Factors Influencing The Application Of Management Information Systems (MIS) At The National Police Service: A Case Of Mombasa County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the factors affecting the application of a management information system at the National Police Service in Mombasa County. The study was guided by four objectives namely, to determine how management processes affect the application of MIS at NPS in Mombasa; t establish how technical systems affect the application of MIS at NPS in Mombasa County; to determine how organisational leadership affects the application of MIS at NPS in Mombasa County; and to investigate the influence of personnel issues on the application of MIS at NPS in Mombasa County. The study was carried out at the NPS offices in Mombasa County due to travel and time limitations. The target population of NPS staff in Mombasa County was 2128. The ideal sample size was calculated as 326 communication/information technology specialists and MIS users. In adherence to ethical standards, the researcher obtained the approval of the University of Nairobi and the NPS prior to conducting the study. Three hundred and twenty-six structured questionnaires were developed then pilot tested on five NPS staff members to assess its reliability and validity. The questionnaire was then administered to the sample and collected after seven working days. A total of 235 NPS staff participated in the study. Ninety-one staff did not participate. Those who participated represented 70.2% of the sample population and a 72% response rate. This response rate was high because the researcher presented the questionnaires in person and collected from the respondents. A physical follow-up was made to ensure that respondents completed and returned their questionnaires. Data from the collected questionnaires was then coded and analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 10 was used to perform this quantitative analysis. Results of the analysis showed that management processes, technical systems, organizational leadership and personnel issues influenced the application of a MIS at the NPS. Management processes had a strong positive correlation of 0.735 with MIS application to show that the relationship between the two variables was significant. Technical systems also had an influence on the application of a MIS at the organization. It was observed that technical factors such as system robustness, fault tolerance, quality of hardware and software, scheduled backup and technical expertise had affected the application of the MIS. Technical systems had a strong, positive correlation of 0.828 which confirmed that the factor had a significant influence on the application of a MIS. Organizational leadership factors such as leadership behaviour, use of MIS, distribution of MIS and dissemination of information also had an influence on the application a MIS at the NPS. Correlation findings (R=0.523) confirmed that the organization‟s leadership had a positive and significant relationship with the application of MIS. Lastly, personnel issues also affected the application of MIS at the NPS. These personnel issues include training, knowledge on misuse of systems, report generation, information access and access control. It was observed that the respondents had not received adequate training on the use of IC3 MIS while less than half of the respondents were confident with the strategies for preventing the misuse of MIS information. Nevertheless, the correlation results showed a positive correlation R=0.554, which confirmed that there was a relationship between personnel issues and MIS application. Based on the findings, the study proposes that senior managers should consider management processes to be a priority when evaluating the use of the organization‟s xi MIS. In addition, senior managers should consider how different personnel aspects (such as training) could affect the application and continued use of the MIS at the organization.