Change management in an academic library in the knowledge economy

Abstract: In the knowledge economy, knowledge is channelled in new ways which brings about changes to the structure and function of an organisation. Organisations such as academic libraries often introduce innovations in delivery of information services to clients which entail the use of information and communication technology. Current growth in technological applications is enabling academic libraries to change the way they deliver services to clients. Technological applications continuously redefine how academic library collections are used. This article investigates how change in terms of technology is managed in a decentralised academic library in a higher education institution of South Africa. The study was placed within a qualitative research paradigm. A case study design presented the research providing the opportunity to analyse the perception and experience of participants and ensured that real life events were investigated. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data. The most significant finding of this study is the emphasis on the importance of change management in academic libraries and the need for effective communication in order to achieve low resistance to change from academic library staff

GENERATIVE RESISTANCE: BROADENING THE BOUNDARIES OF RESEARCH ON RESISTANCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS CHANGE

This paper proposes a new research perspective on resistance to information systems (IS) change. Drawing upon a power lens and complementing it with the organizational literature on resistance, we develop an integrative framework that conceptualizes resistance at three levels: 1) the non-compliance behaviors, 2) the meanings and norms that resisters contest and enact, and 3) the technical artifacts that resisters bring into their acts. By mapping existing IS literature on resistance onto our framework, we identify a bias of the literature towards a refusal view of resistance. That is, IS literature has been mainly concerned with resistance as a refusal behavior i.e. refusal to a new system, to changes in the working practices, to loss of status quo by which resisters attempt to neutralize the actions from the proponents of IS change. Yet our framework enables us to depict resistance not only as refusal but also as generative. Whilst a focus on resistance as refusal pays attention to the acts by which resisters aim to block the outcomes intended by the proponents of IS change, the analysis of the generative potential of resistance considers two additional aspects. First, it involves looking at how resisters challenge the meanings that proponents assign to the IS change i.e. assumptions about the technology, goals and role of actors in the change process. Second, it entails analyzing how (human) resisters and technical artifacts become intertwined in the acts of resistance and how those socio-technical assemblages instigate disciplinary effects to the proponents of IS change. In other words, studying the generative potential of resistance involves viewing resistance as a socio-material accomplishment that may transform the established order through structural and radical changes

An Enterprise 2.0 project management approach to facilitate participation, transparency, and communication

The use of current interactive and collaborative Web 2.0 concepts and technologies has great potential for flexible, loosely-coupled integration and ad-hoc information exchange within and between organizations. However, stakeholders’ readiness, willingness and ability to participate need to be continuously factored in. The successful implementation of common strategies, systems and processes in the course of Enterprise 2.0 projects is crucial. To increase the probability of success and to enhance the intensity of cooperation and trust in such projects, the constructs of transparency, communication and participation need to be addressed through an integrated project methodology. To bridge the gap between existing scientific models and requirements for Enterprise 2.0 projects, this paper proposes and describes a project methodology to support the main objectives for Enterprise 2.0 implementations. Selected results from two pilot projects within Austrian companies are presented and matched with critical success factors, which are derived from the literature. These provide elaborative insights into key characteristics of certain Enterprise 2.0 tools and project management for Enterprise 2.0 projects

Information Systems Research in the Nonprofit Context: Challenges and Opportunities

The nonprofit sector has become an important part of the U.S. economy, but Information Systems (IS) research in the sector has been limited. In this paper we attempt to motivate and organize IS research endeavors in the nonprofit context. We argue that the nonprofit sector presents not only new challenges but also numerous opportunities for IS research. We present a conceptual framework on the effectiveness of IS in nonprofits and illustrate how the framework can be used to identify the challenges and the opportunities. We also discuss how IS research in nonprofits can contribute to new understandings in IS in all organizations. Overall, we call for an increase in research efforts that will help better understand IS-related issues in the nonprofit sector

Digitizing Government Interactions with Constituents: An Historical Review of E-Government Research in Information Systems

As information and communication technologies began to support new forms of interaction between governments and their constituents, the concept of e-government emerged as a new domain for Information Systems (IS) researchers. The past decade has seen a variety of e-government themes researched and presented by scholars in IS, public administration, and political science. In order to reflect on the history of the IS discipline, this article provides an historical assessment of electronic government research. In particular, we review highly cited e-government articles and e-government articles published in the AIS Senior Scholars’ basket of journals to assess existing publication outlets, theoretical foundations, methodological approaches, sampling, and topic areas. The analysis of the literature reveals significant insights about the metamorphosis of e-government research over time, the assessment of which serves as a basis for recommendations for future research on this global phenomenon

