Some ad hoc information system issues in South Africa for the new millenium and suggestions as to how to deal with them

Abstract

Information systems frequently costs organisations between one and ten percent of their gross income. There are several different types of information systems issues and these might lead to a number of organisational issues. Despite this many organisations are unhappy with their investment in information systems as there are numerous examples of failed information systems.

These issues are also common to most organisations using information systems. This paper considers some of these more common information systems fail and discusses some suggestions as to how to deal with these issues. These issues could also apply to other countries.     

Information systems as social systems: Implications for developing countries

Abstract

Computer‐based information systems should be conceptualised as social systems in which technology is only one of the dimensions. This broader perspective on information systems offers opportunities for a deeper understanding of their development and use. The social systems approach is illustrated in the paper by two research projects in the UK on the evaluation of information systems and information systems strategy formulation. The relevance of the UK research to a developing country context is discussed and it is argued that methodologies which aim to provide an understanding of the organisational, social and political context are highly suitable for organisations in developing countries. Some implications are drawn for research, education and practice related to information systems in developing countries.     

Towards an understanding of the role of business intelligence systems in organisational knowing

Recent advances in information technology (IT), such as the advent of business intelligence (BI) systems, have increased the ability of organisations to collect and analyse data to support decisions. There is little focus to date, however, on how BI systems might play a role in organisational knowledge creation – in organisational knowing. We develop a conceptual framework of organisational knowing based on a synthesis of the literature, and use this as a framework to investigate how BI systems facilitate knowing in a case organisation. We identify two practices triggered by BI systems that distinguish them from prior applications of IT: the ability to initiate problem articulation and dialogue, and that of data selection (e.g. to address information needs of organisational decision makers at different managerial levels). This study provides empirical evidence of the performative outcome of BI systems in relation to organisational knowing through the practices of articulation and data selection. It provides a practice perspective on BI and focuses on the role of BI systems in organisational knowing thereby opening up a new departure for BI research that considers the implications of BI systems in organisations with actual practice in mind.     

Outsourcing information systems: drawing lessons from a banking case study

Financial and costs benefits are often put forward as the reasons why organisations decide to outsource. Emerging patterns and trends indicate that today's outsourcing decisions are often motivated by factors other than cost. Thus, the decision-making process is more complex than it may at first appear. This paper presents findings from a case study from an organisation in the UK banking sector that was motivated to outsource aspects of its information technology/information system (IT/IS). The underlying motives and decision-making process that influenced the bank outsource its IT/IS are presented and discussed. Findings from the case study suggest political perspectives, as well as human and organisational issues influenced the bank's strategic decision-making to outsource certain aspects of its business. An examination of the case study findings suggests that cost alone is not always responsible for decisions to outsource, as it was found the bank's outsourcing decision was driven by a series of complex, interrelated motives in a bid to reduce the risks and uncertainties of managing its own technology. Considering the complex nature of the outsourcing process a frame of reference that can be used to assist managers with their decision to outsource IT/IS is propagated. The case study is used to present an organisation's experiences as to how and why it decided to outsource its IS and thus offers a learning opportunity for other organisations facing similar difficulties. In addition, the case study findings highlight the need to focus greater attention on discriminating between the short and long-term consequences of IT/IS decision-making.     

Information Systems, Operational Research and Business Reengineering

There has been much concern expressed during recent times to ensure that information technology (IT) considerations are firmly aligned with business imperatives. For example, two of the top ranked information systems management issues during the 1980s were concerned with the problems incurred in aligning the Information Systems function with that of the organisation as a whole, and in linking information systems and business strategies. Conversely, recent research and practice has provided us with a vision of IT-induced business process redesign, the opportunity for inter-organisational systems and even the redefinition and refocusing of business products and services. The reality for many organisations remains that IT investment is seen as a necessary evil at best, with many questioning whether it represents value for money. There have also been somewhat negative reactions to the topic of business process redesign itself: is it old wine in a new bottle? And is it all too risky a business to suggest that radical change rather than incremental change is what is required? This paper reviews these issues and argues for a refocussing of our attention on (i) information and business systems, and (ii) implementation issues and organisational change, as opposed to the more common practice of concentrating on information technology per se. It takes an organisational, soft operational research perspective on the subject of business reengineering, and provides some outline guidelines for the process of managing the change that is often both necessary and potentially desirable with the introduction and utilisation of new IT. It raises the question whether the lessons from the application of the softer operational research approaches over the past 20 years or so could be used to provide a more informed intervention, given the complexity of the task... and answers that question in the affirmative!     

