An exploration of expertise of knowledge workers: towards a definition of the universe of discourse for knowledge acquisition

Abstract. Knowledge systems development and use have been significantly encumbered by the difficulties of eliciting and formalizing the expertise upon which knowledge workers rely. This paper approaches the problem from an examination of the knowledge competencies of knowledge workers in order to define a universe of discourse for knowledge elicitation. It outlines two categories and several types of knowledge that could serve as the foundations for the development of a theory of expertise.     

Re-examining information systems user performance: Using data mining to identify properties of IS that lead to highest levels of user performance

As competitive pressures increase, managers try to realize every bit of productivity from people, business processes and new information technologies (IT). This leads one to ask, how can managers configure information systems to achieve higher levels of performance from end users? In this regard, managers continually seek advice on how to meet the promises and expectations of continued increases in productivity through the use of IT. However, results from research on how to achieve higher performance through the use of IT in organizations has been mixed. Consequently, it has been difficult for IS researchers to give managers any advice on investing in specific aspects of IS that would lead to the highest performance possible. We focus on this question in this research. We use a data mining approach to tease out information about specific characteristics of IS that managers can manipulate to achieve desired outcomes with regards to individual performance. Our findings offer both researchers and managers significant new knowledge that can make a difference to IT user performance research theory and the practice of user performance management. Further, our research method offers a novel approach to linking theory and practice in IS research, a problem that is of great concern to many IS researchers. The approach is generalized and can be implemented by academic or industry researchers who are interested in generating hypotheses from data for the purpose of theoretical or applied research.     

Using organizational influence processes to overcome IS implementation barriers: lessons from a longitudinal case study of SPI implementation

A fundamental tenet of the information systems (IS) discipline holds that: (a) a lack of formal power and influence over the organization targeted for change, (b) weak support from top management, and (c) organizational memories of prior failures are barriers to implementation success. Our research, informed by organization influence, compellingly illustrates that such conditions do not necessarily doom a project to failure. In this paper, we present an analysis of how an IS implementation team designed and enacted a coordinated strategy of organizational influence to achieve implementation success despite these barriers. Our empirical analysis also found that technology implementation and change is largely an organizational influence process (OIP), and thus technical-rational approaches alone are inadequate for achieving success. Our findings offer managers important insights into how they can design and enact OIPs to effectively manage IS implementation. Further, we show how the theory of organizational influence can enhance understanding of IS implementation dynamics and advance the development of a theory of effective IS change agentry.     

Managing change in software process improvement

Software process improvement has become the primary approach to improving software quality and reliability, employee and customer satisfaction, and return on investment. Although the literature acknowledges that SPI implementation faces various problems, most published cases report success, detailing dramatic improvements. Such best-practice cases are a great benefit when learning how to effectively implement SPI. On the basis of experiences from SPI initiatives and insights into organizational-change management, we offer the following advice for successful SPI implementation: software managers must appreciate that each SPI initiative is unique and carefully negotiate the context of change. Managers must also understand the elements of change involved. SPI can't succeed without managerial commitment and a mastery of appropriate change tactics.     

The challenge of e-participation in the digital city: Exploring generational influences among community telecentre users

A primary challenge for the development of e-government and the digital city is participation by low-income, older and technology-challenged citizens. This paper reports on the role of inter-generational interactions in community telecentres in facilitating low-income, older and technology-challenged citizens in gaining access and using digital city infrastructure. Our research also finds that virtual communities are playing a role in supporting e-participation among older, technology-challenged citizens. We examine the influence and interaction of members of offline communities, who use telecentres, on virtual community participation. These communities and telecentres can provide support for the provision of e-services and the development of the digital city. We explore these issues based on empirical field research in community-based telecentres in a developing country. Inter-generational interactions are explored through an analysis using social networks, social identity and social representations theories.     

ICT expansion and the digital divide in democratic freedoms: An analysis of the impact of ICT expansion, education and ICT filtering on democracy

In recent years, several case studies have appeared on how mobile telephones, SMS and the Internet had an impact on political activities. It has been widely argued that information and communication technology (ICT) is influencing democracy all over the world. However, few studies provide any analysis of how ICT expansion correlates with measures of democracy. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the global expansion of ICT and the level of democracy within nations. We analyze archival data on 133 countries from 1995 to 2003, which was the period-of-time of explosive ICT expansion. Some important findings of our study are: (a) there is a growing digital divide in democratic freedoms among countries; (b) in spite of rapid ICT expansion in some countries, Internet filtering is having a significant impact on democratic freedoms.     

Reverse-engineering new systems for smooth implementation

Reverse-engineering a commercial client-server system from PeopleSoft yielded a valuable resource and proved to be cost-effective. The authors describe the motivations for, approach to, and results of this project, commissioned by the Commonwealth of Virginia's government     

An exploration of factors that impact individual performance in an ERP environment: an analysis using multiple analytical techniques

This study explores the factors that can impact individual performance when using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Starting from the proposition that organizational performance depends on individuals' task accomplishments, we test a structural model of task–technology fit, ERP user satisfaction, and individual performance in ERP environments. This research utilizes a survey method to examine the perceptions of ERP users. We performed factor and reliability analyses to assess the validity of the survey instrument. Six factors were identified as having an impact on individual performance: System Quality, Documentation, Ease of use, Reliability, Authorization, and Utilization. To explore the relationships among these factors, we conducted regression and multivariate adaptive regression splines analysis, and compared the findings from these two analytical techniques. The study provides evidence that System Quality, Utilization, and Ease of Use are the most important factors bearing on individual performance in ERP environments. Our findings also provide IT managers and researchers with knowledge of how these factors can be manipulated to improve individual performance when using ERP systems.     

Toward Entrepreneurial Behavior in Underserved Communities: An Ethnographic Decision Tree Model of Telecenter Usage

This paper investigates the decision-making process of community members who decide on using telecenters for entrepreneurial endeavors. A qualitative approach through interviews with telecenter staff and users is used to assess the barriers and enablers to economic activity through use of telecenters. An ethnographic decision tree model is developed to illustrate the process through which a community member makes a decision to use the telecenter to support economic livelihood. A predictive model for entrepreneurial behavior is proposed based on the factors which influence the usage of telecenters for entrepreneurship – social ties, opportunity recognition and support from the telecenters.