REMOTE OF'FICE WORK: CHANGING WORK PATTERNS IN SPACE AND TIME

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

OVERVIEW OF WORK-AT-HOME TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON WORK ORGANIZATION: A POSITIVE VIEW

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

New Information Technology and Organizational Culture

Predictions of the effects of office automation on organizations vary widely. This article focuses on changes in individual work patterns, management control, and organizational structure that may occur as a result of implementation of office technology. The most significant change predicted is that organizations will no longer be limited by a central office work environment operating between the traditional office work hours of nine and five. Computer and communications technology will facilitate the relaxing of those physical constraints as necessitated by social and economic pressures. Relevant research to date regarding the effects of the new technology on organizational behavior is reviewed. Management guidelines for preparing for the coming changes are included.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACTS OF REMOTE WORK ENVIRONMENTS AND SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGY

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CONTINGENCY THEORY OF MIS

The purpose of this paper is to define and critique the use of contingency theory in the field of Management Information Systems (MIS). The existence of such a theory is demonstrated through a detailed review of the MIS literature. The development of contingency theory in MIS is compared to the development of Organization Theory. The developments in the two fields have been remarkably similar and the field of MIS can benefit from the experiences of organization theorists. We argue that since MIS is at an early stage of development, it is now repeating some of the unproductive assumptions and lines of development of contingency theory. The conclusion from this analysis is that the contingency theory implicit in MIS research is inadequate. Progress in the field has been hampered by the adoption of a naive meta-theory and a narrow research perspective. This has resulted in highly mixed empirical results, a premature quantification strategy, and ill-defined concepts of performance and fit. A series of recommendations for improving the theoretical basis of MIS are given. These recommendations include relaxing the assumptions that constitute the naive meta-theory of a contingency theory in MIS. A more subjectivist, less functional, less unreflexive and less deterministic approach is advocated. In addition, changes in research methodologies are recommended. An increased emphasis on training in case study methodologies, longitudinal research and ethnographic approaches is suggested.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

INVESTMENT IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Information technology (IT) is essential to many businesses, but there are few guidelines for determining the adequate level of investment in IT. The purpose of this paper is to further understanding of the mechanism of IT investment. Previous studies on IT investment are briefly presented. The authors performed six-mini case studies of large companies in five different industries; these studies addressed the questions of how firms define IT and how they manage their investment in IT. Our goal was to formulate a model of the relationship between IT investment and organizational performance. We present the model and pose questions for investigating this important relationship more closely. Findings of interest relate to the definition of IT, the importance of political considerations, the concept of an industry-based threshold investment, the conversion effectiveness of IT investment, and the concept of productive capacity. The most important finding relates to the separation of different types of IT investment and their logical matching to particular performance measures.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

USER INVOLVEMENT IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE

Considerable prescriptive literature exists which advocates user involvement in the development of information systems and suggests alternative mechanisms by which such involvement can be increased. However, formal empirical studies investigating user involvement are few in number, fragmented, and generally methodologically flawed. Furthermore, they do not provide the strong support for user involvement that the prescriptive literature would lead one to expect. This paper critically examines past studies of user involvement, focusing on methodological and measurement issues. The relationships between user involvement and system quality, system usage, information satisfaction, and user attitudes are considered. Suggestions for future research are discussed.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

IMPACT OF OFFICE AUTOMATION ON SOCIETY: Implications for Education, Policy and Research

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE CHANGING DEFINITION OF THE WORKPLACE

Information Systems Working Papers Serie