Information systems management: role of planning, alignment and leadership

Undoubtedly technology has the potential to provide significant strategic and operational benefits to organisations in the electronic age. Unfortunately the reality is that many organisations are failing to reap the expected benefits from their investment in information systems. This, along with the ubiquitous presence of technology, incessant technological changes and the unrelenting advance of e-commerce, means information systems management (ISM) has become a matter of major concern to many organisations. Given the paramount importance of ISM to organisations, this article seeks to critically examine three of the most fundamental and perhaps elusive aspects of ISM in the context of a rapidly changing technological environment - planning, alignment and managerial responsibilities. Since ISM is a multifaceted concept, it would be futile to attempt a comprehensive analysis of the subject in a single article and hence the above focus on a small number of issues. More specifically, the organisational and managerial aspects of ISM would form the core of this article rather than the more technical issues (e.g. IT infrastructure development). It will also explore problem areas in the literature that represents gaps within both theory and in the prevalent methodologies employed to examine those theories.     

Information systems management: role of planning,alignment and leadership

Undoubtedly technology has the potential to provide significant strategic and operational benefits to organisations in the electronic age. Unfortunately the reality is that many organisations are failing to reap the expected benefits from their investment in information systems. This, along with the ubiquitous presence of technology, incessant technological changes and the unrelenting advance of e-commerce, means information systems management (ISM) has become a matter of major concern to many organisations. Given the paramount importance of ISM to organisations, this article seeks to critically examine three of the most fundamental and perhaps elusive aspects of ISM in the context of a rapidly changing technological environment – planning, alignment and managerial responsibilities. Since ISM is a multifaceted concept, it would be futile to attempt a comprehensive analysis of the subject in a single article and hence the above focus on a small number of issues. More specifically, the organisational and managerial aspects of ISM would form the core of this article rather than the more technical issues (e.g. IT infrastructure development). It will also explore problem areas in the literature that represents gaps within both theory and in the prevalent methodologies employed to examine those theories.     

An empirical model of IT usage in the Malaysian public sector

Whilst there have been many studies to determine the factors that influence the use of information technology (IT) in organisations, few have considered how these factors change with the level of IT use. This paper presents the results of such a study involving the use of IT to support Total Quality Management (TQM). The population studied consisted of those organisations in the Malaysian public sector that had applied for the Malaysian Prime Minister's Quality Award during the period 1992–1997.Three sets of factors were investigated for their impact on the use of IT to support TQM in this setting: external, organisational, and technological factors. Overall, the organisational and technological factors had more influence on IT usage than did the external factors. However, as organisations became more experienced in their use of IT, the major contextual influences on IT usage levels changed. At low levels of IT usage the major contextual influences were organisational. At medium levels of IT usage a combination of technological and organisational factors became important, whilst at high IT usage levels, the dominant factors were technological.     

Information technology transfer: Indicators and issues

Abstract

Information technology (IT) stimulates social and economic change, which in turn spur technological development. The management of technological change is seen as pivotal in this era of new information technologies. The development and impact of IT in four countries—the USA, Japan, UK and India, are reflected via quantitative indicators: the IT (Development) Level Index and the IT Penetration Level Index, over the years of 1970–81. Gaps in their (nation's) relative information technology levels are exemplified via the potential technological distance parameter, D, which is also utilised in a model for information technology transfer so as to assess potential for transfer between countries. Some channels for technology transfer are given. A logistic curve for the rate of technological progress in IT shows the spectrum for introduction, growth and maturity of IT; a nation's IT Level Index value gives it a placing on the curve to show its stage of development. Some inferences of the trends for IT development and impact in the four countries are given. The uses of these Indices, and for whom, are also mentioned.     

