DIGITAL OFFICE STRATEGY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between digital office strategy and administrative service delivery in higher education institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) and the Resource-Based View (Barney, 1991), the study operationalised digital office strategy in terms of digital workflow automation and cloud-based information systems. Administrative service delivery was measured through service responsiveness and process efficiency. A correlational survey design was adopted. The population comprised 862 administrative staff drawn from six public higher education institutions in Rivers State. Using Taro Yamane’s formula, a sample of 273 respondents was determined and selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.87. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) was used to test two null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed significant positive relationships between digital workflow automation and service responsiveness (r = 0.681, p < 0.05), and between cloud-based information systems and process efficiency (r = 0.643, p < 0.05). The study concludes that digital office strategy is a strong predictor of administrative service delivery in higher education institutions in Rivers State. It is recommended that university administrators prioritise the adoption and integration of digital workflow automation and cloud-based information systems to enhance service responsiveness and process efficiency.