Identifying Potential Problems and Risks in GQM+Strategies Models Using Metamodel and Design Principles

Although GQM+Strategies®1 assures that business goals and strategies are aligned throughout an organization and at each organizational unit based on the rationales to achieve the overall business goals, whether the GQM+Strategies grid is created correctly cannot be determined because the current definition of GQM+Strategies allows multiple perspectives when aligning goals with strategies. Here we define modeling rules for GQM+Strategies with a metamodel specified with a UML class diagram. Additionally, we create design principles that consist of relationship constraints between GQM+Strategies elements, which configure GQM+Strategies grids. We demonstrate that the GQM+Strategies grids can be automatically determined with the help of design principles described in OCL. In fact, an experiment is implemented using these approaches in order to show that this method helps identify and improve potential problems and risks. The results confirm that our approaches help create a consistent GQM+Strategies grid

The Two Facets of Collaboration: Cooperation and Coordination in Strategic Alliances

This paper unpacks two underspecified facets of collaboration: cooperation and coordination. Prior research has emphasized cooperation, and specifically the partners' commitment and alignment of interests, as the key determinant of collaborative success. Scholars have paid less attention to the critical role of coordination—the effective alignment and adjustment of the partners' actions. To redress this imbalance, we conceptually disentangle cooperation and coordination in the context of inter-organizational collaboration, and examine how the two phenomena play out in the partner selection, design, and post-formation stages of an alliance's life cycle. As we demonstrate, a coordination perspective helps resolve some empirical puzzles, but it also represents a challenge to received wisdom grounded in the salience of cooperation. To stimulate future research, we discuss alternative conceptualizations of the relationship between cooperation and coordination, and elaborate on their normative implications

Exploring standardization and integration in the implementation of industry inter-organizational information systems: a case study in the seaport of Barcelona

