Exploring the Use of Electronic Records Management Systems to Support Governance and Institutional Cohesion

The University of Guyana (UG) is the sole state university in the Republic of Guyana whose population is approximately 804,567. UG is currently approaching its 60th anniversary having been inaugurated on October 3, 1963. Like many higher education institutional settings, globally, UG’s ecosystem has evolved tremendously over the past decades and is being driven by an agenda that must focus on increasing efficiency and accountability. Recent economic events have contributed to this need for advancements such as the recent discovery of large deposits of oil off the coast of Guyana that is transforming the economic landscape and has accelerated the demand for qualified personnel to support a planned diversified economy. The university is also attracting an increasing number of students from outside of Guyana. UG functions inherently as a ‘loosely coupled’ higher educational institution where subsystems are fragmented. In addition, its recordkeeping systems are defective. This study explored how a properly functioning electronic records management system (ERMS) could support the institution in adoption of change initiatives, achieving good governance, and overall system effectiveness. This study was grounded in “systems theories” and applied qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the challenges of achieving overall institutional change. Four cycles of action research were completed. In the final cycle, an ERMS was piloted. Data were collected to understand the perceptions of the administrative and academic staff on how such a system (ERMS) could support the university in terms of governance and institutional cohesion. Outcomes suggested that the academic and administrative staff tend to strongly believe that a well-coordinated and effective ERMS is essential and would provide the kind of access to institutional records necessary for supporting change initiatives, employee effectiveness, and governance and institutional cohesion. They also believe that an ERMS would help to improve the decision-making processes, build trust, provide continuity, share institutional knowledge, and ultimately help to synergize the use of policies and regulations. Outcomes indicated an ERMS would help to counteract some of the challenges that are inherent in the loosely coupled nature of UG. These findings can provide the impetus to inspire a collaborative effort for advocacy and implementation.