Analysis of Location-Based Attendance Constraints in the Use of e-Kinerja Applications by ASN in East Kutai

Abstract

The digitalization of public sector performance management in Indonesia has been accelerated by the implementation of e-Kinerja, a centralized application designed to monitor civil servant activity through geolocation-based attendance tracking and performance logging. While the system reflects the government’s commitment to transparency and efficiency, its current configuration reveals significant limitations when deployed in geographically dispersed and infrastructurally challenged regions. This study investigates these limitations by focusing on the lived experiences of civil servants in East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan—a district where long travel distances, poor road access, and environmental unpredictability routinely disrupt official attendance procedures. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with eight civil servants from the Department of Tourism. Thematic analysis, grounded in the UTAUT2 and DeLone & McLean Information System Success Model, uncovered three central themes: (1) structural barriers to timely attendance due to physical inaccessibility of government offices; (2) reliance on informal, manual approval mechanisms through personal communication with administrative supervisors; and (3) perceived unfairness and system inflexibility that undermine trust in the technology. While the application aims to enforce standardization and accountability, it inadvertently introduces bias against employees located in rural or semi-remote areas, resulting in performance records that do not accurately reflect actual work activity. Theoretically, the findings reveal a breakdown in key digital adoption constructs, such as facilitating conditions, performance expectancy, and user satisfaction. The failure to embed contextual awareness—such as configurable attendance policies, digital justification features, and adaptive system workflows—demonstrates a lack of system quality and service responsiveness. Practically, this gap forces users to revert to non-systematic, discretionary workarounds, such as WhatsApp messages to supervisors or verbal attendance validation. This study argues for a paradigm shift in digital governance from rigid uniformity to context-aware digital flexibility, especially in archipelagic states like Indonesia where operational contexts vary widely. Policy reforms and technical system upgrades must prioritize inclusivity, not only in access but in usability and fairness. Without such responsive innovation, public sector digitalization may inadvertently reinforce administrative inequality and disengage the very personnel it aims to empower.