Abstract
Electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS) have been implemented in organisations in order to, among others, improve delivery of services. Implementation alters work processes, and if the change is not properly managed, intended deployment benefits are not realised. The Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI) implemented the Document Workflow Management System (DWMS), an EDRMS, to improve service delivery through a technology-enhanced records management system. Implementation faced user resistance. Using documentary reviews and interviews to collect data, this chapter describes the change management activities instituted to promote adoption and use of DWMS. Data collected from purposively selected action officers and records officers was analysed thematically. The study found that the poor management of change brought by DWMS led to resistance to adopt and use the system.
TopBenefits Of Edrms Implementation
Studies have shown that organisations that implement an EDRMS accrue some benefits from doing so. An EDRMS enables for integration with other business systems. In Botswana, the Court Records Management System (CRMS) implemented in the Magistrates Court can be integrated with a government wide accounting system for payment of court fines and money for child maintenance (Mosweu, 2012; Mosweu, 2018). The management of email as record can be improved by the use of an EDRMS. Faced with problems of managing email records, the City of Sturt in Australia implemented an EDRMS to address the problem (Nguyen, Swatman, & Fraunholz, 2008). Another advantage in using an EDRMS is that it enables quicker and convenient discovery and access to required information. For instance, Ostroukh, Krasnyanskiy, Karpushkin, and Obukhov (2014) acknowledge that EDRMS saves both time and cost by improving the speed of records retrieval and removes the need to maintain separate content infrastructure. It also improves administrative efficiency and effectiveness. The implementation of CRMS in the Gaborone Magisterial District, and the Lobatse High Court in Botswana speeded up justice delivery by reducing backlog (Motsaathebe & Mnjama, 2007; Mosweu & Kenosi, 2018). In a Canadian municipality, an EDRMS enhanced the agency’s recordkeeping culture and promulgation of organizational standards for recordkeeping procedures and practices. It also improved information security, through greater control over and access to corporate information (Xie, 2006). That aside, an EDRMS reduces the risk of loss of records as the decision to delete a record is taken by more than one person (Mosweu, 2014).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Change Management: It means all the efforts, initiatives and strategies deployed to make people appreciate changes introduced in an organisation, and accept them so as to move from the current state to the desired state of affairs.
Records Management Unit: A unit within Botswana government ministries and departments, that is responsible for the day to day management of records.
Document Workflow Management System: The name given to the electronic document and records management system that was implemented at the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry of Botswana.
Electronic Document and Records Management System: This refers to a software application which enables the management of both truly electronic records as well as the electronic management of physical records.
Records Officer: An officer who works in the Records Management Unit and has records management qualifications. These officers manage the day to day management duties for records.
Action Officer: A government official within the Botswana government ministries and departments, and that is responsible for working on assigned duties related to their function.