EFFECTS OF INFORMATION SYSTEM INTENT OF MANAGERS ON INFORMATION SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION: CASE OF SELECTED E-GOVERNMENT PROJECTS IN TWO CITY ADMINISTRATIONS IN ETHIOPIA

The importance of management support in information systems (IS) implementation has been emphasized in previous studies. In line with this, research on critical success factors in IS projects implementation and management is increasingly recognizing the importance of non-technical factors, such as leadership. However, despite its importance, there is lack of empirical evidence to clarify the role of top managers IS intent on IS implementation. This paper, thus, argues for the need for greater inquiry into the field of management support for IS implementation success. It will provide an empirical investigation of the influence of IS strategic intent of managers on IS effectiveness in two city administrations in Ethiopia. The research will be conducted as an interpretive case study in the selected two public institutions. Information Systems projects from these two setups will be selected and the role and extent of IS intent of managers in relation to each project will be studied in detail. Interview items will be adapted from related previous studies. By so doing, this research is aimed at increasing our understanding of managers’ role in facilitating success of IS implementation in organizations

Organizational Transition to Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Theoretical Choices for Process Research

The number of organizations implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions is rapidly increasing. Transition to ERP systems is often combined with a business process reengineering effort and intended to produce radical organizational change. Prior to conducting research on ERP transition, researchers need to become aware of the theoretical choices available to guide their studies. In this paper, three dimensions of process theories used to explain organizational change are identified: form, motor, and theoretical content. Whereas form deals mainly with the amount and frequency of change, motor refers to the mechanisms explaining how and why change unfolds, and theoretical content consists of specific constructs and their interactions that produce change. In order to make complete theoretical choices, researchers should consider all three dimensions of change in the design of their research. The three dimensions are combined in a framework that can guide research on ERP-related organizational transition. 1

La compétence éthique en milieu de travail : Une perspective pragmatiste pour sa conceptualisation et son opérationnalisation.

Cette thèse de philosophie s’inscrit dans le champ de l’éthique et plus particulièrement de l’intervention en éthique dans les organisations. On s’y intéressera par le biais de la compétence éthique, un concept peu développé et néanmoins de plus en plus largement exploité dans les milieux de travail. L’usage de la compétence éthique dans ces milieux s’inscrit souvent dans une logique managériale axée sur le rendement et appuyée par des dispositifs de contrôle et des outils prescripteurs favorisant la standardisation des comportements. Si une telle logique s’accommode d’une vision comportementaliste de la compétence et de l’éthique, centrée sur les individus et leurs comportements, elle est incompatible avec une perspective réflexive de l’éthique. Cette thèse défend cette dernière et cible une approche dynamique et collective de la compétence afin de proposer une interprétation de la compétence éthique qui soit cohérente, tant du point de vue conceptuel que méthodologique. C’est ce qui permettra de proposer un canevas d’intervention pour le développement de la compétence éthique dans les milieux de travail. Pour ce faire, nous thématiserons le concept à partir du pragmatisme de Dewey, faisant de l’éthique une expérience et une dimension inhérente à la compétence. Et si l’enquête est la méthode permettant de garantir les conditions de l’expérience, la compétence éthique devient une compétence d’enquête et, à ce titre, une métacompétence, une compétence à apprendre. Trois conclusions pourront en être tirées. D’une part, (1) la compétence éthique, en tant qu’elle permet le développement et l’activation des autres compétences, correspond à une capabilité. En tant que compétence d’enquête, (2) elle relève pour une bonne part de l’environnement. C’est donc dire qu’elle n’est pas strictement individuelle, mais distribuée dans l’environnement. (3) Les conditions de définitions et d’opérationnalisation de la compétence éthique seront celles de l’expérience et de l’enquête. Ces conditions sont associées, chez Dewey, à l’élargissement des possibilités (que l’enquête permet de mettre à jour et de vérifier), donc à l’apprentissage, et c’est précisément ce que vise une approche par les capabilités. C’est pourquoi la construction d’un environnement capacitant, qui repose sur l’accroissement des capabilités, nous servira de point de départ pour concevoir une méthode d’intervention visant le développement de la compétence éthique dans les organisations. Nous en proposerons une compréhension plus large, toujours au prisme du pragmatisme, pour y intégrer explicitement la dimension éthique. À partir de cet éclairage, nous mettrons de l’avant plusieurs conditions de fonctionnement de la compétence éthique, notamment sur le plan de l’organisation du travail, de la formation et de l’évaluation. Ces propositions devront être validées dans l’expérience, condition pragmatiste par excellence. Les différentes conditions que nous mettrons de l’avant doivent donc être envisagées comme autant de modes d’expérimentation structurés par la construction d’un environnement capacitant, laquelle sera mobilisée comme méthode d’intervention en éthique à expérimenter pour le déploiement de la compétence éthique (pensée dans une perspective réflexive, constructive et pragmatiste)

