Politics in packaged software implementation

The academic literature relating to the political issues of information systems is fairly well established. However, there are relatively few empirical studies relating to the political issues associated with the organisational implementation of package software. The aim of this paper is to offer a modest contribution via case study research with an analysis of a packaged software implementation at an organisation based in the United Kingdom. The study raises issues that support and question some of the notions inherent in many political theories relating to information systems. The study also highlights the multifarious and complex nature of politics in the development of packaged software implementation

Information systems outsourcing in public administration: an emergent research topic

After reviewing the most relevant academic sources, we believe that there is still little academic literature on information systems (IS) outsourcing specialized for public administration (PA). In this paper we present the few we have discovered references while deriving and expanding some analysis from them. The sparse results of this analysis are then summarized and classified. This situation contrasts with the clear importance of PA as an IS consumer and often as a change leader in IS management practices, which is also depicted in the paper. As an example of what future research questions could be posed and of what findings could be expected from this research domain, we present a real IS outsourcing case of study which appears to be rather original in the approach taken by the involved PA. Hence, with all the issues outlined in this preliminary research work, we believe that it is possible to justify an interest in researching this topic and to encourage new scientific activities resulting from it, such as new proposals for PA of specific IS outsourcing frameworks, methods or in-depth case studies like the one introduced here.Postprint (published version

A Survey and Analysis of the Literature on Information Systems Outsourcing

With the development and penetration of business information systems, information systems outsourcing (IS Outsourcing) has attracted more and more interests from both managers and IT vendors. Meanwhile, there is an increasing number of theoretical research papers in academic journals. This paper reviews major theoretical research papers in this area and classifies them from the perspectives of research topics, research methods, journal categories, and theoretical foundations. Based on this review, we propose some directions for future research in IS outsourcing

Client and IT Engagement in Software Development: A Disconnect of Mindsets

This work-in-progress paper reports on the findings of a pilot study investigating a disconnect of mindsets between IT and the business client within an in-house IT department of a large Australian financial institution. This paper contributes to research on social aspects of software engineering with a focus on IT-business client engagement and their relationships in the software development process. Our findings of disconnect include: communication and engagement process misalignment with the business client’s working practices. This paper builds a case and suggests priorities for further research on IT-business client engagement from a social perspective. This perspective is important in the light of recent research indicating that key factors in the IT industry’s transition towards next generation software development methods are based on the social interaction and communication

How are public sector organizations assessing their IT investments and benefits-An understanding of issues for Benchmarking

Despite the growing IT spending by public sector organizations, evaluation of IT investments still presents a major problem for these organizations. A survey of the top 500 Australian public sector organizations and the in-depth case studies of three Australian public sector organizations were conducted. The main purpose of the study was to examine the key issues of IT investment evaluation and benefits realization in public sector organizations. The results indicated that effective deployment of appropriate IT investment evaluation methodology and benefits realization methodology are critical to the successful outcomes for IT project. A number of key IT evaluation issues were also identified: user satisfaction, top management support, change management, and user involvement

IT outsourcing success factors In the Portuguese public sector: A research proposal

A gestão de tecnologias de informação (TI) através de outsourcing tornou-se prática comum no setor setor público, com a expectativa de conseguir reduzir custos e aceder a competências especializadas em TI. Há muito que a gestão pública recorre a esta prática apostando em contratos de longo prazo, mas existem dificuldades em demonstrar resultados que comprovem o sucesso desta opção, e reconhece-se a falta de conhecimento acerca dos fatores específicos que determinam o sucesso do outsourcing de TI (ITO) neste setor. O número de estudos é ainda mais escasso no contexto Europeu, e de facto, não foram encontrados estudos sobre o sucesso do ITO em Portugal. Assim, propomo-nos investigar os fatores do sucesso do ITO no setor público português, através do efeito da qualidade da parceria, da capacidade interna da organização, e do suporte da gestão de topo.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Strong contracts: the relationship between power and action

Purpose – There is a view that strong preventative contracts are essential to control supplier opportunism and delivery during an outsourcing implementation. This paper tests the proposition that contractual environments, typical of outsourcing engagements, are essentially conflictual and that context and circumstance can act to overwhelm formal contractual and project control and lead to poor outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports on a supply case study focused on the outsourced delivery of an application development in the defence sector. Data was gathered by a participant observation in situ for a period of three years. A grounded analysis from observations, diaries, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, documentary analysis, and emails was carried out with six case organisations within the extended supply chain. Findings – Collaboration between suppliers and buyers can be blocked by preventative fixed price contracts and as a result when requirements are incomplete or vague this adversely impacts success. Implications for practice Strong contractual control focused on compliance may actually impede the potential success of outsourcing contracts especially when collaborative approaches are needed to cope with variability in demand. Originality/value The research raises the important practical and conceptual notion that an outsourcing can be a conflictual inter-firm phenomenon, especially where multiple actors are involved and business uncertainty is present

IDENTITY AND CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT IN GLOBALLY DISTRIBUTED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WORK

An interpretive case study was conducted to examine how team members construct their identities and manage cultural differences in globally distributed information technology work. Research investigating globally distributed information technology work acknowledges the influence of culture on team members and their work activities, but issues of team members’ individual identity and agency are under explored. Guided by social identity theory, our research findings suggest four identity categories constructed by global virtual team members, which are affected by societal culture, organizational culture, individual experience, and structure of the globally distributed IT work. They are: national identity, organizational identity, individual identity, and power identity. Manifestation of each identity is discussed along with how the enactment of these identities affects the ways in which global virtual team members manage cultural differences

The Art of Existence and the Regimes of IS-enabled Customer Service Rationalization: A Study of IT Service Management in the UK Higher Education

This paper adopted a critical perspective to examine IS-enabled IT customer services rationalization project in a UK University context. Informed by Foucaultian framework of rationality/power and ethics the paper seeks to demonstrate how individuals deploy their critical moral reflection to enact ‘the care of the self’ in living with the consequences of IS-enabled services process change. The study draws on two years of field work to argue for the multiplicity of individual’s moral judgment under rationalization regimes of truth. Individuals deploy a self reflective rationality to judge the impact of the project on their work and life experience and act accordingly. This paper contributes to IS research by drawing attention to IT service management as an area for academic research as well as to Foucault’s notion of ‘ethics’ which provides a fresh view for understanding the consequences of the development and implementation of IS solutions