Determinants of adoption of IS-based service innovations in government to create public value

Purpose This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework showing factors favoring the adoption of information systems (IS)-based service innovations in the public sector at the organizational level. Design/methodology/approach The research design is based on the development of a theoretical framework from the technology–organization–environment framework and from a case study of an outsourced IS-based electronic document management system from six different ministries in the same state in Mexico. Findings Strong contrasts in the degree of adoption of the service innovation appeared among various ministries involved in state government, revealing differences in the presence or absence of key variables, integrated into theoretical framework, including perception of external pressure; perception of benefits and risks and organizational readiness; and political, sociotechnical and economical inertia in given institutional conditions, leading to different public value outcomes associated with intraorganizational efficiencies and to the relationship between public administration and politicians. Practical implications Public managers must consider process mapping and sources of political, sociotechnical and economical inertia in given institutional conditions, to ensure a satisfactory adoption of service innovations in public administration and create public value. The promotion of a more structured and enduring professional career system in such context is another key to the adoption of innovations. Originality/value Based on theoretical and empirical grounds, the main contribution of this paper is to emphasize, through an integrated theoretical framework, the relatively unexplored roles of process mapping in organizational readiness and of political, sociotechnical and economic sources of inertia in relation to specific agents in the adoption of public sector service innovations at the organizational level in the context of the public administration in Mexico to produce public value.