Prescriptions for Information Systems Planning in a Turbulent Environment

Observers have offered prescriptions for IS planning in a turbulent business environment. The action research described here examined actual IS planning practices in two real-world organizations in such an environment. One organization adhered closely to many of the planning prescriptions and the other did not. Their experiences support the view that the analysis of the external environment and a continuous planning process are essential in such an environment. More importantly, they suggest that, in a turbulent environment, comprehensive IS planning (i.e., adherence to many prescriptions) is more effective than less rigorous planning. Such a conclusion may seem counterintuitive. Although the experiences facilitate the development of new prescriptions, they impugn some of the others

Thinking differently about strategy: comparing paradigms

Our paper shows that mainstream strategic thinking and research already challenges the established Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm. Newtonian thought is the customary mode of western thinking, but is that about to change? Some papers from a complexity standpoint have appeared in the mainstream journals but its precise implications and merits have yet to be systematically spelled out and debated. We aim to facilitate this debate by comparing the established Newtonian and emergent complexity paradigms, clarifying the implications of this new perspective for strategy research. We suggest that the complexity paradigm is better attuned to current strategic realities than its Newtonian-Cartesian counterpart

Strategic marketing planning and phenomenology: challenging the dominant paradigm

This paper contends that the conventional rational model of strategic marketing planning is flawed. It is argued that the latter leads to the subsumption of individual perceptions of marketing reality within universal systemic based theories, which are unable to take account of the subjective and discontinuous worlds of marketing managers. It is proposed that in order to better understand marketing decision making in organisations, a phenomenological perspective be adopted. Further research, utilising the phenomenological interview, should aim to examine the local circumstances and practical reasoning used by marketing managers in their ‘life worlds’, as they go about making marketing decisions

Developing Routinized Information Processing Capabilities for Operational Agility: Insights from China

Operational agility, which reflects the agile practices at business process level, is increasingly deemed as a significant determinant of business success in a turbulent business environment. Despite its importance, how operational agility can be attained is not answered by existing research. Drawing on the classic organization theory—information processing view of firms, the main contribution of this study is that it provides a process model of developing routinized information processing capabilities for operational agility in a turbulent business environment which fulfills this theoretical gap. It indicates the significant roles played by IT-enabled information processing networks and organizational controls during the process. It also identifies three routinized information processing capabilities including information sensitivity, information fluidity, and information decomposability. This is achieved by conducting a case study of Haier, one of the largest producers of household appliances in China. This paper concludes with a discussion of potential theoretical and practical contributions

Management: thesis, antithesis, synthesis

Increasingly, managers live in a world of paradox. For instance, they are told that they must manage by surrendering control and that they must stay on top by continuing to learn, thus admitting that they do not fully know what they do. Paradox is becoming increasingly pervasive in and around organizations, increasing the need for an approach to management that allows both researchers and practitioners to address these paradoxes. A synthesis is required between such contradictory forces as efficiency and effectiveness, planning and action, and structure and freedom. A dialectical view of strategy and organizations, built from four identifiable principles of simultaneity, locality, minimality and generality, enables us to build the tools to achieve such synthesis. Put together, these principles offer new perspectives for researchers to look at management phenomena and provide practitioners with a means of addressing the increasingly paradoxical world that they confront.dialectics, improvisation, paradox, synthesis

Organizational time: a dialectical view

We present twelve propositions constituting a contribution to a contingency view of time in organizations and synthesize apparently opposite perspectives of time. To articulate them, we relate the planning, action and improvisation strategic orientations to the dependent, independent and interdependent perspectives of the environment. Then, we relate these strategic orientations related to approaches to the problems of scheduling, synchronization and time allocation. Action strategies rely on event time to handle scheduling, use entrainment to synchronize with their environment and view time as linear. Planning strategies use even time to handle scheduling, impose their internal pacing upon the environment and view time as cyclic. Improvisation strategies use even-event time to handle scheduling, synchronize via internal-external pacing and hold a spiral view of time. Our argument strengthens the case for a more deliberate approach to time in organizations and favors a dialectical view of organizational phenomena.action, contingency, dialectics, improvisation, planning, synthesis, time

Quality Management System-INcrease Factor of the Organizational Competitiveness

Modern organizations operate in an extremely turbulent, dynamic and unpredictable environment, which bear profound changes in relatively short periods of time and impose requirements in terms of increased economic competition and the intended performance objectives. Therefore, this paper investigates the significant increase of the weight factor on the quality of products on the market. The latter is an element of prime importance for the development of the organization. The only path to quality is an operational and advanced quality management system. This study will analyze and demonstrate that implementing such a system will give the possibility to organization to make products and services according to specifications, increase of efficiency and productivity, increase of offering capacity, reduce losses, increase staff motivation and involvement, reduce costs, increase consumer and partners confidence, improve company image on the market, increase customer loyalty and ultimately increase profit. All these factors by creating value will ensure a sustainable competitive advantage for any organization.quality, quality management system, organizational competitiveness, competitive advantage.