Analysts and clients in organisational contexts: a conversational perspective

This paper takes a conversational perspective on the issue of analyst–client interaction, concentrating on how social and organisational contexts impact on the verbal process of defining a new information system. It has been suggested that organisational agendas are built from talk at the interactional level (Boden, 1994), and this paper seeks to explore the relationship between social and organisational contexts and the process of early requirements gathering. Analysts and clients were asked about their aims, their professional role, and other issues that arose in their interactions with each other as part of a larger study in early requirements gathering. The paper discusses three themes from three case studies that can be seen to be embedded in the social and organisational context of early requirements gathering—how the issues to be discussed during the interaction were put forward, professional relationships, and the overall organisational context in which the interaction takes place. Some observations are made about the varying social and organisational contexts of early requirements gathering and the role of individual differences, and the possibility of using typical contexts as ‘repertoire building research’ (Schön, 1983) to flow into practice.     

Computer supported cooperative work: an overview

Abstract

Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) is a new field which embraces the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, human factors, computer science and system analysis, design and implementation. CSCW exploits the increasing ubiquity and power of technology, and our growing knowledge of how people work together in groups and teams, in order to improve the effectiveness of teams of all sizes–from two people up to whole organisations. CSCW technology aspects include communication systems, shared workspace facilities, shared information facilities and group activity supportfacilities. CSCW group process aspects include individual aspects, organisational aspects, group work design aspects and group dynamics aspects. The paper discusses all of these issues in more detail as well as describing categories of CSCW products, and the potential long-term impact of CSCW on group work and business activities.     

Assessing important factors that support component‐based development in developing countries

Abstract

Most developing countries (DCs) have yet to fully benefit from the many advances in the information technology (IT) field because of specific problems experienced by these countries. Examples include a lack of systems infrastructure and resources to invest in IT. Component‐Based Development (CBD) offers a number of benefits that the DCs can tap into, such as reducing development and maintenance costs and improving reuse across projects. CBD entail purchasing a number of off‐the‐shelf software components, each satisfying some part of the requirements of the system and integrating these components into the required system. This paper will discuss the findings of a survey conducted in a specific developing country (Zambia) to assess important factors that support the CBD process. The results suggests that, although CBD has great potential for DCs there are some social and technical factors that need to be addressed by organisations in DCs for this to be fully realised. For example, the results show that from the social point of view there is lack of management support for CBD and from the technical point of view that organisations were not familiar with the technology for integrating components.     

The interaction between the use of information technology and organizational culture

Abstract

The interaction between the use of information technology, (IT) in organizations and that organization's culture is examined. The interaction is considered from the early stages of specification through to the regular use of the systems. The changes in the technological artefacts which result from the use of IT are discussed. Some suggestions about control of the interaction are made.     

Towards the development of a social capital approach to evaluating change management interventions

Many of the issues associated with the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of information systems development (ISD) have been attributed to the poor relationship between business and IT colleagues. Relational issues relating to collaboration and communication before, during and after ISD lead to dissatisfaction with information systems and services. To address these relational issues, many organisations have introduced relationship management initiatives (RM). Yet, their effects have been debatable. This paper argues that this is partly because there is no appropriate evaluative framework for RM. In response, this paper proposes a framework, based on social capital theory, for conceptualising the effects of change management interventions in the poor relationship between business and IT colleagues. The research adopts a case study approach to this end. It explores the strengths and limitations of the approach and suggests new directions for its further development. Overall, the research shows that there is a potential merit in using a social capital approach for the evaluation of change management interventions that aim to improve the collaboration between business and IT, during ISD and beyond.     

On organisational influences in software standards and their open source implementations

ContextIt is widely acknowledged that standards implemented in open source software can reduce risks for lock-in, improve interoperability, and promote competition on the market. However, there is limited knowledge concerning the relationship between standards and their implementations in open source software. This paper reports from an investigation of organisational influences in software standards and open source software implementations of software standards. The study focuses on the RDFa standard and its implementation in the Drupal project.ObjectiveThe overarching goal of the study is to establish organisational influences in software standards and their implementations in open source software. More specifically, our objective is to establish organisational influences in the RDFa standard and its implementation in the Drupal project.MethodBy conduct of a case study of the RDFa standard and its implementation in the Drupal project we investigate organisational influences in software standards and their implementations in open source software. Specifically, the case study involved quantitative analyses of issue tracker data for different issue trackers for W3C RDFa and the Drupal implementation of RDFa.ResultsThe case study provides details on how and to what extent organisational influences occur in W3C RDFa and the Drupal implementation of RDFa, by specifically providing a characterisation of issues and results concerning contribution to issue raising and commenting, organisational involvement over time, and individual and organisational collaboration on issues.ConclusionWe find that widely deployed standards can benefit from contributions provided by a range of different individuals, organisations, and types of organisations either directly to a standardisation project or indirectly via an open source project implementing the standard. Further, we also find that open processes for standardisation adopted by W3C may also contribute to open source projects implementing specific standards.     

