Organizational Citizenship Behavior in the IS Context: A Research Agenda

n organizations in general, cooperative behavior across functional units is increasingly essential with the adoption of total quality initiatives and self-managed work groups. Within the Information Systems (IS) function, cooperation across and within functional boundaries remains critical. In today\u27s organizations, Information Systems personnel (ISP) and users collaborate in a variety of ways (e.g., business process reengineering, shared responsibility for information centers or end-user computing, joint application development, development of chargeback schemes, and distributed computing). Information Systems personnel routinely contribute to team projects that span departments. For example, informationengineers, database administrators, and systems analysts work together during various stages of database application projects. Within IS, the frequency of day-to-day activities that span departmental or functional boundaries (e.g., teamwork, shared responsibilities, and consultative activities) is unusually high. In these boundary-spanning activities, ISP need to exhibit a high degree of behavior not explicitly detailed in formal job descriptions; this type of behavior is labelled extra-role . Additionally, many IS positions, comprised of a wide range of activities, offer unique opportunities for extra-role behavior because these jobs, often professional in nature, operate under significant autonomy. Given this combination of high need and latitude for extra-, or pro-, role behavior in IS, we argue that it is imperative to understand this behavior. To support research in this area, this paper defines the construct, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, which has been used in organizational research of extra-role behavior, discusses how this construct could describe behavior in the IS work setting, and poses research questions about the predictors and outcomes of such behavior

Diffusion Theory and the Sustainability of IS Innovations:A Greener Earth beneath the Clouds

Our world is increasingly conscious of environmental issues. In IT, one concern is that of the legacy IT infrastructure and the need to improve its sustainability. In this paper we argue that the sustainability of any IS innovation will be formally assessed as organizations and individuals consider such innovations for adoption. Therefore we propose an addition to the classic diffusion of innovation factors of a sixth factor, Relative Sustainability. Relative Sustainability can be initially operationalized using the three eco-goals identified by Watson et al, 2010: 1. Eco-efficiency measures whether an IT good or service reduces ecological impacts and resource use and is competitively priced. 2. Eco-effectiveness measures how well an IT innovation has been designed from the beginning to be sustainable. 3. Eco-equity, which measures how well the IT good or service will result in a fair distribution of resources within and between generations. Measuring eco-equity will require predictions about both initial resource use of an IT innovation (e.g., energy consumption), but also longer-term resource issues, such as final disposal of an IT product (are IT components recyclable or biodegradable, or will they pollute the environment?). We consider the case of the diffusion of cloud computing, in particular the establishment of data centers for private and public clouds. Cloud computing is selected because it represents a transformational change in how computing is done on many levels. The replacement of distributed data centers with fewer, centralized data centers delivers eco-efficiency, especially in energy and water savings and toxic disposal. Also, the new improved designs of data centers that employ a mix of technologies (including server virtualization, sensors and next-generation air- and equipment-cooling processes) and services that aid utilization of far less non-renewable resources, offer the promise of eco-equity. Finally, the massive computing power of cloud centers facilitates innovation of sustainable products delivering opportunities for eco-effectiveness

Coordinating the Relationship between IT Services Providers and Clients: The Case of Cloud Computing

The focus of this research is on the IT service relationships that exist between clients and providers in cloud computing. Cloud computing is an important context in IT services management since it has become an increasingly popular delivery model. We use coordination theory and a case study of a cloud computing-based company to investigate how cloud service relationships are managed. Evidence of both the standardized and customized relationships is based on a case study of SiteWit, a new startup company that is both a user and provider of cloud services. This company is an interesting case to study, given the real-time, intensive nature of the technical demands, the multiple service relationships that must be managed, while at the same time minimizing costs

Planning a portfolio of controls for software development

A growing number of software development projects successfully exhibit a mix of agile and traditional software development methodologies. Many of these mixed methodologies are organization specific and tailored to a specific project. Our objective in this research-in-progress paper is to develop an artifact that can guide the development of such a mixed methodology. Using control theory, we design a process model that provides theoretical guidance to build a portfolio of controls that can support the development of a mixed methodology for software development. Controls, embedded in methods, provide a generalizable and adaptable framework for project managers to develop their mixed methodology specific to the demands of the project. A research methodology is proposed to test the model. Finally, future directions and contributions are discussed

Management of Softwrare Product Development, Innovation and Adaptability

This inductive study develops a model of innovation and adaptability in software product development. It is based on a case study of a company that is transitioning from a custom development approach to a product-based solution. The emergent model represents a synthesis of the case study findings and the enfolding literature from traditional product development and software development. The goal of the emergent software product development model is to guide organizations in their selection of development processes

Information Markets: A Research Landscape

Information markets are mechanisms that allow a group of geographically dispersed participants to reach and continuously reevaluate consensus by discovering the value of alternative outcomes. Evidence suggests that these markets can produce better quality decisions than a small subset of selected decision makers: a finding in direct opposition to the trust we place on expertise. In challenging and uncertain decision-making arenas, information markets offer an interesting, and somewhat counter-intuitive approach. In practice, information markets may be used in combination with other decision-making methods, but these market-based mechanisms offer many advantages. This paper presents an information market typology and explores some of the challenges raised by different market applications. Market types include event and estimation-based prediction markets, decision markets, and idea markets. An integrated research landscape model and research propositions are presented to help guide continuing research in this area

Controls in Flexible Software Development

Control and flexibility may appear an unlikely pair. However, we propose that effective flexible software development processes must still provide clear control mechanisms to manage the progress and quality of the resulting software products. This paper presents a conceptual study to understand the types of control found in flexible software development processes, termed controlled-flexible approaches. Control theory is used as a lens to study the control mechanisms found in plan-driven and flexible processes. We extend current thinking to include emergent outcome controls and clan controls for team coordination in our taxonomy of control mechanisms. Several popular flexible processes are analyzed for control mechanisms. We conclude with a brief discussion of future research directions

Agile Methods: Fast-Paced, but How Fast?

What are the roles of time and time pressures in design and performance of agile processes for software development? How do we plan our rapid development activities given the constraints of due dates? What does it mean to be on ‘internet time’? Agile methods are meant to be fast-paced, but are they fast in an effective way? How do time-pressures influence the productivity of a project team and how do they impact the motivations of developers? This paper considers the time issues in agile approaches to managing software projects and posits research propositions to guide further study of this area

Revisiting Global Information Systems Management Education

Business enterprises continue to globalize, motivated by their search for new markets, greater efficiency in the use of resources, and greater competitiveness. Information systems and technologies serve as one of the critical success factors for making this possible. Some IS curricula supported this development by either integrating more globalization into current courses or by delivering stand-alone courses in Global IS Management as electives or requirements. The purpose of this paper is to review and propose best practices for the Global IS Management course, and consider contingencies that can be expected to influence the choice and success of various approaches. The paper provides a categorization of such courses based on differences in education level (graduate/undergraduate) and student population (MIS/InternationalBusiness/ mixed). We discuss experiences with approaches and practices that work across these segments, and activities targeted to each segment. The paper revisits and argues for the need to expand this curriculum, and provides practical details for MIS faculty who seek to integrate it into their own programs