Aquesta tesis presenta un estudi interpretativista sobre els processos d'estandardització i integració relacionats amb la implementació d'un sistema d'informació inter-organitzatiu (SIIO) sectorial en el Port de Barcelona. Aquest treball adopta una perspectiva de conjunt sobre els SIIO. Per un costat, des d'aquesta perspectiva un SIIO està en constant en moviment durant la implementació i el seu posterior ús. Per tant, la implementació del SIIO ve condicionada per configuracions prèvies, ja que els sistemes existents influencien en les opcions i trajectòries que pot prendre la implementació. Per altre costat, de la mateixa manera la implementació ve determinada tant per aspectes materials i/o tecnològics com per aspectes socials. És a dir, la implementació es pot veure com un procés de canvi socio-tecnològic que evoluciona al llarg de la implementació del SIIO sectorial.L'objectiu d'aquesta tesis és investigar la naturalesa socio-tecnològica del procés de implementació d'un SIIO i identificar aspectes teòrics i pràctics que puguin explicar les dinàmiques que es produeixin al llarg de la implementació. En base a un estudi de cas intepretativista i en profunditat, el qual combina l'ús de grounded theory i actor-network theory, realitzo un anàlisi del procés d'implementació, i formalitzo una sèrie de contribucions teòriques i pràctiques. El primer gran tema d'estudi d'aquest treball ha estat l'estandardització que ha tingut lloc abans i durant la implementació del SIIO sectorial. El segon tema ha estat la integració dels sistemes de informació prèviament existents amb el SIIO sectorial.Les contribucions d'aquest treball tenen implicacions per la recerca. En primer lloc, aquest treball amplia el limitat, tot i que creixent, nombre de investigacions que s'han centrat en la naturalesa processual i socio-tecnològica dels SIIO. Igualment aquest treball complementa la literatura existent en SIIO, que ha proposat models de factors, ja que explica com i perquè alguns d'aquests factors són importants. En segon lloc, aquest treball contribueix a la recerca que ha fet estudis longitudinals en l'àrea de sistemes d'informació ja que proporciona una interpretació contextual i en profunditat sobre els processos d'adaptació i canvi que tenen lloc durant la implementació d'un SIIO. Finalment, aquesta tesis contribueix a la literatura sobre estandardització de SIIO mitjançant l'establiment de lligams entre els estudis que proposen models de procés i els que es centren en l'anàlisi dels grups d'interès que participen en l'estandardització.Per altre costat, aquesta tesis té legitimitat pragmàtica ja que pot servir d'ajuda per millorar la pràctica. En primer lloc, aquest treball confirma el dinamisme dels interessos dels actors que participen en els processos d'estandardització, i posa de relleu que aquests actors tenen un ampli ventall d'interessos que varia en funció de la naturalesa dels propis actors i que condiciona la seva actitud al llarg del procés. És, per tant, molt important realitzar una constant identificació dels interessos dels actors. En segon lloc, aquesta tesis mostra que la gestió de SIIO ha de posar èmfasi i dedicar recursos no solament al disseny, a preveure escenaris futurs, i a desenvolupar estratègies i accions per fer front a aquestes previsions. La gestió també ha de prestar atenció i comprendre els esdeveniments no previstos i els canvis emergents que succeeixen durant l'ús del SIIO. Finalment, la implementació de SIIO requereix que els directius donin resposta per tal de reforçar o atenuar aquests canvis emergents. És a dir, la gestió de SIIO no es pot concebre únicament com una intervenció que es pot predefinir i planificar, sinó també com una forma de reacció i resposta al context i el comportament dels altres. Aquesta tesis també suggereix una sèrie de maniobres que poden ésser d'ajut als directius i professionals involucrats en projectes d'implementació de SIIO.Esta tesis presenta un estudio interpretativista sobre los procesos de estandarización e integración relacionados con la implementación de un sistema de información inter-organizativo (SIIO) sectorial en el Puerto de Barcelona. Este trabajo adopta una perspectiva de conjunto sobre los SIIO. Por un lado, desde esta perspectiva un SIIO está en constante movimiento durante su implementación y posterior uso. Por lo tanto, la implementación del SIIO viene condicionada por configuraciones previas, ya que los sistemas existentes influyen en las opciones y trayectorias que puede tomar la implementación. Por otro lado, igualmente la implementación viene determinada tanto por aspectos materiales y/o tecnológicos como por aspectos sociales. Es decir, la implementación puede verse como un proceso de cambio socio-tecnológico que evoluciona a lo largo de la implementación de SIIO sectorial.El objetivo de esta tesis es investigar la naturaleza socio-tecnológica del proceso de implementación de un SIIO e identificar aspectos teóricos y prácticos que puedan explicar las dinámicas que se producen durante la implementación. En base a un estudio de caso en profundidad e interpretativista, el cual combina el uso de grounded theory y actor-network theory, realizo un análisis del proceso de implementación, y formalizo una serie de contribuciones teóricas y prácticas. El primer gran tema de estudio de este trabajo ha sido la estandarización que ha tenido lugar antes y durante la implementación del SIIO sectorial. El segundo tema ha sido la integración de los sistemas de información que ya existían previamente con el SIIO sectorial.Las contribuciones de este trabajo tienen implicaciones para la investigación. En primer lugar, este trabajo