008; Tan and
Teo, 2000). Employees get influenced by their peers or colleagues to work on e-government. They
feel indirect pressure from their colleagues who are comfortable working e-government. So
employees get motivation from colleagues and show a willingness to work on e-government. A
positive motivation helps employees to adopt e-government and give better job performance
(Peterson and Byron, 2008; Judge et al., 1998). Employees want their work to be recognized in
their social circle. They feel proud when they receive positive feedback from their family members,
relatives, colleagues and friends on their technical knowledge. Strong positive feedback from their
social networks influences e-government adoption (Gupta et al., 2017; Pavlou and Fygenson,
2006; Lu et al., 2003) whereas negative comments and poor feedback demotivates employees to
adopt e-government and affect their job performance (Guo et al., 2017; Van Dijk and Kluger,
2011). It was also reported that employees who know about working on e-government make
impression on others who enjoy special status in their social circle. A strong image of employees
gets established in the organization which boosts their job performance (Yuan and Woodman,
2010).

E-government adoption has a positive impact on the task performance dimension of job
performance. In the current study, several tasks are required to be performed by employees in the
organization. In this research study, task performance consists of quality of work, quantity of work
and working efficiency. Employees believed that e-government helps them in performing multiple
tasks while maintaining the quality of the work within the specified time frame. An e-government
system allows employees to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. They also believe that e-
government has improved their quality of work and there are fewer chances of doing error as the
system work on technology. This study results substantiates the findings with studies of Chopra et
al., 2022; Bhaskar et al., 2022. Both studies have reported that successful e-government adoption
results in working efficiently and enhances task performance (Chopra et al., 2022; Bhaskar et al.,
2022).
 E-government adoption also has a positive impact on the contextual performance
dimension of job performance. In this research; contextual performance comprises co-operating
with others, challenging tasks and showing responsibility. Employees believed that e-government
helps in better coordinating with their colleagues. They coordinate and communicate with their
colleagues and other departments through the e-government portal for work-related matters. This
saves their time and clear communication occurs between them that reduces the chances of
conflicts and results in better job performance. In the E-government system, work is performed
online and it's easy to track the status of work completed. Due to this reason, employees show
more responsibility for their work and aims to complete it on time. It was also stated by employees
that e-government helps them deal with challenging tasks efficiently. Whenever any department
or management requests any critical data and information, the e-government system proves to be
beneficial. It is easy to retrieve old project documents and track the latest project progress in the
e-government system. This research results corroborates the findings with the recent literature of
Chopra et al., 2022; Bhaskar et al., 2022. Both studies have reported that e-government adoption
has positive impact on contextual performance of employees.

E-government adoption also has a positive impact on the adaptive behaviour dimension
of job performance. In this current research; update technical knowledge and skill, creative idea
innovation and manage stress. It is compulsory for employees to work on e-government; which
enhances their technical knowledge and skill. Due to continuous working on e-government,
employees start observing the pros and cons of working on e-government. Employees also observe
the issues associated with e-government and suggest a creative idea for its improvement.
Employees do not get stressed about the work even when there was additional work allocated to
them.

E-government adoption also has a positive impact on the counter-productive work

behaviour dimension of job performance. Counter-productive work behaviour incorporates
purposely making mistakes, spreading negativity, and harming organization image. Employees
preferred manual performance in government offices rather than e-government. Employees who
are hesitant to adopt e-government made errors deliberately. Their opinion is that their workload
has increased due to e-government. They are made responsible for their mistakes and errors which
may have occurred due to a lack of knowledge of e-government. They often propagate cynicism
to their colleagues and outside people and advise them not to use e-government. Spreading
negativity damages the reputation of the organisation among people inside and outside the
organization.

