Crafting theory to satisfy the requirements of systems science

Just as Lee, Briggs & Dennis (2014) showed that a rigorous conception of “explanation” leads to requirements for a positivist theory to satisfy, and just as Lee & Hovorka (2015) showed that a rigorous conception of “interpretation” leads to requirements for an interpretive theory to satisfy, we show that a rigorous conception of “systems” leads to certain requirements for a systems theory to satisfy. We apply basics of systems science in general, as well as basics of Luhmann’s (Luhmann, 1995; Moeller, 2006) systems perspective in particular. We illustrate these basics with empirical material from a case about the role of information technology in anti-money laundering. The example demonstrates that research in information systems, which has been informed by positivism, interpretivism, and design, can be additionally and beneficially informed by systems science – which, ironically, has been largely absent in information “systems” research

Knowledge and organisational success:developing a scale of knowledge framework

The aim of this exploratory research is to understand further how organisations can evaluate their activities, which generate knowledge creation, to meet changing stakeholder expectations. A Scale of Knowledge (SoK) Framework is proposed which links knowledge management and organisational activities to changing stakeholder expectations. The framework was informed by the knowledge management literature, as well as empirical work conducted via a single case study of a multi-site hospital organisation in Saudi Arabia. Eight in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers from across the organisation regarding current and future stakeholder expectations, organisational strategy/activities and knowledge management. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and a hierarchical value map technique to identify activities that can produce further knowledge and consequently impact on how stakeholder expectations are met. The SoK Framework developed may be useful to practitioners as an analytical aid to determine if current organisational activities produce organisational knowledge which helps them meet (increasingly higher levels of) stakeholder expectations. The limitations of the research and avenues for future development of the proposed framework are discussed

In Pursuit of Systems Theories for Describing and Analyzing Systems in Organizations

This research essay illustrates how the IS discipline might pursue systems theories with the goal of understanding IS in new ways, generating innovative and useful systems theories, and achieving more impact in the world. It discusses recent articles that compare different perspectives and expectations related to theories and theorizing in the IS discipline. It uses the term domain-specific systems theory (DSST) to accentuate the difference between general systems theory (GST) and specific systems theories. It provides examples illustrating how DSSTs can illuminate important concerns that variance and process perspectives do not address directly. It shows how work system theory (WST) and several of its extensions are DSSTs that provide useful lenses for understanding, analyzing, and theorizing about systems in organizations. It concludes by summarizing ways in which the IS discipline might welcome systems theories more wholeheartedly

An Identity-based Integrative Needs Model of Crafting : Crafting within and across life domains

In recent years, there has been heightened interest in the active role of employees in shaping activities and experiences in their pursuit of optimal functioning (i.e., feeling and performing well), referred to as job-, leisure-, home-, and work-life balance crafting. Various perspectives have emphasized distinct dimensions within the crafting process (i.e., motives, behaviors, life domains, and outcomes), yielding a rich but fragmented theoretical account. With psychological needs satisfaction as the underlying process, we propose an integrative model to account for past conceptualizations of crafting motives and efforts across a person's various role identities. This integration highlights the importance of recognizing unfulfilled needs, matching needs and crafting efforts, within- and between-level temporal dynamics of the crafting process, and possibilities for spillover and compensation processes across identity domains. Accordingly, the Integrative Needs Model of Crafting explains (1) why and how people craft, (2) when and why crafting efforts may (not) be effective in achieving optimal functioning, (3) the sequential process of crafting over time, and (4) how crafting processes unfold across different identity domains

Options for Regional Decision Making in Metro Atlanta

Who loses if nothing is done? The city of Atlanta, with its central location, mature transit network, excess capacity in utilities, and reasonably aggressive public officials will probably thrive no matter what happens outside the I-285 perimeter. Communities outside the boundaries of the ten-county Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) area will enjoy the temporary fruits of being the next ring of new suburban development. Caught between the Atlanta magnet and the sprawling communities outside the ARC, ARC's suburban communities may bear the worst of the downside effects of the current regional decision-making structure. In the end, though, it is all of North Georgia that loses as congestion, pollution, rising taxes, and reduced quality of life diminish its attractiveness to economic development