From Governance Frameworks To Enactment: Executive Oversight And Ict Governance In Public Administration

This article examines why governance failures persist in public-sector organizations despite the widespread adoption of formal governance frameworks. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 55 senior public-sector technology leaders across national, provincial, and local government, the study focuses on how governance is enacted in practice rather than inferred from formal compliance alone. The findings show that while governance frameworks, oversight committees, and audit structures are widely established, their effects on decision-making and performance vary considerably. In many settings, governance is enacted primarily as compliance, producing assurance without effective control. Where executive involvement is sustained, governance arrangements shape operational decisions and accountability. Building on these findings, the analysis develops a Governance Enactment Cycle that links formal frameworks, leadership behavior, and institutional conditions across comparable public-sector settings.