In this research, it is seen that e-government adoption has a positive impact on the job
performance of employees working in the e-district of the Uttarakhand. Previous literature also
proves that technology adoption helps in better job performance (Bhaskar et al., 2022; Wijaya et
al., 2019; Chopra et al., 2022; Rehouma & Hofmann, 2018; Gupta, S., & Yadav, 2017; Al-Maatouk
2020; Davis et al., 1989, Jeloudarlu and Begzadeh, 2016; Nuskiya, 2018; Khan and Vijayashree
2015; Jelinek et al., 2006; Imran et al., 2014; Al-Nashmi and Amer, 2014). In the current study;
Organizational Factor, Technical Factor, Social Factor and Trust Factor are significantly important
for e-government adoption among employees and positively influence employees' job performance
in terms of task performance, contextual performance, adaptive behavior and counter-productive
work behaviour.

7.2 Conclusion
This study concludes that e-government adoption has a positive impact on job performance among
the employees of the e-district in the state of Uttarakhand in India. This study reports that
Organizational Factor, Technical Factor, Trust Factor and Social Factor are significant factors
affecting e-government adoption among employees whereas Task performance, Contextual
Performance, Adaptive Performance and Counter-Productive Behaviour are significant factors of
job performance.
In the Organizational Factor; Training, Technical Support, Top Management Support play a
critical role in e-government adoption among the employees. To work efficiently, employees need
top management support. Top Management should provide a budget for purchasing new
technology and clear instruction and direction. Employees expect their organization to have
sufficient training and technical support to work effectively on e-government. Apart from
organizational factor; employees also need a strong technological environment to work on e-
government. In the technical factor; internet speed, website quality, technical infrastructure are
vital factors that influence e-government adoption among employees. They need the necessary
technological infrastructure for the smooth working on e-government. The employee needs high
bandwidth internet to work on hi-tech applications and software. User-friendly interfaces and
interesting website technical features also influence employees to adopt e-government. Trust is
seen to be another critical factor affecting e-government adoption among employees. Trust in data
storage and management, trust in technical infrastructure, trust in government systems are seen to
be the main indicators of trust. Employees lack trust factor in e-government are seen to be another
significant factor that influences e-government adoption among employees. Employees don't
found it to be safe and reliable as they have a fear of data hacking, viruses, phishing, and external
threats. They show less trust in the technical infrastructure of the e-government system and
skeptical website's security and privacy settings. Employees do not trust the data storage and
management of the e-government. Lastly social factor which consist of peers, social networks, and
image are significant factors that influence employees to adopt e-government. Employees get
influenced by their social network to adopt e-government. They get motivated by colleagues and
family members to work on e-government. Employees enjoy the recognition that they receive in
his/her social network which makes his/her feel proud of their image.
The employee needs to perform various tasks in the organization. Task performance is found to be
a critical factor of employee's job performance. Task performance consists of quality of work,
quantity of work and working efficiently. Employees believe that e-government helps them in
performing multiple tasks while maintaining the quality of the work within the specified time
frame. Similarly, contextual performance is seen to be a significant factor in job performance.
Contextual performance includes co-operating with others, challenging tasks and showing
responsibility. Employees can coordinate with colleagues of other departments in a better way.
Due to the transparency of the e-government, employees show responsibility toward their job
because they will be responsible for their mistakes which can be easily traced in e-government.
Employees are also able to deal with challenging tasks efficiently. In times of difficult situations,
it was easy to retrieve old records and track the current work progress in the e-government system.
Another important factor of job performance was reported is adaptive behaviour which includes
updated technical knowledge and skill, creative idea innovation and manage stress. With the help
of e-government, employees enhance their technical knowledge and skills. Continuous working
on e-government improves their conceptual skills and employees confer creative ideas to improve
e-government functioning. Also, they remain calm and composed whenever additional work was
assigned to them. Due to the efficient e-government system, employees were also able to manage
work stress. Some employees have shown counter-productive work behaviour. Counter-
productive work behaviour encompasses purposely making mistakes, spreading negativity, and
harming organization image. Employees who were resistant to adopt e-government were purposely
making mistakes. Their perception was that due to e-government their workload has increased and
which results in errors. Employees’ spreading negativity by discussing loopholes with their
colleagues and outsiders also don't recommend others to use e-government which directly harms
the organization image.
This research found that e-government adoption has a positive impact on the job performance of
employees in the e-district of the Uttarakhand state of India. Organizational Factor, Technical
Factors, Social Factor and Trust Factor are significantly important for e-government adoption
among employees and positively influence employees' job performance in terms of task
performance, contextual performance, adaptive behavior and counter-productive work behaviour.
7.3 Recommendations
Based on the study, few recommendations are made for policy and decision-maker of e-
government. These recommendations are discussed below.
The government should provide auxiliary services for the successful implementation of e-
government which will also improve the employee job performance
Auxiliary services
Auxiliary services are additional services that are provided to make work easy. In the case of e-
government, the Government of Uttarakhand can provide employee complaints hotline number,
fast track online token complaint system, employee’s feedback and suggestion mechanism and
rewards for innovation. These auxiliary services will help the employee to overcome the
challenges faced in e-government adoption thereby improving their job performance. They will
also be beneficial for employees as they can utilise such services and complete the task without
any delay in work and efficacious delivery of service to the citizen. The details of auxiliary services
are discussed below:
Employee complaints hotline number
The employee complaint hotline is a critical part of an employer's efforts to address the technical
problem faced by them while working on the computer system. Hotline calls are received by
computer experts who routinely handle complaint intake. The government should start a hotline
complaint number for all the departments working on the e-district portal. This can work as an
instant solution to the problem. If employees facing any kind of congestion or problem while
working on the computer system, they can directly dial the hotline number to resolve the problem
with the given direction by the computer experts on the call. It will lead to a quick resolution of
issues, remove time lag and will motivate the employees to adopt e-governance.

