CIOs\u27 Power, Influence, and IS Strategy Implementation

The increased attention given to information technology (IT) in the business environment has propelled information systems (IS) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs) into prominent positions in many firms. Yet, little is known about CIOs’ sources of power, how they exercise influence, and their part in implementing IS strategy. This paper addresses power and influence issues through its focus on two research questions: 1) What role do CIO power sources play in the exercise of influence? and 2) What CIO influence behaviors contribute to successful IS strategy implementation? This paper, which forms the backdrop for a larger research project, develops a research model designed to explore these research questions. The paper introduces a brief literature review of power and influence, a research model, preliminary findings and propositions, and a description of future plans

Electronic Banking Channels and Task-Channel Fit

The increase in electronically mediated self-service technologies in the banking industry has impacted on the way banks service consumers. Despite a large body of research on electronic banking channels, no study has been undertaken to explore the fit between electronic banking channels and banking tasks. Nor has there been research into how the ‘task-channel fit’ and other factors impact on consumers’ intention to use electronic banking channels. This paper proposes a theoretical model addressing these gaps. An exploratory study was first conducted, investigating industry experts’ perceptions towards the concept of ‘task-channel fit’ and its relationship to other electronic banking channel variables. The findings demonstrated that the concept was perceived as being highly relevant by bank managers. A research model was then developed drawing on the existing literature. To evaluate the research model quantitatively, a survey will be developed and validated, administered to a sample of consumers, and the resulting data used to test both measurement and structural aspects of the research model

User Developed Applications: Evaluation of Success From the DP Department Perspective

User development of computer-based applications (UDA) is a new phenomenon in organizations, and can provide benefits for both users and for data processing departments. The benefits of UDA to DP departments are consi.dered in this paper. The UDA literature suggests that the DP departments can expect to receive two major types of benefits: the backlog of DP appl ication devel opment projects shoul d decrease, and the proportion of DP resources spent on application maintenance should be reduced. However, this study, which was carried out in ten 1 arge Canadian business fi rms, ,found that in no instances were these factors cited by senior.pP managers as primary success considerations. In most cases, these managers felt that UDA might have some effect on the amount of DP resources devoted to perfective maintenance or on the porti on of the backl og which consi sts of smaller, one-shot appl ications. However, in ng instances had the DP managers attempted to measure these factors. More importantly, the decrease of the appl ications backl og and the decrease of the maintenance load were not perceived by the DP executives as being important components of UDA success. Rather, these DP managers were mainly interested in being able to demonstrate that the appl ications devel oped by users are of demonstrabl e, tangi bl e benefit to the organization, and that the users themselves are satisfied with the UDA services made avail abl e to them via the DP department. These findings are summarized in Table 1. This study also found that the eval uation of the tangibl e benefits to be derived from UDA activities was a critical issue for DP managers. In the paper, a simple evaluation framework, derived from an earlier model by Keen, is proposed and illustrated with experiential data drawn from the companies studied. The framework is useful in explaining why some DP departments are successful in their evaluations . Finally, an argument is presented that users themselves, not the DP department staf f, shoul d be hel d di rectly responsible for demonstrating that the appl ications they develop are cost beneficial to the firm. Implications of this argument include: (1) that DP departments charge users for the use of computing resources; (2) the proper rol e of the DP department in UDA eval uati on is that of advisor

Riverbank Financial: Balancing the Pendulum

The primary learning objective of this case is to discuss the balance between technology and customer focus in order to maximize IT effectiveness in the organization. The case illustrates the changing role of the information technology (IT) division within a large Canadian financial institution

The Information Systems Academic Discipline in New Zealand

This paper examines the background and development of academic information systems as a field of teaching and research in universities in New Zealand, from its roots in the late 1970s until the present time. Interviews were held with key informants within the information systems departments in every university in the country, as well as one polytechnic institution which has recently applied for university status. Based on the interview data along with other data drawn from the universities\u27 Web sites and elsewhere, as well as the personal knowledge of the authors, individual case studies of each institution were prepared and validated by the key informants. The paper begins with an overview analysis of the current situation and recent past, with a special emphasis on the student enrolment issue. The information systems discipline is reviewed across the nine institutions through a detailed cross-case analysis including a number of summary tables comparing various statistics across all New Zealand institutions. The cross-case analysis addresses issues such as the role of international students in IS, the comparative location of IS in the various institutions, and the overall nature of IS across the country. The results of this study and analysis provide a unique perspective on the past, present, and future of academic information systems in New Zealand

A taxonomy of dependencies in agile software development

Dependencies in a software project can contribute to unsatisfactory progress if they constrain or block the flow of work. Various studies highlight the importance of dependencies in the organisation of work; however dependencies in agile software development projects have not previously been a research focus. Drawing on three case studies of agile software projects, and the IS literature, this paper develops an initial taxonomy of agile software project dependencies. Three distinct categories of dependency are found: task, resource, and knowledge dependencies. This paper contributes to theory by providing a taxonomy of dependency types occurring in the area of agile software development. Practitioners can use this taxonomy as sensitising device to ensure they consider dependencies they might face that could hinder their projects, enabling them to take appropriate and timely mitigating action.<br /

KM governance:the mechanisms for guiding and controlling KM program

Purpose: To establish and sustain their KM programs organizations need to establish mechanisms to ensure their governance. KM programs require business integration, senior management involvement and decision making authority. The present research investigates the KM governance mechanisms organizations use to guide and control their KM programs. The research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the governance of KM and to support organizations in the development of their KM programs. Methodology: The study employs multiple case research methodology to analyze the KM governance arrangements of twelve international organizations and identify patterns in their governance configurations. Findings: The analysis identifies a range of structural, process and relational mechanisms that are critical for governing an organizational KM program. Different patterns among the KM governance mechanisms are identified which lead to the development of generic KM governance typologies. Research implications: The development of the KM governance framework allows future research to systematically investigate the KM governance phenomenon. As the present study is based on a configurational analysis future research should particularly target the performance implications of different KM governance configurations. Practical implications: The research provides insights into the diversity of KM governance mechanisms and their impact on a KM program. The KM governance framework can assist managers in reviewing their present and prospective KM programs and thereby support benchmarking or re-organization efforts. Originality: Building on prior research that has focused on individual KM governance aspects, the present study adopts a comprehensive perspective integrating structural, process and relational governance mechanisms