The role of boundaries in knowledge processes

Advances in communications and information technology deliver an increasingly dynamic and interconnected competitive context. To survive and prosper in this environment, organisations must be innovative and adaptive. Intellectual and relational capital comprise key resources for competitive success. This paper concerns the knowledge processes that enable organisations to undergo transformational change in an interconnected world whilst retaining the integrity of their organisational identity. It views organisations as complex adaptive systems, and uses a case study example to demonstrate the importance of boundary phenomenology in defining organisational knowledge processes. The underlying conceptual framework draws on Maturana and Varela's concept of autopoietic unity as a metaphor to explore issues of organisational identity and integrity, and uses Merali's Cognitive Congruence Framework to examine the cognitive infrastructures underpinning adaptive behaviour. The discussion reflects on the implications of this work for knowledge management practice in emergent competitive contexts, and in concluding, advocates active boundary management.     

Knowledge transfer,translation and transformation in the work of information technology architects

ContextInformation Technology (IT) architects are the professionals responsible for designing the information systems for an organization. In order to do that, they take into account many aspects and stakeholders, including customers, software developers, the organization’s business, and its current IT infrastructure. Therefore, different aspects influence their work.ObjectiveThis paper presents results of research into how IT architects perform their work in practice and how different aspects are taken into account when an information system is developed. An understanding of IT architects’ activities allows us to better support their work. This paper extends our own previous work (Figueiredo et al., 2012) [30] by discussing aspects of knowledge management and tool support.MethodA qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews for data collection and grounded theory methods (Strauss and Corbin, 1998) [5] for data analysis. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with twenty-two interviewees from nine different companies through four cycles of data collection and analysis.ResultsCompanies divide IT architecture activities among different roles. Although these roles receive different names in different organizations, all organizations follow a similar pattern based on 3 roles: enterprise, solutions and software architects. These architects perform both the technical activities related to the IT architecture and the social activities regarding the communication and coordination with other stakeholders and among themselves. Furthermore, current tools used by IT architects lack adequate support for all these aspects.ConclusionThe activities of the different IT architects are highly interconnected and have a huge influence in the way the requirements are handled in every phase of the development of an information system. The activities of IT architects are also important for knowledge transfer, translation and transformation, since they receive from and spread information to different groups of stakeholders. We also conclude that they lack appropriate tool support, especially regarding support for their collaborative work.     

A tool for IT process construction

ContextThe field of IT processes lacks a scientifically-based tool that constructs organisation-specific IT processes according to the organisation’s socio-technical characteristics.ObjectiveIn this paper we propose a solution to this problem in the form of IT process engineering (ITPE). ITPE is based on established method engineering principles which we have adapted to IT process construction.MethodThe tool was demonstrated by having three organisations use ITPE to each construct two IT processes.ResultsITPE provided useful guidance in all three cases.ConclusionsThe study demonstrates that method engineering principles can be applied in research fields other than information system development.     

‘Mind the Gap’: diagnosing the relationship between the IT organisation and the rest of the business

The senior management of many organisations are continually disappointed with the benefits and value which they perceive they are getting from their investments in IT. This frustration with IT, and in particular with the IT function, has seen many organisations choose to rid themselves of the ‘problem’ altogether by outsourcing IT activities to a third party. The fact that there is a separate organisational unit responsible for IT activities has led to the emergence of gap between this so called IT organisation and the rest of the business. Culture is often used to explain the gap as if this somehow justifies an organisations inability to effectively leverage IT. However, the premise underlying this article is that culture is an excuse for rather than a cause of ineffective application of IT for business benefits and value. The clear message from this article is that achieving high performance from IT is not just about the IT function's ability to build, maintain and deliver systems, but is an organisational wide activity requiring a strong business/IT partnership. A framework grounded in the research literature, which identifies the elements to manage in creating high performance from IT, is developed and operationalised. The findings of an exploratory survey are presented and research and practitioner implications developed.