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E-Transformation as an Integrating Strategy

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Seeking Transformation Through Information Technology

Part of the book series: Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management ((ITKM))

Abstract

There is a growing awareness that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution is opening up new sources of growth and new opportunities to solve long-standing development problems and is transforming industries and services so fundamentally as to change the competitive advantages of countries. This revolution also poses major risks and uncertainties as it raises the bar for competing in the global marketplace, accelerates product and process change, demands experimentation and innovation, and calls for openness, flexibility, adaptation, and fast learning.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The use of “e-” (originally standing for electronic) before a word is used to refer to the use of ICT, especially the Internet, in connection with the word so modified.

  2. 2.

    For relevant discussion of the project cycle and its limits for nonengineering investment projects, see Hanna and Picciotto (2002).

  3. 3.

    We use e-development and e-transformation interchangeably since development is fundamentally about economic and social transformation, and the terms overlap and complement each other, emphasizing both development and transformation as the goals of using ICT.

  4. 4.

    Individual country case studies have been covered in successive issues of the annual Global Information Technology Report, published by INSEAD and the World Economic Forum.

  5. 5.

    Trends in “National E-Strategies: A Review of 40 Countries” Chap. 5 in World Bank 2006.

  6. 6.

    This literature is best represented by the well-respected International Journal: Information Technology and International Development.

  7. 7.

    Note how the demand for programming to address the Y2K problem, and the overinvestment in telecommunications during the dot com boom helped the early growth of India’s export of software services.

  8. 8.

    For a review of many national e-strategies, see World Bank (2006, 87–124).

  9. 9.

    Such as ongoing Bank-financed projects for e-Ghana, e-Rwanda, and proposed projects for e-Armenia and e-Moldova.

  10. 10.

    Little theory or research has linked concepts of development studies to ICT-for-development research. See Heeks (2006).

  11. 11.

    On the issue of reframing, see Wilson (2005).

  12. 12.

    There are many definitions for telecenters, but one good one is “a facility that offers community members the ability to use ICTs in a publicly shared manner. Telecenters often provide the only connectivity available to many community members, and their services may be offered with or without a fee.” See http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/readinessguide/glossary.html.

  13. 13.

    At times quick wins are driven by an economic rationale and the need to learn, build user capacity, and sustain confidence in a program. Politicians may also prefer smaller, citizen-oriented initiatives that have lower risks and fewer implementation problems. Here, however, the discussion focuses on tensions and tradeoffs between high-impact but long-gestating investments and low-impact but short-term initiatives.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 5852 Marbury Rd., Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA

    Nagy K. Hanna

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  1. Nagy K. Hanna
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Correspondence to Nagy K. Hanna .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marbury Road 5852, BETHESDA, 20817, Maryland, USA

    Nagy K. Hanna

  2. Arlington, 22203, Virginia, USA

    Peter T. Knight

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Hanna, N.K. (2011). E-Transformation as an Integrating Strategy. In: Hanna, N., Knight, P. (eds) Seeking Transformation Through Information Technology. Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0353-1_1

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