New technology and organizational effectiveness: Geographic information systems in urban planning agencies
Abstract
This research adds to the exploration of the relationship between the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by public planning organizations and the effectiveness of those organizations. The respondents are administrators, rather than GIS analysts, of agencies located in three Southeastern states—Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Earlier reports suggest planning agencies have had mixed results and some unintended consequences associated with the use of GIS. Organizational problems can include leadership and employee resistance and supervisory inadequacies. GIS offers an array of public planning stakeholders, including citizens, potential improvements in both analysis and the capability to make better decisions provided this technology is smoothly integrated into the organization and fully used in all aspects of the comprehensive planning process. After screening eleven hypotheses with an Organizational Effectiveness (OE) Index as the dependent variable, four null hypotheses are rejected based on significance and measures of association tests. These relationships are recommended for further research: (1) OE and the ease that GIS is integrated into the organization, (2) OE and the administrator's support for GIS, (3) OE and the professional staff's support for GIS, and (4) OE and the political support for GIS.
Subject Area
Public administration
Recommended Citation
William Knox McAllister,
"New technology and organizational effectiveness: Geographic information systems in urban planning agencies"
(2001).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3061757.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3061757