amplia el limitado, aunque creciente, número de investigaciones que se han centrado en la naturaleza procesual i socio-tecnológica de los SIIO. Igualmente este trabajo complementa la literatura previa en SIIO, la cual ha propuesto modelos de factores, ya que explica cómo y por qué algunos de estos factores son relevantes. En segundo lugar, este trabajo contribuye a la investigación que ha realizado estudios longitudinales en el área de los sistemas de información ya que proporciona una interpretación contextual y en profundidad sobre los procesos de adaptación y cambio que tienen lugar durante la implementación de un SIIO. Finalmente, esta tesis contribuye a la literatura sobre estandarización ya que establece vínculos entre los estudios que han propuesto modelos de proceso y los que se centran en el análisis de los grupos de interés que participan en la estandarización.Por otro lado, esta tesis tiene legitimidad pragmática ya que puede servir de ayuda para mejorar la práctica. En primer lugar, este trabajo confirma el dinamismo de los intereses de los actores que participan en procesos de estandarización, y pone de relieve que los diferentes actores tienen una amplia gama de intereses que varía en función de la naturaleza de los propios actores y que condiciona su actitud a lo largo del proceso. Es, por lo tanto, muy importante realizar una constante identificación de los intereses de los actores durante la implementación. En segundo lugar, esta tesis muestra que los directivos encargados de la implementación de SIIO han de poner énfasis y dedicar recursos no sólo a diseñar, prever escenarios de futuro, y desarrollar estrategias y acciones para cumplir con estas previsiones. La gestión también ha de prestar atención y comprender los acontecimientos no previstos y los cambios emergentes que se sucedan durante el uso del SIIO. Finalmente, la implementación de SIIO requiere que los directivos den respuesta con el fin de reforzar o atenuar estos cambios emergentes. Es decir, la gestión de SIIO no se puede concebir únicamente como una intervención que puede ser predefinida y planificada, sino también como una forma de reacción y respuesta al contexto y al comportamiento de otros. Esta tesis también sugiere una serie de maniobras que pueden ser de ayuda para los directivos y profesionales involucrados en proyectos de implementación de SIIO.This dissertation presents an interpretive study of standardization and integration processes related to the implementation of an industry inter-organizational information system (IOIS) in the Seaport of Barcelona. This thesis adopts an ensemble view of the IOIS. First, from this perspective an IOIS is in constant flux as it is implemented and used in practice. Thus implementation becomes path dependent in the sense that existing systems influence the implementation choices and paths. Second, the implementation is being partly materially determined and partly socially constructed. That is, implementation may be viewed as socio-technical change processes that evolved around the implementation of the industry IOIS.The objective of this thesis is to inquire into the socio-technical nature of IOIS implementation process and identify theoretical and practical issues that can provide a relevant explanation of the implementation dynamics. Based on an in-depth interpretive case study, which is combined with actor-network theory and grounded theory, I conduct an analysis of the implementation process and formalize a set of theoretical and practical implications. The first main theme of this work has been the standardization effort that has taken place before and during the implementation of the industry IOIS. The second main theme is related with the integration of the adopters' pre-existing systems with the industry IOIS.The contributions that arise from this research have implications for research. Firstly, it adds to the limited but growing group of researchers that have focused on the processual and socio-technical nature of IOISs, as well as adds to the factor-based IOIS literature by detailing how and why some of these factors become important. Secondly, it contributes to longitudinal IS research by providing a deeper contextual understanding of the processes of adaptation and change that underlie IOIS implementation. Finally, it contributes to IOIS standardization literature by establishing links between the process and stakeholder models. On the other hand, this thesis has pragmatic legitimacy as it may serve as a helpful guide from which to improve practice. Firstly, this work confirms the dynamism of the stakes during the standardization process and highlights that the stakeholders that participate in the standardization have a range of stakes that vary among their nature and drive their attitude towards the process. Thus a continuous identification of participants' stakes appears to be very important. Secondly, this thesis shows that IOIS management has to place emphasis and devote resources not only to design, predict future conditions, and develop strategies and actions to meet those predictions, but also to pay attention and understand the unexpected events and emergent changes that arise during the use of the IOIS. Finally, IOIS implementation requires management to respond in order to reinforce or attenuate the emergent changes. That is, the IOIS management cannot only be conceived as predefined planned intervention, but also as a form of reaction and response to situational demands and others' behavior. In addition, this thesis provides a set of maneuvers that may guide managers and practitioners involved in the implementation of IOISs

