Understanding the Transformation of the IT Function in Organizations

Many IT researchers have tried to describe the IT function and to explain its transformation over time. Nevertheless, we observed that existing characterizations are often based on a single dimension, attached to historical periods or built into a normative discourse that calls for an ideal profile. We do not subscribe to these premises, seeing that there might be a series of distinct archetypes for the IT function, and that each archetype may adapt and evolve in response to organizational and environmental parameters. Based on a literature review, we propose a typology of the roles of IT functions, within archetypes that are defined according to four dimensions: the IT function’s main activities, the skills of IT professionals, the interface between the IT function and the organization’s business units, and the IT function’s governance. Next, using the theory of punctuated equilibria as a foundation, we will apply the proposed typology to investigate the process by which IT functions evolve over time. From a methodological standpoint, we will first conduct a series of interviews with IT executives to validate the proposed typology. Second, we will conduct a longitudinal case study in the healthcare sector to explain how and why an IT function transforms over time and discover forces that foster stasis or inspire change. Ultimately, our study will provide a new conceptual and theoretical perspective on the role and transformation of IT functions in organizations

Organizational Culture Change and Technology: Navigating the Digital Transformation

The chapter investigates the critical relationship between technology and organizational culture change. It presents a framework that elucidates the interplay between technological adoption and the ensuing cultural shifts within organizations. The author delves into the various stages of the digital transformation process, examining the challenges and opportunities that organizations encounter as they integrate new technologies. By drawing on real-world examples and case studies, the chapter underscores the pivotal role that organizational leaders play in guiding their teams through these transitions, fostering a culture of adaptability, and promoting a growth mindset. The chapter also explores the importance of addressing the human element in digital transformation efforts, emphasizing the need to effectively manage change, overcome resistance, and bridge skill gaps to ensure a successful transition. Furthermore, the author discusses the ethical implications of adopting new technologies, advocating for a responsible and people-centric approach to innovation. In conclusion, the chapter offers a forward-looking perspective on the future of organizational culture in the digital era, anticipating emerging trends and novel technologies that will continue to shape the way organizations function. This informative chapter provides a valuable resource for understanding and navigating the complex interplay between organizational culture change and technology

Human resource transformation as a strategy for addressing talent management challenges at ESwatini electricity company.

Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Business and Leadership). University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Durban, 2019.Faced with looming talent challenges, uncertain business environments and changing demographics, organizations find themselves forced to adapt or perish. These changes not only suppress an organizations’ competitive edge but also greatly affect the manner in which they are positioned to respond to the changes. Adapting to such volatile environments requires organizations to rethink and reinvent their operations. Moreover, with these changes having human capital implications in both strategy and operations, HR professionals find themselves under immense pressure to rise to the challenge and help their organizations achieve competitive advantage. The aim of the study was to explore the nature of HR transformation and determine the impact it has in addressing talent management challenges. To address the research questions and objectives, the study employed a descriptive mixed method approach. The survey strategy by means of questionnaires and interviews was used for data collection. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis was performed using the statistical package for social sciences and the NVIVO system respectively. The results indicated that there was consensus that the company has taken strides in transforming the HR function through the adoption of the business partner model however, the findings also revealed that HR lacks the in-depth knowledge of business operations necessary to function optimally as a business partner. As such, respondents felt that HR does not add as much value as expected. Furthermore, the study found that HR does not have a clear talent strategy, lags in instilling a talent culture in the organization and application of data analytics. While some employees showed confidence in the HR department and were happy with the support they get, they also expressed dissatisfaction with major talent management practices and the delivery of the employee value proposition. The study recommended that HR should improve on the value-adding aspects of their activities by gaining deeper understanding of core business operations. This requires a shift from tactical to strategic management where HR issues are viewed from both a people and business perspective. This mind-set shift would provide a crucial balance, which would enable HR to tailor its TM strategies to critical business requirements

Does religion promote environmental sustainability? : exploring the role of religion in local energy transitions