Fast track online token complaint system

Fast track online token complaint system service can amplify the performance of an employee. If
employees face some technical issue on the computer system they can dial up the number and
generate a token number on which their problem be resolved on a first come first serve basis. This
roadmap will help the employee to deal with the system and their issue will be resolved at the
earliest. This system will generate belief in the system and the employees will feel connected with
the organization. They will be motivated and accept the novelty in regular office operations.
Employee’s feedback and suggestion mechanism
Employee feedback can be defined as a process of giving constructive suggestions to their
reporting managers. Feedback followed by the follow-up action can help employees and the e-
district portal office constantly get better by considering employees' suggestions. Employee
feedback is an integral part of the employee experience process and a mechanism that will
increasingly help employees get better at their job and for the e-district services to develop a fast
delivery of services to the citizen. This mechanism could make the employee feel being a part of
the job and also improve their performance due to getting recognized for their innovative idea or
suggestion.
Rewards for innovation
Employees want to do work that engages their interest and passion, but they must work to optimize
their compensation. While their hearts may be aligned to innovation activities, their minds and
wallets are focused on how they’ll eventually be evaluated and compensated. So their innovative
idea should be rewarded in cash or kind. The appreciation and recognition by the government will
motivate the employees to share innovative ideas and get involved in the process. Employees will
have healthy competition for which they will keep on improvising their work as well as their
performance.
Chapter Summary 7

Discussion
The current research provides an important contribution in the field of e-government adoption
among employees and their job performance. Firstly, the study contributed to the development of
the conceptual model that integrated all the significant factors that are needed to be instigated in
the study. It provides insights into the various factors that are affecting employee performance at
work.
Technical factor were found to be the most critical factor that influences e-government adoption
among employees. Trust factor were found to be another significant factor that influences e-
government adoption among employees. Also, result showcase that the Social factor is also a
significant factor that influences e-government adoption among employees.
Further, the discussion proclaimed that the job performance dimension (task performance,
contextual performance, adaptive behavior and counterproductive work behaviour) has a
positive impact in the context of e-government adoption. This research found that e-government
adoption has a positive impact on the job performance of employees working in the e-district of
Uttarakhand.
Conclusion- The study concluded that e-government adoption has a positive impact on the
employees’ job performance working in the e-district offices of Uttarakhand. The result of the
study supported that organizational factor, technical factor, trust factor and social factor are
significant factors affecting e-government adoption among employees whereas Task performance,
Contextual Performance, Adaptive Performance and Counter-Productive Behaviour are significant
factors of job performance.
Suggestion and Recommendation- The suggestion and recommendation has been made that
government should provide auxiliary services for successful implementation of e-government
which will also improve the employee job performance