Information Infastructure as Organization: A Critical Realist View

The notion of information infrastructures, introduced in the 1990s and refined during the past ten years, has proven quite fruitful to the IS field. It changed the perspective from organizations to networks and from systems to infrastructures, allowing for a global and emergent perspective on information systems. However, something is missing in this theory. What is an information infrastructure, ontologically? Is it a technical structure, an organizational form, an analytical perspective or a semantic network? This paper reviews the socio-technical origins of information infrastructures. Two propositions are described and discussed. First, that it is fruitful to regard information infrastructure as an ICT-based organizational form. Second, a critical realist view allows us to conceptualise the object of study in a simpler and more intuitive way. A case study of an airline company and a reinterpretation of Star and Ruhleder’s classic paper were used to illustrate the claims

IOS project motivation as a determinant of project activities and business capabilities

This paper investigates how innovation of ICT based services takes place within existing infrastructures, including the whole network of technology, vendors and customers. Our research question is, how can an information infrastructure provide generative mechanisms for innovation of ICT based services? Building on a critical realist approach, our empirical evidence was a case study within an international airline, aiming to diversify its services. From our analysis we propose that there are two self-reinforcement mechanisms in information infrastructures. First, we identified the innovation reinforcement mechanism, resulting in new services. Second, there is the service reinforcement mechanism, resulting in more users and profits. The practical implication of our framework is to show that although ICT-based innovation cannot be planned and managed in detail, the innovation mechanism may help organisations to facilitate the innovation process in a structured way

ICT ARCHITECTURE AND PROJECT RISK IN INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS

This paper investigates the relationship between ICT architectures and project risk, in the context of the development of large inter-organizational systems. Although previous research has identified ICT architecture as a project risk, the focus has been on technical issues. Expanding this perspective, we investigate how technical architectures have bearings on the organization of projects, which may, to a large extent, determine the outcome of large information infrastructure initiatives. Our empirical evidence is ten cases from the health sector, collected over a period of 20 years. Due to space limitations only two cases are presented in this paper. A multi-level analysis allowed us to identify two main architectures; the institutional interface architecture (INA) and the service provider architecture (SPA). Through the careful study of ten cases over a period of 20 years, we present evidence for the high project risk of the INA and the viability of the SPA strategy. We find that the SPA has significant impact not only on the complexity of the technological solutions, but ? more importantly ? also on the complexity of the projects developing the solutions. The organizational complexity of the SPA based projects, and hence the necessary co-ordination activities, were dramatically reduced, and the success rate of the projects and the benefits for the users similarly increased. Our empirical evidence is ten cases from the health sector, collected over a period of 20 years. A multi-level analysis allowed us to identify two main approaches; the institutional interface architecture (INA) and the service provider architecture (SPA). Through the careful study of ten cases over a period of 20 years, we present evidence for the high project risk of the INA and the viability of the SPA strategy. We find that the SPA has significant impact not only on the complexity of the technological solutions, but - more importantly - also on the complexity of the projects developing the solutions. The organizational complexity of the SPA based projects, and hence the necessary co-ordination activities, were dramatically reduced, and the success rate of the projects and the benefits for the users similarly increased

Digital Ecosystems as a Unit of Scientific Analysis. A Sociological Investigation

The growth of digital ecosystems such as Google, Apple and Uber has led to radical changes in economic activity, work and consumption. It has also challenged established economic, social and organization theory, which has clear limitations in understanding these phenomena. The discourses on these topics are conducted in various arenas, which are not linked, and conceptualise digital ecosystems differently. What kind of theoretical object is this? The purpose of this study is to present an institutional and comparative analysis of the research on platforms and digital ecosystems. We identify four research streams; political, economic, technological and individual. We analyse each stream regarding the key insights, and identify the most important knowledge sources. Then we assess the relevance of classical and modern sociology for understanding digital ecosystems

Exploring loose coupling in system interaction

The concept of loose coupling is used in various disciplines, such as organisation science, computer science, information systems and geography, but its definition and application is elusive. In this paper we investigate the roots and meanings of the concept, and ask two research questions: (i) How is the concept of loose coupling used within streams of IS research? And (ii) how can we apply the concept to design the system interaction within the field of IS? Our method is a systematic review of the literature, where we identify the definitions and uses, conduct a cross-disciplinary meta-analysis, and deduct a framework for analysing and using the principle of loose coupling. We then discuss implications for the dynamics of information infrastructures. We offer two contributions. First, we provide a comprehensive overview of the loose coupling research, and gives rich insight into uses of the concept. Second, we propose a framework where we synthesize the insights