This article explores the role of religion in local energy transition processes. By combining insights from (a) sustainability studies and (b) academic contributions on religion and sustainability, a theoretical approach for describing the role of religion in local energy transitions is developed. Religion is conceived of as a subsystem among other local subsystems that potentially contribute via their competences to energy transition processes. Three potential functions of religion are identified: (1) Campaigning and intermediation in the public sphere; (2) “Materialization” of transitions in the form of participation in projects related to sustainable transitions; and (3) Dissemination of values and worldviews that empower environmental attitudes and action. These functions are studied in the case of the energy transition in Emden, a city in North-Western Germany. Although religion attends, to some degree, each of the three functions, it does not assume a dominant role relative to other local subsystems. Actors from other social subsystems appear to overtake these functions in a more efficient way. As such, in a highly environmentally active region, there are few indications for a specific function of religion. These results shed a critical light on the previously held assumption that religion has a crucial impact on sustainability transitions

Financial information, effects of financial information on economic decision

The studied field has suffered continuous transformation, both in interaction with other scientific fields and in constituent sub-classes, for discovering and understanding more deeply the contemporary economic realities under the impact of major trends of world development. This paper aims to analyze the location and the effects of information and communication technologies within the public accounting in order to evaluate the effects of this element on accounting research, teaching and professional practice. In a comprehensive approach of public institutions accounting, new information and communication technologies represent a tool that facilitates the accounting function and realizes the connection between the transmitter and the receiver, both within and outside the organization, not just at the micro and macro economic level but also at the micro and macro social one. The advantages of recent progress of information and communication technologies are obvious for the organizations management. It highlights the developments and challenges represented by these new technologies for researchers and professionals in the idea of performing a broad and flexible view of public accounting enabling them to provide useful services for all categories of users of accounting information.public accounting, information technology, IPSAS, XBRL, neoCONT

A SOCIO-TECHNICAL APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY IN ORGANIZATIONS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Research has shown that sustainability is a critical issue for organizations. There are many dimensions to this concept, notably economic, social and environmental sustainability. When considering development of Information Systems, it is necessary to take these factors into account. However, although developers wish to deliver a package of sustainable benefits, the values that these benefits represent to different stakeholder groups will vary. Approaches will be needed that can provide support to resolve divergent and conflicting requirements within a transformation process, and help to surface contextual understandings of sustainable performance. Poorly-designed systems lead to work activity that is less than optimal, and thus fails to achieve a level of excellence in performance that is a significant prerequisite for competitiveness and economic sustainability. This paper introduces an investigation into understanding of a socio-technical systems framework that could function as a trigger for sustainability development where a suitable agenda already exists within an organization. Preliminary results, and their limitations, are discussed and a tentative agenda for further research is presented

Economic growth, innovation systems, and institutional change: a trilogy in five parts

Development and growth are products of the interplay and interaction among heterogeneous actors operating in specific institutional settings. There is a much alluded-to, but under-investigated, link between economic growth, innovation systems, and institutions. There is widespread agreement among most economists on the positive reinforcing link between innovation and growth. However, the importance of institutions as catalysts in this link has not been adequately examined. The concept of innovation systems has the potential to fill this gap. But these studies have not conducted in-depth institutional analyses or focussed on institutional transformation processes, thereby failing to link growth theory to the substantive institutional tradition in economics. In this paper we draw attention to the main shortcomings of orthodox and heterodox growth theories, some of which have been addressed by the more descriptive literature on innovation systems. Critical overviews of the literatures on growth and innovation systems are used as a foundation to propose a new perspective on the role of institutions and a framework for conducting institutional analysis using a multi-dimensional typology of institutions. The framework is then applied to cases of Taiwan and South Korea to highlight the instrumental role played by institutions in facilitating and curtailing economic development and growth

