Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology and organizational change: Evidence for the bureaucratic and e-Government paradigms

This paper examines the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology on organizational change in local governments in the United States. The bureaucratic and e-Government paradigms are examined with regards to this technology impacting organizational change. Survey evidence on the adoption of CRM is examined from the perceptions of Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) in cities and counties that have adopted this technology. Survey results indicate that both the e-Government and bureaucratic paradigms impacted organizational change from CRM adoption. Factor analysis shows that management change, efficiency change, and leadership and organizational change are the three most common factors in the models. Regression results indicate that local governments that score high on these factors are more likely to take an enterprise approach in the adoption of CRM for their local government. The results of this study imply that organizational change is not just influenced by the more recent e-Government paradigm, but traditional attributes of the bureaucratic model are present as well.

Research highlights
► e-Government and bureaucratic paradigms are examined in this paper.
► Local government survey of Customer Relationship Management adoption is examined.
► The e-Government paradigm had the greatest influence on organizational change.
► Organizational change is also influenced by the bureaucratic paradigm.