Addressing The Enduring Dilemma with IT: The Role of Action Oriented Inquiry

Since the 1950s the process of introducing IT into work organisations has been marred by reports of significant underperformance and failure. While it emerges that such underperformance and failure is due, in no small way, to an inability to effect integrated strategic change, it is unfortunate that much IT related inquiry has failed to adequately address this dilemma. Acknowledging the weaknesses of dominant positivist research approaches, this paper outlines the case for action oriented inquiry as a legitimate and profoundly important post-positivist family of research approaches relevant to investigating this enduring dilemma with IT

Strategic Alignment: Towards a Holistic Perspective Embracing Complexity – Advancing the Research Agenda

Strategic alignment has been extensively researched and reviewed. However, the field seems to have reached a stagnant stage in regard to the theoretical, methodological and philosophical foundations employed. In addition, existing research has been criticised due to its inability to capture the messy reality of organisations as well as it being undesirable for firms – as organisations must always change. This paper offers a review of the critique and address them in a constructive manner that reveals the underlying assumptions of which the criticisms are derived. In doing so, new perspective is offered that draws on concepts of complexity theory such as emergence and co-evolution. Special issues have proposed embracing complexity – but the publications to date do not reflect this. Therefore the aim is to offer a stepping stone for further research that builds on the foundation and insights provided by previous alignment research

Integrating Process Inquiry And The Case Method In The Study Of IS Failure

This paper examines the integration of process inquiry and the case method in the study of IS failure. Having acknowledged the prevalence of IS failure and the need for continued inquiry in this domain the two predominant methods of enquiry, failure factor studies and IS failure case studies, are described along with the utility of both methods. The paper then examines the nature of case study research and notes its utility for the study of IS failure in real life settings. The nature of process inquiry is then examined and its applicability for the study of IS failure as a process is noted. The paper then describes how process inquiry is integrated with the case method as a six stage approach for conducting a case inquiry incorporating narrative, mechanisms, and other process-based data analysis methods

Electronic Government and Public Service Modernisation: Experience from the Frontline

The paper is based on research into public service modernisation initiatives undertaken in County Donegal, reviewing these initiatives and setting out the progress achieved to date. Progress is evaluated in the context of international and national public service modernisation developments and the contribution made to the overall vision of delivering integrated public services. The interdependence between local and national initiatives is examined with the impact on outcomes evaluated. Key lessons emerging from the experience of using technology (eGovernment) to modernise service delivery are synthesised with a view to distilling the imperatives to be considered in maximising the benefits from eGovernment initiatives. EGovernment has a critical role to play in service modernisation with best results likely to be achieved through incorporating technology into an integrated service modernisation strategy. Imperatives to be addressed are set out, along with a roadmap for use in undertaking a complex public service modernization programme

The Practice Turn In Strategic Alignment Research: Fostering A Strategy-As-Practice Perspective

Strategic Alignment (SA) in the literature has been predominantly envisaged as a result of a formal deliberation process which finds a fit with a particular given strategy. This falls short of acknowledging other social forces that may shape SA and neglects the view that strategy can be emergent. This paper aims to contextualize SA in line with a contemporary perspective in strategy research which draws on practice theory and is widely labelled strategy-as-practice (SAP). We will discuss the motives behind this reorientation, outlining core principles in SAP, and concluding the paper by elaborating the suitability of SAP for the future SA research agenda

Factors Influencing Enterprise Systems Procurement in Public Service Organisation: A Socio-Technical Case Study

Enterprise Systems (ES) are often presented as a driver for business by providing business process integration and utilisation of technology in organising. However, the majority of the ES research is centred on the implementation phase and pre-implementation and post-implementation phases remain largely ignored. Another gap in the existing literature is that it usually ignores the implementation context in theorising. This study focuses on the procurement process of a public service organisation and analyses three instances of ES procurement in the case organisation. The data collection and analysis are conducted using the theoretical lens of socio-technical systems (STS) theory. It notes that while the work-system level and organisation-system level factors play some role in the ES procurement, macrosocial level factors (institutional context and the ES market) play a more important role in the public service context. It also notes the demonstrative nature of certain elements of the ES procurement process in public service organisations. In this way, this study brings out the complexity of ES procurement in public service organisations that result from the interplay of factors operating at work-system, organisational, and macro levels

Yet Another ‘List’ Of Critical Success ‘Factors’ For Enterprise Systems: Review Of Empirical Evidence And Suggested Research Directions (2)

Critical Success Factors (CSF) remain the most-researched areas within the Enterprise Systems (ES) domain over the years and has resulted in a long ‘list’ of such factors. Consequently, many ‘factors’ are not more than ‘variables’ belonging to the same management area. Therefore, this paper argues for going back to the original definition of CSFs as few key areas and reviews empirical evidence in each CSF area. Thereafter, the paper notes other limitations of the CSF literature and suggests research directions to provide a deeper explanation of the ES phenomena. These include tracing CSFs across time, taking a change-centric view of the ES lifecycle, unpacking interrelationship among CSFs, paying attention to the implementation context, and moving from a list of CSFs to the identification of their underlying mechanisms. We hope that our suggestions will provide a roadmap to ES researchers on conducting focussed research on CSFs

BEYOND THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSTRUCT OF FAILURE: THE CURIOUS CASE OF ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS FAILURE RATES (19)

In the studies on Enterprise Systems (ES), different failure rates ranging from 50 to 90 percent are often reported. Despite these reported failure rates, ES market witnesses continuous growth. This paper presents a review of ES failure rates and critically analyses the numbers reported within their original context as well as in the context of various definitions of failure. We find that the reported high failure rates are historical, lack a consistent definition and lack an adequate understanding of ES outcomes. We find that ES outcomes are often complex, time-dependent, multi-dimensional and constructionist in nature. Based on this analysis, implications for ES research are discussed