Fear: A Misunderstood Component of Organizational Transformation

Corporate transformations are being implemented by many organizations, however, successes are remarkably rare. This paper suggests that a contributing factor might be the ineffective use of fear in employee communications. Rather than reducing fear, companies can enhance the transformation process by harnessing fear to quickly change behavior. Protection motivation theory has been applied by marketing researchers to suggest that fear appeals containing strong threats and information on coping strategies can be successful in changing behavior. Human resource managers can be instrumental in designing effective communications that incorporate fear-inducing messages and information on coping strategies

On Organizations and Oligarchies: Michels in the Twenty-First Century

[Excerpt] A central problem for those interested in studying and explaining the actions of organizations is how to conceptualize these social phenomena. In particular, because organizations are constituted by individuals, each of whom may seek to achieve his or her interests through the organization, questions of how decisions are made in organizations and whose preferences drive those decisions are critical to explaining organizational actions. Although early organizational scholars spent much time wrestling with these questions (e.g. Barnard 1938; Simon 1947; Parsons 1956; March and Simon 1958), more recent work in organizational studies has tended to elide them, adopting an implicit view of organizations as unitary actors, much like individuals, and in particular, like individuals who operate with a coherent utility function that they seek to maximize (e.g. Porter 1985; Baum et al. 2005; Casciaro and Piskorski 2005; Mezias and Boyle 2005; Jensen 2006). Thus, organizational behavior is seen as reflecting efforts to achieve a specific goal, which is, presumably, that of enhancing the organizations interests. While this may be the dominant conceptualization underlying much contemporary research, other work sharply questions the validity and usefulness of this approach to organizational analysis (March and Simon 1958; Cohen, March, and Olsen 1972; Jackall 1988). Studies in this tradition suggest that it is more appropriate in most instances to conceive of organizations as battlefields, constituted by shifting factions with differing interests that vie for control of the organization; hence, organizational actions should be viewed as reflecting the preferences of a victorious coalition at a given point in time. We suspect that, although most people’s experience in organizations may make them sympathetic to the coalitional view and skeptical of the unitary actor view, the continuing predilection for the latter stems at least in part from problems of deriving systematic predictions of organizational behavior from a more chaotic, coalitional kaleidoscope perspective. A different model of organizations is represented in the work of Robert Michels (1876-1936), who, nearly a century ago, offered his now-famous, pithy summary of the fundamental nature of organizations ([1911] 1962: 365): ‘Who says organization, says oligarchy.’ Drawing on his own experiences with early twentieth-century German political party organizations, Michels presented the drift to oligarchy as an ‘iron law’, inevitably resulting in the division of even the most expressly democratic organizations into two parts: a small stable set of elites and all the other members. His analysis offered a catalog of the processes and forces that produced such a division, and he postulated that the directives of the elite, while nominally reflecting the set of interests shared by all members, in actuality are driven by their own personal interests in the organization. His provocative (and very pessimistic) arguments have served as the basis for many studies over the years, particularly of organizations specifically formed to represent the interests of groups seeking to promote change in political arenas. Much of this work has been focused on assessing the purported inevitability of the emergence of oligarchies and defining the conditions of the iron law—i.e. those that affect the realization (or suppression) of oligarchic tendencies. In this chapter, we argue that Michels’s core arguments about the nature of oligarchies in organizations, and research generated in response to his work, are not only relevant to understanding the dynamics of political organizations but can be extended as a useful framework for thinking about important aspects of contemporary economic corporations as well. In making this argument, we highlight the parallels between Berle and Means’s analysis (1932) of modern, publicly held corporations and that of Michels. Both analyses address the general organizational problem of ensuring representation of members’ interests. In political organizations, it is the rank-and-file members’ interests that leaders are charged with representing; in publicly held organizations, leaders are primarily responsible for representing the interests of stockholders, as the nominal owners’ of the firm. In this context, we consider evidence and research on problematic corporate behavior to show how Michels’s work provides a useful framework for understanding these problems and for formulating ways of addressing them