Strategies for Dealing with End-User Resistance

User resistance is a common occurrence when new information systems are implemented and can contribute to implementation failure. This research reviewed the literature on the reasons for end-user resistance and identified a number of strategies that could be used for dealing with end-user resistance, such as end-user support, participation, communication, training and consultant involvement on a project. The research investigated the effectiveness of these strategies for dealing with end-user resistance based on the opinions of IT project managers in New Zealand. The results of this research showed that IT project managers use all identified strategies on their IT projects. Among identified strategies various forms of communication, end-user participation and support have been rated as the most frequently used strategies. The results also showed that IT project managers rated end-user participation and communication strategies as the most effective for dealing with end-user resistance. The research also revealed some unexpected results, for example participants who use one-off and stage-wise training techniques experience more end-user resistance on their projects; and participants whose companies have external IT support in place to support users, also experience more resistance

Information systems' effectiveness and organisational performance

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.For many years researchers have been troubled with the evaluation of Information Systems (IS) concluding to a lack of understanding as to the time, methods and tools for measuring the impact of IS on organisational performance. Motivated by this lacuna in the literature, this thesis explored the relationship between Information Systems’ Effectiveness and Organisational Performance. The theoretical framework is based on the Delone and McLean’s (D&M) IS success model which is widely adopted in the IS research. Based on a comprehensive literature review on the older and more recent studies the research framework incorporated several new items used by researchers for the measurement of the D&M dimensions. Following a web survey on 168 Greek firms this study sheds some light into the IS field by focusing on how IS effectiveness measures affect Organisational Performance. Data for this study was collected by means of a web-link questionnaire and a sample of 700 companies of different sizes operating in various industries. Many descriptive statistics of academic and managerial importance were produced. Following a correlation analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis, 15 factors were used for Multiple Regression analysis conducted to test a number of hypotheses around the relationship between the dependent construct (organisational performance) and the independent construct (IS effectiveness). This thesis contributes to existing research in the following ways. First, this study extends our knowledge on IS effectiveness as we adapted and modified DeLone and McLean's model of IS success to incorporate new variables from recent research. The results indicate a significant statistical link between IS effectiveness and performance measures. Second, it provides a holistic framework for measuring Organisational Performance with financial and non-financial variables. Finally, the study presents findings from Greek companies that have adopted IS providing practioners with advice for the practices that can lead to possible and realistic benefits

A three-tier technology training strategy in a dynamic business environment

As end-user training becomes increasingly important in today\u27s technology-intensive business environment, progressive companies remain alert to find ways to provide their end users with timely training and resources. This paper describes an innovative training strategy adopted by one midsize organization to provide its end users with adequate, flexible, and responsive training. The paper then compares the three-tier strategy with other models described in technology training literature. Managers who supervise technology end users in organizations comparable to the one in the study may find the three-tier strategy workable and may want to use it in their own training programs to facilitate training and improve end-user skills. Researchers and scholars may find that the idea of three-tier training generates new opportunities for research

The strategic corporate training method to sustain organizational productivity in the clothing industry of Sri Lanka

The research investigates and analyses the determinants of enterprise level training in the context of training effectiveness in the clothing industry of Sri Lanka. This study has focused on how suitably designed training methods could lead to training effectiveness. The research is based on five different training methods carried out in export oriented clothing factories in Sri Lanka. Participants for the training programmes have been selected so that optimum results can be expected out of them. Performance indicators such as efficiency, productivity, HR data etc. have been considered as measurement of training effectiveness. Findings on the determinants of training effectiveness are in line with the empirical study. The empirical study has been carried out to understand the current status quo of training in the clothing industry. The empirical study did not show any productivity improvements due to training. The training effectiveness of the training methods is far more intricate and heterogeneous than the conventional knowledge suggests. There are some pertinent explanations of the research findings on the negative impact of training effectiveness. The training experiments did not support the idea that training would enhance the productivity

Adoção e difusão de aplicações das tecnologias da informação: iniciativas lançadas no âmbito de processos de implantação de aplicações em organizações – estudo de práticas profissionais e proposta de ferramenta de suporte

