On the Apprpriateness of Theroy Borrowing in IS: an Interdisciplinary Evaluation

This essay discusses whether “stealing” theories from other disciplines should always be avoided or whether there is any appropriate way of using theories developed in other disciplines in an information systems (IS) context. We take a look at the benefits and problems that have arisen in the IS field as a result of theory borrowing and suggest that – when done appropriately – such borrowing may well benefit the field. In the process, we also draw on the marketing and psychology literatures to evaluate the adequacy of theory borrowing in general and derive specific recommendations about what appropriate borrowing could look like. By synthesizing concepts from these literatures, we derive a comprehensive set of recommendations that may improve the process of theory borrowing in the field; thereby moving the discipline forward

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT ON THE SECURITY IMPERATIVE FOR IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICES: A CASE STUDY APPROACH

Patient safety should be the primary concern in implantable medical devices (IMD). The growing threat of security attacks on networkable IMDs is an obvious risk to patient safety, because it can involve injury or death to the patient. In the case of insulin pumps, vulnerabilities are well-documented and security frameworks have been recommended. In addition, several government bodies have issued multiple advisories about security threats to IMDs. Furthermore, there is an ISO standards initiative to promote secure design for insulin pumps and associated devices. However, device manufacturers look to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for guidance during the pre-market approval process, and no standards are being enforced. To date, a convincing cost/benefit analysis of the security issues has remained elusive. Structuration theory has been used as a lens to understand the organizational process and the consequences of their choices

Information Systems Development Risk, Success,a nd Firm Performance: the Missing Link

This essay discusses whether “stealing” theories from other disciplines should always be avoided or whether there is any appropriate way of using theories developed in other disciplines in an information systems (IS) context. We take a look at the benefits and problems that have arisen in the IS field as a result of theory borrowing and suggest that – when done appropriately – such borrowing may well benefit the field. In the process, we also draw on the marketing and psychology literatures to evaluate the adequacy of theory borrowing in general and derive specific recommendations about what appropriate borrowing could look like. By synthesizing concepts from these literatures, we derive a comprehensive set of recommendations that may improve the process of theory borrowing in the field; thereby moving the discipline forward

A Case Study of a Financial Services Provider: Progressing Towards Applying Advanced Enterprise Engineering

This paper reports the findings of an empirical investigation of an organization that is progressing towards applying advanced enterprise engineering. Advanced enterprise engineering focuses on important aspects for strategic planning of an enterprise. The investigation adopts an interpretive case study approach and explores qualitative data on aspects of enterprise engineering in practice. The paper identifies various practices, which are prevalent in progressing organizations. This study suggests characteristics that describe the readiness of an organization to apply advanced enterprise engineering approaches. The originality of this study is its description of the organizational and sub-cultural context, communication issues, change approaches and identified challenges of an organization progressing towards applying advanced enterprise engineering. This case study analysis focuses on social aspects in a progressing organization

Towards a theoretical lens to examine the structural impact of adopting Web 2.0

With the widespread integration of Web 2.0 technologies across society and business there is an increasing need to understand their underlying impact. Yet, very little research has been done on such technologies, so much so, that a definition still eludes the academic community. Nonetheless, their impacts cannot be ignored. For instance, from a societal perspective, the proliferation of social networks and attitude towards openness highlights the transformation from hierarchical type social structures to more non-hierarchical (horizontal) systems. However, rigorous analysis of the structural impacts of the technologies in an organisational context is more difficult due to the lack of theoretical frameworks. Moreover, there has been a call for researchers to build their own theoretical frameworks for further understanding in the domain. As a result, this paper aims to add to the body of knowledge by (i) further defining Web 2.0, (ii) reviewing past literature on organisational structure and technology, and (iii) developing a theoretical lens by rediscovering past socio-technical theories

Knowledge Transfer in Distributed Software Support with a Traceability Framework

Distributed software support has become increasingly common especially due to the rampant globalization of the software development process. Transfer of contextual knowledge across stakeholders involved in such distributed environments is critical to successful product development and support. Timely transfer of appropriate knowledge about issues faced in production environments to support teams and within support teams can result in significant economic benefits. Failure to share contextual knowledge and lack of common understanding significantly impact the quality of support. We draw from the literature on knowledge transfer and adaptive structuration theory to develop a theoretical basis and an approach to knowledge transfer in distributed software support contexts. Based on a multi-site case study, we develop a traceability framework to enhance shared understanding among team members. A qualitative evaluation of the usefulness of our traceability-based approach to knowledge transfer is presented

Ameliorating ERP Workflow Using a Sociomaterial Lens

Many companies struggle with implementing and calibrating prepackaged and configurable enterprise resource planning (ERP) business process workflows, especially master data creation and maintenance. The objective of this paper is to refine the understanding of ERP process workflow adaptability and usage through the lens of sociomateriality. The research aims to explore the degree and the associated consequences of employees’ resistance to packaged ERP workflows. Presenting research on agencies and assemblages derived from ERP system utilization, we conducted a content analysis of 98 interviews, made up of 50 ERP users dealing directly with ERP workflow usage and 48 ERP users involved in master data workflow usage, programming, and administration, to explore how material agencies emerge temporally in practice through a dialectical process of resistance and accommodation. The insights gained from this research may be particularly valuable in researching the expansion of management knowledge related to ERP best practices in everyday organizational life

The Realization of Public Value through E-government: a Structuration Perspective

Recent studies show e-government implementations are biased towards the realization of efficiency and service effectiveness benefits, with less attention paid to the delivery of public value. Public value (PV) is a corner stone for balancing benefits across all stakeholders and it redefines our understanding of e-governmental success. However, e-government is having minimal impact on PV. Further, research on PV in emerging democracies or non-democratic states is lacking. Thus, this study adopts a structuration perspective to identify the factors that influence government agencies position with regard to the delivery of PV, and explore user and community responses to e-government initiatives. The study will adopt a mixed methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study will make important contributions to theory by investigating how structuration theory can be integrated with Moore’s (1995) strategic PV triangle to understand how e-government may facilitate the production of PV

Information Systems Change and Social Interaction: A Research Agenda

As the investments in IT are still growing and organizations are more dependent on IT than ever before practitioners as well as researchers are still lacking theories or models that help and explain if and when IT has to be adapted, partly exchanged or entirely implemented. In this paper we claim that one major reason for IS change lies in the interaction of human agents while using IT to solve tasks. Human agents cooperate within and simultaneously build a social network that is partly selforganizing, dynamic and uncontrollable from the outside. This dynamic can cause unintended pressure on the use and the usability of IT and therefore may force organizations to change the IS. This article discusses the Structurational Model of IT and concepts of the Social Network Analysis and draws several implications of examining the impact of social interaction on IS change