dc.description.abstract | Several banks have started projects aiming at introducing interoperable Strategic information
systems (SISs), thereby making banking operations more efficient and reducing banking
errors based on insufficient or wrong data. Implementing the SISs is an enormous task, and
there are many parties involved in implementing these systems that all have their own goals
and interests. The SISs also forces processes and procedures to be changed, something that is
very difficult in banking operations. As indicated by the mounting costs and severe delays in
the implementation of SISs, there are many challenges faced before we can expect an
operational SIS. Even the relatively simple and straightforward bank operations suffer from
delays due to technical and organizational difficulties.
Although the banking industry has embraced information and communication technology in
its operations, the underlying factors inhibiting it the implementation of SISs are not well
understood. This paper presents the challenges inhibiting SISs implementation and how
banks are responding to these challenges. The targets of the study were the commercial
banks in Kenya. This study gives a brief overview of the academic literature on the
challenges faced and the responses that organizations employ in system implementation and
the extent of such systems' use. The findings from the Kenya Commercial Banks are then
reported.
This paper concludes that there exist various challenges to the implementation of Strategic
Information Systems (SISs) in commercial banks in Kenya. The banks have thus employed
various responses to overcome these challenges with some of the responses being more
popular than the rest depending on the impact they have on the implementation process.
Lack of required infrastructure, resources and specialized skins, commitment from the senior
management team and fear of adopting the system by both the bank employees and customers
were some of the major challenges that were identified while training of bank employees and
customers, employing specialized technology and staff and lowering electronic banking
charges were some of the popular responses that banks have been using. | en |