A Model For Adoption Of Teleworking In The Public Sector In Kenya: A Case For Kenya Revenue Authority

Abstract

Teleworking as a concept, or at least some form of it, has been adopted in many places. It is a concept that many organisations are using to help improve working conditions for their staff (work-life balance) and with the hope that it will have significant ripple down effect on productivity and efficiency. This research examines the factors that influence adoption of telework. Most research has focused on the private sector and therefore very little information is information that directly affects the public sector in Africa is available. These factors are put into context of the public sector and used to develop a decision tree model for telework adoption in the public sector in Kenya. Primary Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and the target population was telework eligible employees of Kenya Revenue Authority, and across private companies in Kenya that have adopted or intend to adopt teleworking. Complimentary data came from extensive literature review and subject matter expert opinions. The data was then subjected to WEKA and a decision tree model generated which was validated and tested for accuracy. The results of this research shows that the factors that influence the adoption of telework can be viewed in four categories namely, task factors (where the type of task of job description is a determinant), organisational factors (where the organisation decides to adopt telework), individual factors (where individuals telework if given the opportunity) and technological factors (where there is telework enabling technology). The results also show that J48 decision tree models are ideal for telework adoption, based on their accuracy. This study is expected to be valuable to public sector policy makers in helping them analyse their resources and make informed decisions on the telework adoption. It will also form a basis for further research on not just telework adoption in the public sector but also adoption of other emerging technologies.