Information systems development as situated socio-technical change: a process approach

We outline a process approach for conducting qualitative research on how contemporary information systems (IS) development is enacted in practice. The approach involves a longitudinal case study to obtain rich data from which a detailed process narrative is produced. The narrative is informed by a conceptual model of IS development as situated socio-technical change, generating a theoretical explanation that highlights the temporal, emergent and contingent nature of IS development. This approach extends prior process studies of IS development by focusing on micro-level project activities, examining change as a continuous process and theorising IS change as the outcome of a dynamic trajectory of situated and socio-technical interactions. The methodological approach developed here can be used by other researchers to inform process studies of this complex organisational phenomenon.     

Four integration patterns: a socio-technical approach to integration in IS development projects

This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of information systems (IS) project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an increasingly integrated information infrastructure in corporate and governmental organizations. Expanding the perspective of traditional project management research, we draw extensively on central insights from IS research. Building on socio-technical IS research and software engineering research, we suggest four generic patterns of integration: big bang, stakeholder integration, technical integration and socio-technical integration. We analyse and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern. The four patterns are ideal types. To explore the forces and challenges in these patterns, three longitudinal case studies were conducted. In particular we investigate the management challenges for each pattern. We find that the patterns are context-sensitive and describe the different contexts where the patterns are applicable. For IS project management, the four integration patterns are a contribution to the management of integration risks – extending the vocabulary for assessing and mitigating these risks in IS development. For practitioners the four integration patterns represent an analytical framework to be used in planning modern IS development projects.     

Development of an IS change reason–IS change type combinations matrix

Firms change their information systems (IS) for various reasons, ranging from compliance with government regulations to the development of new capabilities. When making these changes a firm can choose between four different IS change types: IS introduction, IS extension, IS replacement, and IS merger. This paper proposes that change reasons and change types are interrelated, and that certain reason-type combinations are more likely than others to result in a successful IS change. To identify these combinations, an IS change reason–IS change type matrix is developed. While the matrix is created from prior IS research, we conducted a focus group study of IS professionals to further explore and refine the matrix. The findings from the focus group study reveal that some IS change reason–IS change type combinations are more appropriate than others to carry out the IS change project successfully. We also present three examples of IS change projects to illustrate the use and value of the matrix in practice.     

Insiders’ Adaptations to Security-Based Demands in the Workplace: An Examination of Security Behavioral Complexity

Information Systems Frontiers - The protection of organizational information and information systems (IS) is a socio-technical issue and requires insiders take on a more proactive set of security...     

There’s More to Information Systems Development than Structured Approaches: Information Requirements Analysis as a Socially Mediated Process

Information systems (IS) development approaches are considered with particular reference to those aspects of the process most concerned with the determination of information requirements. The majority can be classified as adopting a unitary, objective perspective. This perspective fails to recognise the interpretative, inter-subjective nature of information and the importance of informal as well as formal data-processing systems. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion on socio-technical and soft approaches to IS development by providing a contrasting perspective on information requirements analysis as a process which is socially mediated. A framework is developed which places information requirements analysis in the context of strategic IS development. This locates social communication networks centrally in this process and raises implications for the practice of IS development, and of information requirements analysis.     

Breaking or keeping the habits: exploring the role of legacy habits in the process of discontinuing organisational information systems

Users develop habits in relation to information systems (IS) to reduce the cognitive and behavioural efforts needed for using them. However, when these systems have to be discontinued, users face challenges regarding how to stop relying on their legacy habits. Despite their importance, we know little about how legacy habits shape the way users discontinue a legacy system. Through a comparative case-study approach, in a large mortgage firm and an international telecommunication company, we identify three roles that these habits play during the discontinuance process. We demonstrate that legacy habits not only play an ‘inhibiting’ role by keeping users attached to legacy systems; they also play a ‘bridging’ role by acting as a common ground for users to start working with a new system and a ‘deterring’ role when users resent certain habits of working with the legacy systems, despite their orientation to keep relying on these habits. We contribute to the IS habit literature by extending the roles of legacy habits beyond an inhibiting role. We also enrich the conceptualisation of legacy habits beyond the individual level by showing that the socio-technical conditions in which the habits are embedded impact the emergence and evolution of their roles during the discontinuance process. We discuss the implications of our findings for theorising and managing IS discontinuance process.     

Socio-technical systems: From design methods to systems engineering

It is widely acknowledged that adopting a socio-technical approach to system development leads to systems that are more acceptable to end users and deliver better value to stakeholders. Despite this, such approaches are not widely practised. We analyse the reasons for this, highlighting some of the problems with the better known socio-technical design methods. Based on this analysis we propose a new pragmatic framework for socio-technical systems engineering (STSE) which builds on the (largely independent) research of groups investigating work design, information systems, computer-supported cooperative work, and cognitive systems engineering. STSE bridges the traditional gap between organisational change and system development using two main types of activity: sensitisation and awareness; and constructive engagement. From the framework, we identify an initial set of interdisciplinary research problems that address how to apply socio-technical approaches in a cost-effective way, and how to facilitate the integration of STSE with existing systems and software engineering approaches.     

