E-Government as a mediating variable in the relationship between knowledge management and human resource development within Palestinian governmental institutions

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the role of e-government as a mediating variable in the relationship between knowledge management and human resource development in Palestinian governmental institutions. It adopted a descriptive-correlational approach. The study population consisted of employees of the Palestinian government ministry directorates in Tulkarm Governorate, namely the Directorate of Health, Directorate of Social Development, Directorate of Transportation, Directorate of Interior, Directorate of Education, and Directorate of Agriculture, totaling 591 employees. The sample size was 234 respondents, selected using a stratified random sampling method, with a questionnaire used as the data collection tool. The most significant findings of the study indicated a statistically significant partial mediating effect of e-government in the relationship between knowledge management and human resource development. There was also a positive effect of knowledge management on both human resource development and e-government. Additionally, e-government had a positive effect on human resource development. The levels of knowledge management, human resource development, and e-government were found to be moderate. The results revealed no statistically significant differences at the significance level (α≤0.05) in knowledge management attributable to the demographic variables (educational qualification, administrative title). However, differences were observed based on gender and years of experience. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were found regarding human resource development or e-government attributable to the demographic variables (gender, educational qualification, administrative title, years of service). The study provided several recommendations, the most prominent of which include improving the efficiency of knowledge storage and retrieval through the automation of all processes in government institutions and integrating them comprehensively with government databases, adopting a unified knowledge classification system, and ensuring continuous data updates. Additionally, it recommended training employees on advanced search strategies and leveraging the classification system to access required information accurately and quickly.