Developing an IT tool for improving workforce motivation and capabilities: An empirical case study with reference to Qatar

Alsalemi, Hussein (2016) Developing an IT tool for improving workforce motivation and capabilities: An empirical case study with reference to Qatar. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Human, Organisation and Technology (HOT) are all important components of IS. However,
organisations look to technology as the main tool of change that can help them achieve their goals.
This change usually concerns the needs of the organisation, and not the needs of its human
resources, despite it being the latter that is the principal actor that any organisation depends upon to
achieve its goals. The aim of this research is to develop an IT tool that itself can satisfy the
workforce humanistic needs.
In order to develop this IT tool, a theoretical investigation and practical experimentations were
conducted in a series of case studies involving government organisations in Qatar. Based on the
theoretical investigation, an approach was proposed based on Socio-Technical Theory (STT),
supported by learning from the ETHICS application of STT concepts and Client-Led Information
systems Creation (CLIC) application of Soft System Methodology (SSM) principles. This approach
was used to guide the development of the IT tool which was then used in actual organisational work
environments to assess its impact on the Qatari workforce's motivation and capabilities.
Empirical results from this research show that an IT itself cannot be used to improve workforce
motivation and capabilities in the case of Qatar. However, IT can do this by supporting a work
environment enabled by necessary managerial practises and work environment requirements. Based
on the proposed approach, this requires firstly, an understanding of the needs of the social
subsystem of the organisation to improve workforce motivation and capability; then these needs
should be developed into functions that are enabled by the work environment and supported by the
IT tool. Lastly, the new IT tool needs to be integrated into the existing technical subsystem of the
organisation.
These findings have both theoretical and practical implications. They contribute to a better
understanding of the role of IT in improving the workforce's motivation and capabilities. They
extend the application of STT principles in the area of developing human-focused IS by finding an
alternative to the participatory approach via learning from SSM principles. They also provide
specific understanding of how to develop an IT tool as well as what the work environment needs to
provide to enable the application of the IT tool, to improve workforce motivation and capabilities.
This PhD research also has social implications for the way IT is utilised in organisations. It can
affect areas of IS utilisation and workforce well-being, as well as the role of leadership in
maximising the value of IS from a human-focused perspective and the area of utilising IT in a
virtual team to consider their humanistic needs.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Computing Sciences
Depositing User:	Users 7376 not found.
Date Deposited:	23 Aug 2016 10:59
Last Modified:	23 Aug 2016 10:59
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/59672
DOI:

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