A new framework for managing IT-enabled business change

Abstract. Although information systems and technology (IS/IT) investments have always caused varying degrees of business change, the main purpose of many of today's IS/IT implementations is to change the business and/or organization in some significant way. However, most organizations' approaches to managing IS/IT developments have changed little in the last 15–20 years and are heavily dependent on methodologies of IS/IT development and associated project management principles. The philosophy being adopted by many organizations today is that there are few IS/IT projects (some infrastructure investments only) that do not cause business changes and therefore they are really 'business projects involving IS/IT'. This exploratory research set out to devise a new framework for 'IT and change' management, which is more appropriate to today's realities than traditional approaches. The initial framework was derived from 'first principles', then adapted and further developed by applying and testing it in a range of real projects in organizations. This paper summarizes the results of that work.     

Understanding IS implementation by estimating power of subunits

Understanding distribution of intra-organization power can provide useful information about implementation processes and also explanations (or predictions) of events and outcomes. When the implementation of IS/IT is used for both automatisation and business process changes, implementation involves organizational politics. Politics involves the interplay of various groups pursuing different interests while exercising power. Previous research of IS in power is discussed and extended by presenting a framework to measure subunit power. This framework is derived from organizational literature. The value of the framework for IS settings is illustrated by a case study. This framework is found to be useful for mapping relative power distribution at different moments in time. Changes in power distribution help explain a dramatic change in an implementation process. The understanding of relative subunit power is found to provide valuable ex ante information on the likely outcome of an IS implementation project or the possible obstacles an organizational change project might face.     

Information systems development as emergent socio-technical change: a practice approach

Many information systems development (ISD) initiatives fail to deliver the expected benefits. An important percentage of these are the result of social and organizational factors, not simply technical failures. This paper explores the dynamics of these social and organizational factors to better understand the causes of success and failure. Based on data from a detailed case analysis of an ISD project, the paper depicts the ISD process as an emergent and dynamic one, characterized by continuous local adaptations. The paper ends with a proposal of a feedback-rich framework, based on a practice view of socio-technical change that offers theoretical insights and practical heuristics to system developers and project managers.     

An empirical evaluation of existing IS change theories for the case of IOIS evolution

The phenomenon of inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) evolution has not yet been adequately researched and understood. We present and analyse empirical data from a case in which electronic ordering in the Australian pharmaceutical industry evolved over a 30-year period from closed to quasi-open systems. We analyse this revelatory case using a practice-theoretical framework to make visible the phenomenon of IOIS evolution. An essential characteristic of this framework is the distinction between and symmetrical treatment of material, normative and ideational structures within the practices that constitute the IOIS. Against the findings of this case study, we then evaluate two promising models of long-term IS change, namely Porra's (1999) Colonial Systems model and Lyytinen and Newman's (2008) Punctuated Socio-technical IS Change model. These models are selected as highly elaborated IS exemplars of two classes of theories of organizational change, namely evolutionary and dialectical theories. We find that these two models can only partially explain our findings. Finally, we make suggestions for developing more comprehensive theoretical models within these two classes of IS change theories. In practical terms, our paper shows that the transformation from closed to open IOIS may require adoption of longer time frames than are usually assumed and closer attention to norms and rationales usually neglected in IS projects.     

Socio-technical IS design science research: developing design theory for IS integration management

Design science research is an essential part of IS research since the field should not only try to understand how the world is, but also how to change it. We argue that the aim of IS design science research should be to develop practical knowledge not only for the design of novel information technology (IT), but also for IS governance and management. Whereas at least some methodological support exists for researchers engaged in IT-centric design science research, limited support is available for researchers who want to develop design knowledge and theory for IS governance and management. To overcome this shortcoming, we suggest a socio-technical IS design science research approach. The approach has four main activities: (1) identifying problem situations and desired outcomes, (2) reviewing extant theories, knowledge and data, (3) proposing/refining design theory and knowledge, and (4) testing design theory and knowledge. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed approach is shown by means of a design science research project concerning IS integration management in the context of mergers and acquisitions.     

Seamless Integration: Standardisation across Multiple Local Settings

The pressure towards tighter or “seamless” integration of health information systems is a recurring issue with both practical and analytical relevance. It taps into a discourse in the IS literature in general and organisation and management science in particular. Unfortunately, the prevailing perception of integration in the IS literature is as a predominantly technical issue. The CSCW literature, however, is attentive to the socio-technical aspects of integration. Building on this – but supplemented with recent elaborations in science studies – we aim at exploring the unintended consequences of information systems integration. A user-led perspective implies emphasising the tailoring to local needs based on in-depth studies of the micro practices. We argue, however, that the condition for such an approach is radically undermined by politically motivated, regional changes towards integration with implicated standardisation. Enforcing order in the form of standards across multiple local settings, seemingly a prerequisite for tight integration, simultaneously produces disorder or additional work in other locations for other users. Empirically, our study is based on a large, ongoing integration effort at the University hospital of Northern Norway, specifically studying work practices and perceptions across multiple laboratories.     

