Exploring ICT Use in Voluntary Sector Organizations: A Framework Based on the Social Actor Model

Voluntary sector organizations provide services to disadvantaged communities, those that are either beyond the reach of state services or unable to afford services offered by the private sector. Research that explores ICT use by these organizations is scarce. The available studies are limited to identifying barriers that prevent ICT adoption and use of ICTs in large transnational organizations. A theoretical understanding of the post adoption stages of actual and effective use in community based voluntary sector organizations is not evident. This paper presents a provisional modification of the social actor model (Lamb and Kling 2003), and outlines how it could be used to provide a theoretical understanding of the influences of effective ICT use in voluntary sector in their day to day operations.

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