Social Media as CRM? How two airline companies used Facebook during the “Ash Crisis” in 2010

Some researchers predict a paradigm shift within Customer Relationship Management (CRM), moving from the traditional large in-house CRM systems to social software such as Facebook. In this article we investigate two issues. First: are there inherent problems in traditional CRM systems that Facebook may resolve? Second: if so, can social media replace CRM systems? We conducted a case study of two Scandinavian airliners’ use of Facebook for customer communication during the ash crisis in April 2010. Our analytical approach was a Business Intelligence analysis using web- and text mining based on 28.000 postings on Facebook. We offer two findings. First, Facebook resolves some shortcomings of traditional CRM. The openness of Facebook allows for more dynamic interaction between company and customers. Facebook has a self-reinforcing mechanism for diffusion, meaning that short-term usefulness triggers more use, which again will increase the usefulness. Second, we do not believe that social media can replace traditional CRM systems, but it constitutes an interesting challenge. If not a full CRM, Facebook can serve as a “social CRM”. In contrast to traditional CRM, companies may not be the strongest part, since personal information is controlled by the customer. This is indeed an interesting arena for researchers

PATTERNS OF INTERACTION: MAKING SENSE OF DIGITALIZATION IN INCUMBENT FIRMS

Current research on digitalization often takes a strategic or change management perspective. More recently, research has pointed to continuous development as essential in digitally enabled change. However, less is known about how continuous development evolves, and how organizational actors interact during continuous development. Our research questions are: (i) which patterns of interaction can we identify in the continuous development of digitalization, and (ii) how can incumbent firms suc- ceed in digitalization through continuous development? We conduct a longitudinal case study of a large grid company, and explore their approach to digitali- zation through continuous development. Applying a sense-making and sense-giving lens, we identify a generic pattern of interaction in continuous digitalization in incumbent firms. Key actors in the pat- tern are the middle management. We identify two interlinked cycles, one for the top management and one for the operational level. Our model highlights new and surprising insight on sense-making and sense-giving in relation to change and digitalization in incumbent firms

Responding to Enterprise Architecture Initiatives: Loyalty, Voice and Exit

Many large organizations have on-going Enterprise Architecture initiatives. Key aims include achieving more organizational agility, and to tidy up a messy portfolio of IT silo systems. A holistic approach to IT architecture has been an accepted strategy, but the results of these initiatives have been variable. An under-researched aspect is how different organizational units respond to the call for a holistic approach. In this study, we investigate how different stakeholders connected to three ongoing projects responded to the call for EA. With a qualitative approach, we identify three options of response to EA initiatives: (i) compliance with the EA strategy, (ii) loyal but isolated response, and (iii) rebel solutions. We argue for the need of a more nuanced repertoire of actions for dealing with EA, and show how these responses are useful for understanding and managing successful EA

In Search of Mechanisms. Conducting a Critical Realist Data Analysis

Critical realism has emerged as an alternative to positivist and interpretive research during the past decade. Yet, the number of empirical studies based on this perspective has so far been limited. This indicates a need for a more explicit method for critical realist data analysis. To address this, we extend former research on critical realist methodology by presenting a framework for identifying and understanding causal structures in critical realist studies, termed mechanisms. The framework consists of steps involved in identifying structural components of a mechanism, how these components interact to produce to an outcome, and contextual influences on this outcome. We illustrate the application of the framework through an example of the identification of IS innovation mechanisms in a case study in the airline industry. Overall, we argue that the mechanism approach can improve empirical studies in the IS field, by providing ontological depth, creative thinking and more precise explanations

The Institutional Logic of Digitalism

How are large scale ICT systems related to organizational development and management? We introduce digitalism as a new institutional logic compared to managerialism and professionalism. To develop our argument, we combine organisational and institutional logic theory with information systems research. We illustrate our arguments with a case study of a process of organisational development before and after the implementation of centralised large-scale ICT systems at a large Norwegian hospital in 2015. The understanding of digitalism offers insight in how large-scale technology and organisations are tied together and can contribute to effective healthcare management