Factors that influence information sharing, collaboration, and coordination across administrative agencies at a Chinese university

Abstract

Information and communications technology (ICT) improves the effectiveness and efficiency of government affairs. However, studies on the application of ICT in the educational administrative field are scarce. Through a mixed method approach, the current study focused on the application of ICT in educational administration to enhance collaborative work across different administrative agencies in an university. A Chinese university was taken as an example. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 194 staff members of the student affairs office and the academic affairs office. The results of the structural equation modeling were explained by analyzing interviews with nine leaders from the aforementioned departments. We found that institution authority and information security exert a significantly positive effect on the degree of information sharing and the effect of agency collaboration, whereas cost has a significantly negative effect. Inter-organizational trust and organizational compatibility have a significant positive influence on the effect of agency collaboration. However, these factors do not have a significant influence on the degree of information sharing because of difficulties in differentiating them in the information sharing stage. The “operational abilities” factor does not have a significant influence on the degree of information sharing and agency collaboration, which can be attributed to the background of this study. Information sharing has a negative influence on agency collaboration, which contradicts our hypotheses. The nature and characteristics of information and departments may be acceptable explanations to this phenomenon, which we obtained from the qualitative analysis.

Appendix: Questionnaire code

The following is the questions on your department to join in the inter-department information sharing (school organizations at same level).Please make choice according to the practical situation you know and feel, and tick the corresponding position (√): 1 = almost not; 2 = few; 3 = medium; 4 = majority; 5 = All.

Note: In addition to written form and telephone/fax, the network telephone, e-mail, the Internet, private Internet, Disk/CD/VCD and tape all belong to the electronic information sharing.

Information sharing (Akbulut 2003)
1. How much information owned by your department can be shared by other same level school organizations?	1	2	3	4	5
2. How much information in your department is shared from other same level school organizations?	1	2	3	4	5
3. How much information shared by your department and other same level school organizations is shared electronically? (Including email, the Internet, campus network, Disk/CD/VCD)	1	2	3	4	5
Coordination effects (Iacovou et al. 1995)
1. Improving work efficiency	1	2	3	4	5
2. Reducing the repetition of data collection and treatment	1	2	3	4	5
3. Improving the accuracy and sufficiency of information	1	2	3	4	5
4. Improving the timeliness of information	1	2	3	4	5
5. Promoting the integration of the information and information system of your department and other same level school organizations	1	2	3	4	5
6. Improving decision-making ability and provision preparing ability	1	2	3	4	5
Authority (Dawes 1996; Premkumar and Ramamurthy 1995)
1. Complete system rules reference and policy to support the inter-department electronic information sharing (same level school organizations)	1	2	3	4	5
2. The electronic information sharing is required strictly in our department	1	2	3	4	5
3. The policy and system of our level school organizations and higher level school organizations are consistent on the inter-department electronic information sharing (same level school organizations)	1	2	3	4	5
4. There is predetermined electronic information sharing technical standard, operation process, sharing protocol and so on between our departments with other same level school organizations	1	2	3	4	5
5. Having common higher level advocating management department with other same level school organization on electronic information sharing construction	1	2	3	4	5
6. The common higher level advocating management department prepares relevant regulations on electronic information sharing	1	2	3	4	5
7. The common higher level advocating management department supports and supervises all same level school organizations to participate in the information sharing	1	2	3	4	5
Cost (Akbulut 2003)
1. The construction and life cyclecosts are so high that our department cannot bear it	1	2	3	4	5
2. The training cost is so high that our department cannot bear it	1	2	3	4	5
3. The manpower cost and time cost on communication between organizations are so high that our department cannot bear it	1	2	3	4	5
Security (Martin 2002)
1. The regular information sharing operation processes have been standardized and structured so as to guarantee the security of information flow	1	2	3	4	5
2. Our department can understand clearly the source and use of shared information in our operation process to ensure the security of the information flow	1	2	3	4	5
3. Our department can ensure the information security of other same level school organizations	1	2	3	4	5
Ability (Akbulut 2003)
1. The persons in our department can operate the computer for information process	1	2	3	4	5
2. Our department has certain experience on information integration technology	1	2	3	4	5
3. Our department has good communication basic facilities (the Internet, administration network, electronic data exchange and so on)	1	2	3	4	5
Relationship (Akbulut 2003; Zaheer et al. 1998)
1. I think our department and other school same level organizations have high degree of mutual trust	1	2	3	4	5
2. I think the behavior of other same level school organizations has positive effect on our department	1	2	3	4	5
3. Our department can share confidential information with other same level school organizations	1	2	3	4	5
4. The management people of our department and other school organizations have frequent operational communication	1	2	3	4	5
5. The leaders of our department and other school organizations keep good relation on mutual decision-making	1	2	3	4	5
6. The people of other organizations often visit our department and look for information	1	2	3	4	5
Compatibility (Landbergen and Wolken 2001)
1. The inter-organizational information sharing needs and objectives between our department and other same level school organizations are consistent	1	2	3	4	5
2. The inter-departmental electronic information sharing facilities are compatible to the information system or other software of our department	1	2	3	4	5
3 The data format and standard of the inter-department electronic information sharing are same	1	2	3	4	5