Sensegiving and Sensemaking of Highly Disruptive Issues: Animal Rights Experienced Through PETA YouTube Videos

This study examines how highly disruptive issues cause profound dissonance in societal members that are cognitively and emotionally invested in existing institutions. The authors use PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) entrepreneurial advocacy for animal rights to show how this highly disruptive issue interrupted and violated taken-for-granted interpretations of institutions and institutional life. The authors compare 30 YouTube videos of PETA’s advocacy to explore pathways to effective sensegiving and sensemaking of highly disruptive issues. The findings augment the analytical synergy that exists between sensemaking and institutional analysis by unpacking the micro-level dynamics that may facilitate transformational institutional change

Analyzing Trust Perceptions In System Implementations

Implementations of large scale information systems are complex and problematic with a reputation for being delayed and going over budget. A critical factor in the success of these implementations is trust in the system, in the project and between the various stakeholders. As problems and delays mount, trust relations become strained, leading to a circle of suspicion and disbelief which is both destructive and hard to break out of. This case study analyses trust relations during a problematic period of time in the implementation of the Faroese integrated healthcare information system, using a framework based on Giddens´ theory of modernity. The framework theorizes dynamic elements of the evolution of trust, not previously investigated in this context. The data collection involves 4 actors interviewed twice in 2006 and 2007; and the data analysis strategy is content analysis using Nvivo software. A major contribution is that if an implementation project interacts with many or complex abstract systems, the managers must focus on continuous embedding and re-embedding by interacting directly with representatives of the abstract systems in question to maintain trust. Also we observe that actors’ perceptions of trust relations influence future actions, and in this way have both negative and positive consequences. We also conclude that Giddens’ theories of trust provide a promising insight into the dynamic aspects of trust relations in implementation projects, which go further than trust theories currently used in the IS field

SOFT SKILLS IN CO-SOURCING OF INFORMATION SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Sourcing of services related to development of information systems calls for a set of specific skills among all parties involved. To cater the needs for managing geographically distributed, sourced projects, a business model with an intermediary company has emerged to facilitate the co-operation between a client’s local (in-house) and external (outsourced) resources. This paper explores the skills of a group of so-called ‘Delivery Managers’, where practice shows a growing need for other skills than the traditional system development related programming competences such as project planning, diagramming and testing. By applying the concepts of soft and hard skills, inspired by contemporary discourse on the 4.0 Indus- trial Revolution, the paper contributes to theory by a model classifying the soft skills that are in need and to emphasize the importance of communicative skills, team building, and time management skills as well as emotional intelligence in the context of distributed environment across time, space, and cultures

Co-sourcing in software development offshoring: A case study of risk perception and alleviation

Software development projects are increasingly geographical distributed with offshoring, which introduce complex risks that can lead to project failure. Co-sourcing is a highly integrative and cohesive approach, seen successful, to software development offshoring. However, research of how co-sourcing shapes the perception and alleviation of common offshoring risks is limited. We present a case study of how a certified CMMI-level 5 Danish software supplier approaches these risks in offshore co-sourcing. The paper explains how common offshoring risks are perceived and alleviated when adopting the co-sourcing strategy in a mature (CMMI level 5) software development organization. We found that most of the common offshoring risks were perceived and alleviated in accordance with previous research, with the exception of the task distribution risk area. In this case, high task uncertainty, equivocality, and coupling across sites was perceived more as risk alleviation than risk taking. This perception of task distribution was combined with high attention to the closely interrelated structure and technology components in terms of CMMI and the actors’ cohesion and integration in terms of Scrum

Engagement of Students Teaching Assistants-Confessions From 5 Years of Conference Participation

This paper reports from five years of experience of engaging young student teaching assistants in the continuous development of a course by involving them in research, both pedagogically and in other course related themes. The purpose of the paper is to pave the road for a more engaged and integrated form of teaching, where the full potential of STAs is released. Firstly some basic constructs are presented; secondly a concrete example of STAs’ research activity is presented - as an illustrative case - which also forms the empirical background of the paper. Finally implications and reflections are identified accompanied with suggestions for further research

RECOVERING FROM TRUST BREAKDOWNS IN LARGE SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATIONS

On the basis of experiences from the Faroese large-scale implementation of integrated healthcare information systems and insights into dynamic aspects of trust, we offer the following lessons learned for the successful management and recovery of trust (breakdowns) in large system implementations: restore relations by turning towards face-to-face events and procedures, assure a well-functioning and available support organization, demonstrate trust in actors to enhance their own self-confidence and celebrate successes, even the smallest or ones injected by yourself. The propositions are based on a 6-year longitudinal qualitative case study and analyzed using critical incidents and content analysis. The propositions were discussed in a seminar with project participants. Finally the findings are challenged and sharpened and suggestions for further research are given

Agile Drafting of IT-Outsourcing Contracts

The concept of ‘agility’ has become quite popular in the development of IT-artefacts and has created interest in the more general project management literature. The process of drafting complex contracts for large IT projects (service as well as software) is often done under time pressure and in several parallel tracks using different competencies. By the use of an illustrative case-study, this paper explores how scrum can be applied to enhance the process of drafting outsourcing contracts. The analysis indicates that the use of an agile method, such as Scrum, can be beneficial in this context with a minimal adjustment and that the elements of roles, processes and artefacts may lead to better coordination and efficiency as well as higher quality. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research and discussion of the findings

VALUE CREATION THROUGH DATA TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE FOOTBALL INDUSTRY OBSTACLES AND DYSFUNCTIONAL EFFECTS

The use of Big Data has become an essential part of today’s business. Data is present wherever you turn your head, whether looking at new innovative business opportunities, optimization and automation of existing business models, or getting rid of old habits. Recently, different types of tracking technologies have been introduced in the professional football industry, which offers the coaches full insight into how far players run, where they run, their directional shift, pace, accelerations, and how often and how long the players stand still. This technology offers an opportunity to optimize the sporting conditions of the teams through digital transformation. By applying the framework ‘Multidimensional Value Categories’, this paper contributes to practice by suggesting how tracking technologies can contribute to business value in professional football organizations, and to theory, by identifying obstacles and dysfunctional effects related to this value creation