The Rational and Political Roles of Methods in Information Systems Development

Textbooks and considerable normative research implicitly assume that Information Systems Development Methodologies (ISDMs) are used and are useful. Evidence suggests that methodology use is problematic. This work-in-progress paper reports on an in-depth case study seeking to identify rational and political roles leading to why a methodology is used in an IS department within a large Australian bank. Guided by a framework to study the use of methods the analysis demonstrates the plausibility of a portion of the framework thereby contributing to a phase of the theory building process

CHALLENGING THE ECONOMIC BIAS AMONG SKILL FORMATION RESEARCH IN THE IT INDUSTRY

This paper challenges the economic bias found in the literature on industry training by suggesting a different approach to doing skill formation research in the IT industry — one that takes into account the interaction over time of intentions, context, process, and action around accredited onthe- job training schemes. The literature on participation with work-place based training schemes, is reviewed. The review indicates a need for process research to complement existing research in the field. To demonstrate, the paper presents the findings of an empirical study into eight small and medium sized enterprise (SME’s) experiences when deciding to participate with a formal and accredited on-the-job training scheme for the first time. The Grounded Theory generated from the empirical findings suggests that the intentions and actions of owner/managers, the processes they enact, as well as the social context into which they are implemented, critically influence what decisions are associated with on-the-job IT skilling

Institutional Aspects of Systems Development

This paper reports on research into how a systems development methodology (SDM) operates as an institution: specifically – an institutional carrier in the process of systems development. The case study develops the argument that institutional structures (such as authority, norms, symbolic values, and routine ways of doing things) embedded within the methodology are active forces in the systems development process, and therefore constitutes ‘institution’. We ground our argument on the findings from a study of an in-house developed SDM in a large IT department within a major bank in Australia. The findings show how the SDM exerts its influence in the bank through a combination of shared regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive elements. As a second contribution to research, the study operationalises a framework derived from new institutional theory that integrates elements of a social actor model outside its original domain to provide a deeper understanding of the institutional forces at play in information systems development. All these findings are significant in that they draw attention to the role of institutional carriers, control structures, conflicting interests, and power that appear largely outside the domain of the systems developer

Combining the User as Social Actor Model, Institutional Theory and a Theory of Unobtrusive Power to Understand the Acquiescence of Software Developers

In this paper we argue that a combination of a social actor model, Institutional theory, and a model of unobtrusive power can constitute a theoretical framework for understanding how the business client is able to exercise control and subsequent subjugation of developers in the systems development process. Specifically, the paper develops a 3-level theoretical framework grounded in institutional theory that integrates elements of Lamb and Kling’s social actor model and Scott’s 3-pillars framework concentrating on the relationships among systems developers, the business client, the SDM, and the context surrounding its use. The framework is strengthened through the application of a third level – Hardy’s multi-dimensional model of power, offering explanations of political inactivity by developers. In this paper we discuss how all three theory can be combined in a framework for analyzing the power relations between developers and the business client. We apply this theoretical framework in a case study of the deployment of a mandated in-house developed systems development methodology in a large IT department of a major Australian bank Here we will show how, from the perspective of developers, the business client exercise both overt and unobtrusive power over the development process

OSPM: A Design Methodology for Open Strategic Planning

Although numerous case studies and a body of theoretical work have addressed the open strategy topic (opening the strategy process to wider stakeholders groups) in the literature, approaches to implement open strategic planning has been less studied. In this study, the principles of design science research are employed, and pragmatic presuppositions from Habermas’ theory of discourse and the related literature are used to form a design methodology. The open strategic planning methodology contains a three-level architecture for a planning system, and a strategy process. The architecture component identifies three layers of the planning system. The planning process component explains a set of activities required to develop the strategic plan. The methodology is applied in two case studies and implementation challenges are discussed. This study contributes to the literature by introducing a comprehensive methodology of strategic planning and introduces new theoretical aspects to the field of open strategy

SYSTEMIC POWER, DISCIPLINARY AGENCY, AND DEVELOPER–BUSINESS CLIENT RELATIONS

This paper presents Hardy’s multi-dimensional model of power and illustrates its application to the field of IS. Findings from a case study of developer—business client power relations within a large financial institution are presented. Our findings indicate that from the developers’ perspective, the client exercised near complete control, with developers unwittingly playing a cooperative but submissive role. Our study makes two principal contributions. First, we combine Hardy’s (1996) multi-dimensional power framework and the principles of Pickering’s (1995) version of disciplinary agency to propose why the developer was compliant in this scenario of power inequality. Second, we examine how a development methodology helped convey symbolic and disciplinary power. By doing so we gain rich insight into how meaning power, and the power of the system institutionalised within the methodology, can constrain the actions of developers

Risk Management in IT Departments: a Process Perspective

This research reports on a field based research investigation into the processes of implementing risk management (RM) schemes in IT departments from a sensemaking perspective. Participation and implementation of the framework is conceptualised as a process of organisational learning. The literature on RM, specifically implementation issues associated with RM schemes, is reviewed. This work-in-progress paper focuses on contextual and processual elements as well as the action of key players associated with implementation. This research also suggests a different approach to doing RM research — one that takes into account the interaction over time of participations, context, meaning, process, planning and action around the implementation of RM schemes. The findings will provide insight for theory and practice, detailing the organisational learning that are associated with RM frameworks under certain circumstances, and how these might be assessed and managed

Developing the concept of Individual IT Culture and its Impact on IT Risk Management Implementation

Organisational implementations of IT risk management (IT-RM) frameworks often fail due to cultural forces. This work-in-progress study focuses on the action of IT individuals involved with IT-RM implementations. Particularly, this research steps outside the conventional factor analytic perspective of IT risk management research by focusing on contextual and processual elements as well as the actions and interpretations of managers to explain successful implementations. A series of case studies were designed around semi-structured in-depth interviews with IT managers. Grounded theory-like analysis of the case text produced a structure of conceptual categories and themes depicting the successful implementation of an IT-RM framework

An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between the Openness and Effectiveness of Strategic Planning

This paper focuses on a new approach for facilitating the participation of stakeholders in a process of strategic planning known as open strategic planning (OSP). OSP is recognised through three characteristics: inclusiveness, transparency, and the use of information technology (IT) tools. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of OSP, the research explores moderating factors impacting the relationship between these characteristics and OSP effectiveness by referring to qualitative data obtained from two open strategic planning projects. A secondary aim was to examine how stakeholders interpret the effectiveness of OSP in an organisational setting. Results indicate various moderating factors (level of trust, IT literacy, and diversity of participants) impacted the relationship between the characteristics of OSP and strategic planning effectiveness. The study formulates eight propositions, each is discussed in relation to the existing literature on strategic planning effectiveness. This paper is significant as it is the first exploratory research linking openness and strategic planning outcomes