Validating an information privacy governance questionnaire to measure the perception of employees

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to conduct a survey in a bank to measure the perception of employees towards the effective governance of information privacy and at the same time validating the information privacy governance questionnaire (IPGQ) used in this study. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research approach was followed using an online survey questionnaire to collect data in a bank in South Africa. Findings The survey results showed that employees perceived the governance of privacy in the organisation in a positive way. Three significant differences were identified, namely, Generation-Y being significantly more positive than Generation-X regarding privacy control assessment. Also, that the contractor/vendor group was significantly more positive than permanent employees regarding organisational commitment and privacy control assessment. Exploratory factor analysis was used to validate the IPGQ and four factors were identified: privacy control assessment, personal information awareness assessment, privacy governance reporting and organisational commitment towards privacy. Cronbach’s alpha was used to establish the internal reliability of the factors and indicated good internal consistency. Research limitations/implications One of the potential empirical research limitations for this study is that the study was conducted in a single organisation; therefore, when generalising the results, caution must be taken. Practical implications Organisations, academics and the industry may find the questionnaire useful to determine employee perception towards privacy governance and to identify recommendations that could be used to improve their privacy policies, privacy programme controls and organisational commitment towards privacy. In this study, it was identified that for Generation-X employees to be more accepting towards the privacy controls, the organisation needs to implement focussed awareness training for them. To ensure permanent employees’ commitment and accountability, internal audits, monitoring and risk assessment measures need to be implemented. These can be directed through the outcomes of the survey. Originality/value The IPGQ can aid organisations in determining if they are governing privacy effectively, and thus assist them in meeting the accountability condition of data protection regulation.