Mind the gap: A process model for diagnosing barriers to key account management implementation

Today, many firms develop and implement key account management (KAM) programs to manage the relationships with strategically important customers. The implementation of KAM programs requires the configuration of special activities, actors, and resources dedicated to key accounts, which poses major challenges for managerial practice. Firms often underestimate the fundamental organizational change required for a successful implementation of KAM. The objective of this article is to advance extant knowledge on KAM by developing a framework that outlines essential processes to assess and diagnose barriers to KAM implementation. In our article, we integrate extant knowledge on KAM organization and enactment, and we propose a four-step process model that links the concepts of embeddedness, differentiation, integration, and alignment. In addition, we illustrate our model in a case study analysis with a large-scale European industrial company. The findings of our study allow us to derive avenues for further research on KAM implementation as well as implications for management practice

Managing the Tension between Standardization and Customization in IT-enabled Service Provisioning: A Sensemaking Perspective

The outsourcing literature has offered a plethora of perspectives and models for understanding decision determinants and outcomes of outsourcing of business processes. While past studies have contributed significantly to scholarly research in this area, there are an insufficient number of studies that are provider centric. Consequently, there is a need to understand how service providers address a core challenge: to achieve scalable growth by developing standardized offerings that can be sufficiently customized to meet the unique demands of individual customers. This study explores how patterns of collective action within and between a provider and two of their largest customers relate to the tension between standardization and customization of information technology (IT)-enabled service provisioning. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between such behavioral patterns and the development of an enterprise architecture designed to address the tension between standardization and customization. A socio-cognitive sensemaking framework consisting of six core properties provides the analytical lens through which the relationship is investigated. The study adopts an interpretive case study methodology guided by the assumption that distinct dimensions of the social world exist, but understanding them comes from inter-subjective interaction between researcher and subject. The approach adopts a combination of literal and theoretical replication strategies (Yin 1994) to help identify similarities and dissimilarities during cross case comparison. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, direct observations, participant observations, and analysis of documentation and archival records. Our findings suggest that localized action at the expense of global coordination exacerbates the tension between standardization and customization. Furthermore, attempts to address the tension through the logics of spatial and temporal separation proved largely ineffective, as these initiatives put added pressure on the sensemaking processes responsible for guiding collective action. Our findings further suggest that a paradigm modification might be useful for service providers, where they shift their focus from reducing equivocality to improving their internal ability to respond to it. The results of this study contribute to a large body of outsourcing literature that has too often neglected a provider centric perspective. By uncovering key factors that exacerbate the tension within and between organizations, and providing practical methods for addressing them, this study also offers valuable insight for practicing managers

The influence of organizational and information systems factors on the effectiveness of post-merger technology integration

This dissertation explores how ten specific organizational and information systems factors influence post-merger IS integration success, and the role that degree of IS integration plays in moderating the influence these factors may have on IS integration success. Data were gathered, using a self-administered survey instrument, from senior IS executives at firms that experienced a U.S. public merger greater than $25 million between 2004 and 2007. Support is found for the study\u27s Conceptual Model, indicating that all ten factors in unison influence post-merger IS integration success. The data support the hypotheses that quality of merger planning, quality of communication of merger activities to IS, quality of IS integration planning, degree of end-user involvement in IS integration activities, and quality of technical support to users during the IS integration each have a significant influence on post-merger IS integration success. The data also support the moderating effect of degree of IS integration on the relationship between post-merger IS integration success and executive (non-IS) management support. In a supplemental path model analysis, a complex relationship is hypothesized to exist between the factors and IS Capability and IS Performance, the two IS integration success measures, As a result, four of the five remaining hypotheses are indirectly supported. This research expands the body of knowledge that identifies sources of IS integration performance, thus helping to explain sources of overall merger performance

Academic Capitalism And Historically Black Colleges And Universities: Institutional Conflict

The relevance of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the current educational climate remain a critical issue. A mixed-methods case study was used to examine the conflicting concerns among faculty at a private HBCU in northeast Texas that has in recent years faced financial distress, declining enrollment, and administrative leadership turnover. The research design incorporated a two-step, critical race process that examined ‘faculty concerns’ on two hypothesized dimensions: academic capitalism versus academic autonomy. Relying on the meta-theory of institutional logics, the study examined the embedded racial structure of market-based metrics associated with HBCU faculty caught in a wave of ‘academic capitalism’ and the consequent paradox of trying to maintain their traditional role as scholastic gatekeepers. The findings suggest two institutional logics—neoliberalism at the administrative level and faculty autonomy at the academic level—were in conflict. It is recommend that HBCU stakeholders recognize the differences in institutional logics affecting faculty perceptions to mitigate the ongoing crises associated with administrators, finances, accreditation, and academic standards. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed