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Managing Gender‐Related Challenges in ICT4D Field Research
Author(s) -
Potnis Devendra Dilip
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the electronic journal of information systems in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1681-4835
DOI - 10.1002/j.1681-4835.2014.tb00464.x
Subject(s) - scope (computer science) , context (archaeology) , variety (cybernetics) , field (mathematics) , disadvantaged , knowledge management , qualitative research , public relations , political science , sociology , computer science , geography , social science , mathematics , archaeology , artificial intelligence , pure mathematics , law , programming language
A significant number of ICT4D projects funded by the developed world cannot meet their objectives. One cause of failures of ICT4D projects is likely to be the failures or shortcomings of the field research component since it is an integral part of a majority ICT4D projects. Hence, it becomes an imperative for researchers to be able to manage the challenges encountered in ICT4D field research. Project management principles (PMP) concerned with the scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, and risks related to a variety of projects may help researchers to manage ICT4D field research challenges. However, PMP developed in and for the developed world cannot be applied as is; they need to be customized to a developing nation context. This paper illustrates the culturally sensitive application of PMP to manage contextual challenges mainly consisting of gender‐related challenges in field research with poor female mobile phone users in rural India. The communications and risk management principles were most useful when collecting quantitative and qualitative data from one of the most disadvantaged communities in the world. The insights into gender relations between the male researcher, the female local mediator, the female study participants, and their male family members would better equip researchers and practitioners to manage gender‐related challenges in ICT4D field research.