Using plenary focus groups in information systems research: More than a collection of interviews

Standard data collection techniques in qualitative research have included surveys, interviews and observations. The Focus group technique is a more recent addition to the empirical researcher's repertoire and is highly appropriate to Information Systems research in particular circumstances. This paper introduces a focus group approach to the study of information systems using a case study scenario and employing a structuring technique borrowed from Soft Systems Methodology designed to shape the discussion and organize group attention on specific aspects of the descriptive process. The paper describes the conduct of focus groups with respect to individual incidents and defines a particular type of Focus Group which involves all persons attendant at an event, thereby removing problems of sampling and representativeness. The unique properties and advantages of this type of focus group in respect to IS research emerged from the case study and an example of the use of story elicitation technique is described. The case study scenario is a regional fire service and any fire or rescue related incident is unique, dynamic, live and real-time, in addition it requires the combined skills and actions of a group of individuals, none of whom may have a full overview of the situation until after the event. These factors are present in other events such as any emergency procedure, artistic or sporting performance, construction and demolition events. Recording of such events presents genuine problems for information systems and the elicitation technique helped the group members to think in different ways about the impact of their incident recording systems. As the technique has broader use across research disciplines, an attempt is made to identify the attributes and properties of these 'Plenary Focus Groups' in information systems research scenario that might lend themselves to focus group research as a useful and successful technique

Innovation in virtual worlds: Social structure and diffusion

This paper suggests that issues surrounding non-compliance should not be dismissed as resistance but instead should be further studied by managers and developers, leading to accommodation of differing views. The technological frames of reference strand of social shaping of technology theory is used to overlay the issues arising from a case study looking at non-compliance with information systems. This procedure highlights underlying antecedent organizational conditions which are likely to underpin non-compliant behaviour. These antecedent conditions include acceptance, control and proceduralisation. Examination shows that change in these areas is within the remit of managers and yet noncompliance continues and is accepted by managers. This raises the question not of why or how these behaviours exist, but why they continue to exist in the light of their unmasking and exposure. This paper suggests that non-compliance should not be dismissed as resistance but should addressed by managers and developers leading to a skeleton or framework for understanding problems and developing organisationally aligned solutions

Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story: A case study investigation into extracting and analysing stories using CATWOE

The use of storytelling as a knowledge elicitation tool has attracted much attention in recent years, yet there is limited literature on how to illicit or stimulate the story. The challenge is to find appropriate research instruments that stimulate storytelling and morph vocalised individual narratives into multifaceted stories that provide an insight into the emotions, politics and ‘life’ of organizations. This paper reports on the use of storytelling as a research instrument to elicit highly contextualized knowledge from knowledge holders. The intention was not to attempt to find an objective truth but rather to stimulate discursive openness. Specifically we present a technique based on CATWOE analysis that can stimulate storytelling and story creation. The technique is particularly useful for those who are new to the storytelling approach and provides a simple formalism for structuring story elicitation and analysis. The paper concludes by reflecting on the concept of ‘truth’ and the process of story emergence a legitimization, specifically identifying the contribution that alternative ‘truths’ can make in socializing and disseminating knowledge in organizations

Resist, comply or workaround? An examination of different facets of user engagement with information systems

This paper provides a summary of studies of user resistance to Information Technology (IT) and identifies workaround activity as an understudied and distinct, but related, phenomenon. Previous categorizations of resistance have largely failed to address the relationships between the motivations for divergences from procedure and the associated workaround activity. This paper develops a composite model of resistance/workaround derived from two case study sites. We find four key antecedent conditions derived from both positive and negative resistance rationales and identify associations and links to various resultant workaround behaviours and provide supporting Chains of Evidence from two case studies

Integration of a nationally procured electronic health record system into user work practices

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that many small- and medium-scale Electronic Health Record (EHR) implementations encounter problems, these often stemming from users' difficulties in accommodating the new technology into their work practices. There is the possibility that these challenges may be exacerbated in the context of the larger-scale, more standardised, implementation strategies now being pursued as part of major national modernisation initiatives. We sought to understand how England's centrally procured and delivered EHR software was integrated within the work practices of users in selected secondary and specialist care settings. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative longitudinal case study-based investigation drawing on sociotechnical theory in three purposefully selected sites implementing early functionality of a nationally procured EHR system. The complete dataset comprised semi-structured interview data from a total of 66 different participants, 38.5 hours of non-participant observation of use of the software in context, accompanying researcher field notes, and hospital documents (including project initiation and lessons learnt reports). Transcribed data were analysed thematically using a combination of deductive and inductive approaches, and drawing on NVivo8 software to facilitate coding. RESULTS: The nationally led "top-down" implementation and the associated focus on interoperability limited the opportunity to customise software to local needs. Lack of system usability led users to employ a range of workarounds unanticipated by management to compensate for the perceived shortcomings of the system. These had a number of knock-on effects relating to the nature of collaborative work, patterns of communication, the timeliness and availability of records (including paper) and the ability for hospital management to monitor organisational performance. CONCLUSIONS: This work has highlighted the importance of addressing potentially adverse unintended consequences of workarounds associated with the introduction of EHRs. This can be achieved with customisation, which is inevitably somewhat restricted in the context of attempts to implement national solutions. The tensions and potential trade-offs between achieving large-scale interoperability and local requirements is likely to be the subject of continuous debate in England and beyond with no easy answers in sight