An IS Theory of Reciprocal Change

This paper proposes an IS theory of reciprocal change. The research problem addressed in the paper is the absence of an IS theory that explains the reciprocity of change within IS. The questions that the paper answers is, what composition of constructs and their interrelationships are paramount for an IS theory of reciprocal change? And, what are possible conceptual contributions of an IS theory of reciprocal change with reference to past research? This paper is appropriately conceptual in nature and based on the academic literature. For practitioners, the proposed IS theory of reciprocal change is simple enough to be understandable yet comprehensive enough to benefit the analysis, application, and design of many IS. For researchers, the proposed IS theory of reciprocal change provides an initial basis for explaining and predicting the reciprocity of change within IS. In addition, the paper presents a process, based on the literature, for informing theory development and clarifying constructs.School of Computin

Administración del cambio organizacional en las empresas familiares para la implementación de la responsabilidad social empresarial

La investigación desarrollada tuvo como objetivo caracterizar las dificultades y la posible orientación que debe desarrollarse en las empresas familiares para implementar la responsabilidad social en ellas. La investigación se basó en una revisión bibliográfica con respecto a: caracterí­sticas de las Empresas Familiares, Responsabilidad Social Empresarial y la Administración del Cambio utilizando para ello Google Académico que se complementó con la revisión del Journal Citation Report (JCR) y del Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) a partir de 1961. Se destacan como conclusiones que el capital gerencial social es una habilidad clave que debe manejarse en una empresa familiar, para manejar en forma oportuna las relaciones y ví­nculos sociales tanto internos y externos de esta. Un programa de responsabilidad social a la vez genera costos, que, en una empresa familiar, en donde el patrimonio familiar está siendo afectado, pueden ser crí­ticos, aunque existe evidencia empí­rica que indica que a largo plazo se generan beneficios cuando se aplican los principios de RSE. Es imprescindible que la gerencia propietaria de la empresa familiar realice una planificación que contemple las acciones que permitan enfrentar los difí­ciles problemas que conlleva la resistencia al cambio

How technology can be applied to support change management best practices in the South African automotive industry

Organisations within the South African automotive industry (SAAI) are always seeking innovative ways to remain globally competitive. In order to keep costs as low as possible, existing facilities are often adapted to either cater for a wider variety of products or, alternatively, to produce larger volumes than they were originally designed to produce. In every instance, some form of change needs to take place. When the change management processes are defined within the system, quick wins need to be identified. These quick wins may include the elimination of non-valueadding time that is spent moving paper work between offices or ensuring the correct checks are in place to prevent the process from moving to the next step until all the requirements for the current steps have been completed. Technology has been identified as a suitable support mechanism that would be able to integrate into the complex system that comprises processes to be followed in an order that can be predefined. Every organisation faces its own unique challenges when technology is introduced. These can include a lack of computer literacy and the unwillingness to accept that change can in fact benefit the organisation. Getting the users to take ownership of the new systems through comprehensive training initiatives will be shown to be the most effective manner in which to ensure that the systems are effective and used to their full potential. This treatise will investigate the change management systems currently being used in the SAAI and compare the most important factors against the perceived best practices of the resources that are involved in change management. Organisations that operate at various levels within the SAAI will be researched. A literature review of the best practices in change management systems combined with an investigation into how technology can assist in supporting these best practices will be conducted. The findings will then be summarised and recommendations based on the collected data and information will be formulated and put forward

Analytics-based decision-making for service systems: A qualitative study and agenda for future research

While the use of big data tends to add value for business throughout the entire value chain, the integration of big data analytics (BDA) to the decision-making process remains a challenge. This study, based on a systematic literature review, thematic analysis and qualitative interview findings, proposes a set of six-steps to establish both rigor and relevance in the process of analytics-driven decision-making. Our findings illuminate the key steps in this decision process including problem definition, review of past findings, model development, data collection, data analysis as well as actions on insights in the context of service systems. Although findings have been discussed in a sequence of steps, the study identifies them as interdependent and iterative. The proposed six-step analytics-driven decision-making process, practical evidence from service systems, and future research agenda, provide altogether the foundation for future scholarly research and can serve as a step-wise guide for industry practitioners

IS effectiveness in Small Nonprofit Organizations

In the recent years, nonprofit sector has become an important part of modern society and small nonprofit organizations are the major part of nonprofit sector. However, Information Systems (IS) research in the sector has been limited, especially in the context of small nonprofits. In this paper, we attempt to explore the use of IS and IS effectiveness in the small nonprofit context. We also explore how small nonprofits have largely benefited from the emergence of affordable technologies. By using Zhang, Gutierrez, and Mathieson (2010) framework of IS effectiveness and current knowledge on the characteristics of small NPOs, we aim to reveal the constraints affecting small nonprofit organizations to effectively use IS. We believe that IS research in small nonprofits can contribute to the better understandings of IS in any organization. Overall, we intend to create the better understanding of IS-related issues in the nonprofit sector