Legitimate by design: Towards trusted socio-technical systems

Legitimacy or 'fairness' seems a key requirement for trust in computer-mediated social environments. Trust in turn seems necessary for productive community interactions like e-commerce. But unless legitimacy is built into social software, achieving trust may not be possible. This means expressing apparently vague social 'rights' as specific information system (IS) requirements, i.e. carrying out a legitimacy analysis. We suggest a framework for the systematic analysis of who 'owns' what in IS design, assuming basic object types and actions. This analysis not only allows social legitimacy concepts to be expressed in IS design terms, but could also reveal socio-technical system design choices for public review. The technique is illustrated by case examples. Legitimacy analysis can apply to wide variety of social software, from chat rooms to virtual realities. It could lead to future global standards for virtual social environment design, perhaps necessary for the emergence of a global online community.     

A case study of a mass information system

Mass information systems (mass IS) support on-line information retrieval and routine tasks by way of self-service for a great number (thousands or millions) of occasional users. Delivered through public terminals, the services of mass IS are designed to cater to passer-by types of audiences, such as visitors of exhibitions, spectators at major sports events, travellers at airports and train stations, or users of automated teller machines (ATMs). In the last issue of Information and Management the author gave an overview of mass IS and outlined a conceptual framework for mass IS development. This paper presents a case study that summarizes the experiences of an Austrian university with such a videotex-based system.     

The significance of context in information systems and organizational change

This paper argues that it is of crucial importance that information systems (IS) research and practice associates technology innovation with the context within which it is embedded. It identifies three principles to be followed in order to address the contextual processes involved in IS implementation: first, technology innovation should be considered in relation to socio‐organizational change; second, analysis should consider not only the local organizational, but also the national and international context; and third, analysis should consider both the technical/rational decisions and actions involved in the innovation process and the cultural, social and cognitive forces of such a process. These principles are demonstrated with the analysis of a case study of organizational reform in Cyprus.     

ERP software implementation: an integrative framework

ERP implementation is a socio-technical challenge that requires a fundamentally different outlook from technologically-driven innovation, and will depend on a balanced perspective where the organisation as a total system is considered. ERP implementation is considered to rely on behavioural processes and actions. It is a process that involves macro-implementation at the strategic level, and micro-implementation at the operational level. This therefore means that implementation in the context of ERP systems is not possible through an ON/OFF approach whereby deployment of the new systems will necessarily yield the desired and expected results. Understanding the implementation process through a balanced perspective will therefore prevent any unpleasant surprises, and will ensure and guide the change process to be embedded in a painless fashion. The balanced perspective means that socio-technical considerations must be borne in mind; the strategic, tactical and operational steps clearly defined; and the expected benefits evaluated and tracked through creating seamless and solid integration. This paper proposes an integrative framework for ERP implementation based on an extensive review of the factors and the essential elements that contribute to success in the context of ERP implementation.     

Tomorrow’s ethics and today’s response: An investigation into the ways information systems professionals perceive and address emerging ethical issues

This paper explores the question of how foresight and futures research can identify and address ethical issues in the field of Information Systems (IS). Starting from the premise that such IS are part of socio-technical systems, the interaction between technology and human actors raise ethical concerns. Early recognition of these concerns can address ethical issues and improve the use of the technology for a range of social and organisational goals. This paper discusses research conducted in two futures research projects. Both projects investigated emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ethics. The first project established approaches for identifying future technologies and their related ethical concerns. This led to the identification of 11 emerging ICTs and their associated ethical concerns. The second project took these general ethical concerns and focused on their role in IS. Specifically, how IS professionals view future emerging technologies, their associated ethical concerns, and how they think these concerns could be addressed. The key findings are that IS professionals are primarily interested in the job at hand and less so in the ethical concerns that the job might bring; ethics is a concern that is best left for others to deal with. This paper considers the implications of research on ethics in emerging ICTs and draws general conclusions about the relevance of future technologies research in IS.     

Expectation failure concept and systems analysts' view of information system failures: Results of an exploratory study

The paper presents a new concept of information system (IS) failure called an expectation failure. An IS failure is defined as the inability of the IS to meet a stakeholder group's expectations. Results of an empirical study focusing on systems analysts' perception of information system failures are presented. The study shows that systems analysts' perceptions can be largely accounted for by their professional and structural position in the systems development process and associated interests. This supports the view that a perception of IS failure is largely stakeholder-dependent.