Tese de Doutoramento Tecnologias e Sistemas de InformaçãoA adoção e difusão de aplicações informáticas nas organizações é um fenómeno extensivamente estudado na área científica de sistemas de informação. Como resultado destes estudos diversas teorias têm sido propostas permitindo compreender e explicar este fenómeno. Destacam-se a teoria da difusão de tecnologia, os estudos focados na resistência à mudança e diversas teorias que se focam na adoção e uso de tecnologias da informação. Essas teorias têm sido objeto de particular atenção no que respeita a tecnologias por vezes designadas por complexas, i.e., tecnologias que, pela diversidade de funcionalidades que exibem, da gama de atividades organizacionais que suportam e dos diferentes tipos de agentes organizacionais que a usam, colocam maiores desafios à sua difusão, adoção e uso. No entanto, a literatura científica da área é escassa no que diz respeito às iniciativas/ações/políticas lançadas por profissionais de sistemas de informação (SI), no âmbito de projetos de implantação de aplicações de tecnologias da informação (ATI) que visam promover a difusão, adoção e uso das aplicações em causa, procurando deste modo contribuir para o seu sucesso. Este trabalho teve como principal objetivo identificar e classificar aquelas iniciativas, relacionando-as com as teorias existentes sobre o fenómeno da difusão e adoção de aplicações informáticas nas organizações. O resultado deste estudo assume a forma de um modelo empírico que procura estruturar as iniciativas/ações/políticas identificadas. Esse modelo contempla as características dessas iniciativas, os fatores condicionantes da difusão, adoção e uso a que essas iniciativas são dirigidas e associa uma medida do efeito que essas iniciativas têm vindo a mostrar em casos concretos. Esta primeira parte foi concretizada através da análise de um conjunto de casos secundários e com a realização de quatro estudos de caso. A sistematização de conhecimento obtido no estudo atrás referido levou ao emergir de um conceito subjacente a uma ferramenta de suporte ao trabalho de profissionais de SI envolvidos em projetos de implantação de ATI. Trata-se do conceito de um repositório de casos. O repositório permitirá relacionar os vários elementos explorados nesta tese, nomeadamente: fatores que condicionam a difusão, a adoção, e o uso de tecnologias; tipos de ATI; tipos de iniciativas/ações/políticas lançadas por profissionais de SI, no âmbito de projetos de implantação de ATI; e resultado (efeito) dessas iniciativas. Este repositório permitirá aos profissionais de SI, envolvidos em projetos de implantação de ATI, ter acesso aquela informação, facilitando a tomada de decisões sobre o que fazer, por forma a promover a difusão, a adoção e uso das aplicações em causa, procurando deste modo contribuir para o seu sucesso. Relativamente a esta ferramenta é proposto um modelo da sua estrutura e do seu interface. Este modelo foi usado em sessões de grupos de foco para avaliar a perceção da sua utilidade por parte de profissionais de SI. Nesta segunda parte, com a construção do modelo da ferramenta e o procedimento da avaliação da sua utilidade, foram concretizadas as etapas subjacentes à metodologia adotada, que foi a do Design Science Research (DSR). O resultado da tese será, assim, um contributo para os profissionais de SI, no sentido de promover uma abordagem sistemática, na preparação de projetos que envolvem o processo de implantação de ATI.The diffusion and adoption of information technology applications (ITA) in organizations is a phenomenon extensively studied in the scientific area of information systems (IS). As a result of these studies several theories have been proposed that enable to understand and explain this phenomenon. Such studies and theories include the theory of diffusion of technology, studies focused on resistance to change and various theories that focus on the adoption and use of information technologies. These theories have been object of particular attention in relation to complex technologies, i.e., technologies that because of the diversity of features they exhibit, the range of organizational activities they support and the different types of organizational agents that use it, put greatest challenges to its diffusion, adoption, and use. The scientific literature in this area is however scarce in regard to initiatives / actions / policies launched by IS professionals, when carrying out ITA implementation projects, aimed at promoting the diffusion, adoption and use of these applications, thus trying to contribute to their success. The main objective of this doctoral work is to identify and classify those initiatives, relating them to the existing theories on the phenomenon of adoption and diffusion of computer applications in organizations. The result of this study takes the form of an empirical model that seeks to structure the initiatives / actions / policies identified. This model encompasses the characteristics of these initiatives, the conditioning factors of adoption, use and diffusion that these initiatives are directed and associates a measure of the effect that these initiatives have been showing in concrete cases. This was accomplished by analyzing a set of already published cases (secondary data) and though four case studies. The knowledge systematization obtained in the above study led to the emergence of a concept for a support tool for the IS professionals involved in ITA implementation projects: a repository of cases. This repository will enable to relate the various elements explored in this thesis, namely: factors that influence the diffusion, adoption and use of technology; ITA types; types of initiatives / actions / policies launched by IS professionals, in ITA implantation projects; results (effect) of these initiatives. This repository will enable IS professionals involved in ITA implantation projects, to access that information, facilitating decision making about what to do in order to promote the adoption, use and dissemination of these applications. For this tool it is proposed a model of its structure and its interface. This model was tested in a focus group sessions to assess the perception of their usefulness by IS professionals. In this second part of the thesis, involving the conception of the tool and the evaluation of its usefulness, the Design Science Research (DSR) process has been followed. The result of the thesis constitutes a contribution to the work of IS professionals, supporting the promotion of a systematic approach in the preparation of projects involving ITA implantation process