IT-Driven Organizational Identity Change: A Longitudinal Inquiry

While organizational scholars are increasingly interested in issues of identity, in-depth empirical studies analyzing the actual process of identity change have lagged, particularly when the process is triggered by IT-related transformational change (Alvesson et al. 2008). In this longitudinal case study, we follow the identity change process of librarians following the digitization of their work environment. We use segments of Hatch & Schultz‟s (2002) organizational identity dynamics model to uncover the provisional identities experienced by librarians over time. We also illustrate how the librarians‟ image, as mirrored by the patrons, led the librarians to put forward initiatives to impress on the patrons ideas of “who they were” and “who they could be.” This duality is explained by the ambiguous nature of information technology, which can be interpreted as both an opportunity and a threat concurrently

An Empirical Test of the Theory of Relationship Constraints

Agency theory has long been a stalwart of IS research and is one of the most commonly used lenses to study the relationship between a principal and an agent. The Theory of Relationship Constraints (TRC) has recently been recommended as an information-oriented alternative to agency theory. TRC suggests that three attributes (i.e., the level of information asymmetry, levels of tacit and explicit knowledge) affect the perceived efficacy of a relationship constraint. As the first empirical test of TRC, this study uses scenario analysis to show that, as these attributes change, so do the constraints that are perceived as effective. No single constraint, as predicted, is perceived to be universally effective. Under certain conditions, social versus legal constraints have greater perceived efficacy, but this varies with the three attributes. This research provides support for TRC and suggests insights for future research and current practice

Validation Guidelines for IS Positivist Research

The issue of whether IS positivist researchers were sufficiently validating their instruments was initially raised fifteen years ago and rigor in IS research is still one of the most critical scientific issues facing the field. Without solid validation of the instruments that are used to gather data on which findings and interpretations are based, the very scientific basis of the profession is threatened. This study builds on four prior retrospectives of IS research that conclude that IS positivist researchers continue to face major barriers in instrument, statistical, and other forms of validation. It goes beyond these studies by offering analyses of the state-of-the-art of research validities and deriving specific heuristics for research practice in the validities. Some of these heuristics will, no doubt, be controversial. But we believe that it is time for the IS academic profession to bring such issues into the open for community debate. This article is a first step in that direction. Based on our interpretation of the importance of a long list of validities, this paper suggests heuristics for reinvigorating the quest for validation in IS research via content/construct validity, reliability, manipulation validity, and statistical conclusion validity. New guidelines for validation and new research directions are offered

How to make the IS discipline relevant to non-IS stakeholders?

A recent survey of IS academic leaders revealed that a prominent concern of many IS academic leaders relates to making the IS discipline relevant to non-IS stakeholders within their university. Some examples of this challenge include: • MIS/IS is not well understood as a flagship area to strategically develop and improve by the university administrators; • Understanding of IS by those outside of the discipline and how to market the IS discipline to a larger audience, including students; • Managing the collaboration with other departments on emerging technologies initiatives (such as analytics, AI) and programs; • Rewarding cross-disciplinary research and navigating tenure when publishing in other fields; • Student and faculty recruitment and retention. This professional development symposium (PDS) is meant to leverage the vast experience of Senior Scholars who have dealt with this issue and to hear their guidance and recommendations as to how to address this. This PDS is sponsored by the AIS College of Academic Leadership and the College of Senior Scholars

Greenway Medical Technologies: Challenging the Goliaths in Electronic Medical Records

This case examines the business development and strategic expansion of Greenway Medical Technologies, a software company delivering electronic healthcare solutions to physicians operating small practices. Over a period of seven years and with an investment of $70 million, Greenway built a best-in-class software application. The case also describes the electronic medical record systems industry and the key drivers impacting the growth of this industry and healthcare delivery in the United States

Intergroup Collaboration: An Examination through the Lenses of Identity and IT Affordances

This research seeks to increase our understanding of the relationship between IT affordances and collective identity in the context of intergroup collaboration. Particularly, we investigate the type of IT affordances (i.e., collaborative, organizational memory, or process management) that are more prone to support certain types of identities (i.e., superordinate collective identity, intergroup relational identity, or intergroup ambivalent identity) when groups need to collaborate towards the accomplishment of a common goal. We suggest three hypotheses which we plan to test via a field study within the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry