Strategic Information Management Capability and Administrative Responsiveness in Public Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria: A Theoretical Perspective

This article takes the position that the administrative responsiveness of public tertiary institutions in Rivers State is better explained by the strategic information management capability of the institution than by the mere presence of information and communication technology (ICT). Nigerian studies of tertiary institutions have mostly measured the availability or use of ICT and linked it to efficiency, and they have paid little attention to how information is governed, integrated and used by administrators. Building on the dynamic capabilities perspective, the resource-based view of information technology, and bounded rationality, the article defines strategic information management capability through three dimensions: information strategy and governance, integrated information systems, and information use competence. Administrative responsiveness is defined through promptness of response, accuracy and relevance, adaptability, and attention to stakeholders. Four propositions are developed: that capability is positively associated with responsiveness, that administrative agility mediates the association, that information use competence carries more weight than the other dimensions once a minimum infrastructure exists, and that funding and the reliability of power and networks condition the association. Evidence from Nigerian tertiary institutions is used to show where the propositions are consistent with existing findings and where testing is still needed. The article closes with a measurement and research agenda and with implications for institutional management.