External Information Technology Research Articles

The motivation of information technology consultants: The struggle with social dimensions and identity

AbstractIncreasingly, customer companies hire external information technology (IT) consultants, often on a special project basis. These consultants are employees of professional service firms, although they receive their assignments from the hiring companies, report to them, and are supervised by them. Using semistructured interviews with 12 IT consultants in Sweden, we examine the factors that influence their work motivation, including the effect of this dual allegiance—to the service firm and to the customer company. The data indicate that the primary motivators are the variety in tasks and the opportunity to influence and/or manage an entire project. Neither monetary incentives nor the consultancy firm norms are strong motivators. A factor that affects work behavior and motivation is the subordinate identity that IT consultants must assume with their powerful clients. The article concludes with practical suggestions for managers who seek to understand what motivates employees who work at a distance, under external control. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Knowledge Sharing in Information Systems Development: A Social Interdependence Perspective

Information systems development (ISD) is typically a knowledge-intensive activity demanding coordinated application of business and information technology (IT) professionals’ expertise. However, knowledge sharing between these groups can be challenging, as their backgrounds and expertise domains differ. The problem is even more pronounced for ISD teams involving external IT consultants, where the gap between business and IT professionals is further widened by organizational boundaries. This study proposes that perceived social (goal, task, and reward) interdependencies can influence the extent of knowledge sharing between the subgroups of business professionals and external IT consultants during ISD. Results from a survey of consultant-and-client matched pairs in ongoing ISD project teams indicate that perceived goal, task, and reward interdependencies are significantly related to knowledge sharing, which is, in turn, related to ISD project phase performance. Knowledge sharing fully mediates the relationships between the interdependencies and ISD project phase performance. Perceived goal interdependence is also related to perceived task interdependence. These findings augment existing theoretical understanding of knowledge sharing in ISD. They also provide directions for the development of interventions for enhancing knowledge sharing and performance in ISD.

Organizational learning in high-technology purchase situations: The antecedents and consequences of the participation of external IT consultants

Typically, research on organizational learning has been conceptual in nature. In a departure from this tradition, we develop and test a structural model of organizational learning in the context of the purchasing of an expensive and complex product in the information technology (IT) area. The key focus of our research is the participation of external IT consultants and our model links seven explanatory constructs that are consistent with the process school of thought in organizational learning. More specifically, two organizational variables–formalization, strategic importance–and two individual-level variables–stakeholding, prior experience–are viewed as antecedents of consultant participation. In contrast, we view internal search effort, external search effort, and organizational learning as consequences of consultant participation. As predicted, all four antecedent variables affected consultant participation. Moreover, we found that, while consultant participation had a positive impact on internal search effort and organizational learning, its impact on external information search effort was negative.

Key factors for small and medium enterprises in Taiwan to successfully implement information systems

The innovation and development of computer technology have had significant impact on the operations of various enterprises. Introducing information systems into enterprises becomes a critical solution for the latter to survive in the highly changeable environments caused by computer technology; this is true in particular, of the small and medium enterprises in Taiwan. Unlike large enterprises that have plenty of resources to develop information systems, small and medium enterprises must focus on how to allocate their limited resources in implementing information systems efficiently. In this study, we attempt to identify the key factors of successful computerisation in Taiwan's small and medium enterprises. Our results show that setting a good plan is a critical step and the success of information systems strongly depends on external information technology expertise. The cost incurred to improve the environment within an enterprise for implementing information systems should deserve more concerns than the money directly invested, and the support from chief executive officers is the most important internal factor.

Information Technology Planning Framework for Japanese General Contractors

Developments in information technology (IT) continue to have a significant impact on the architectural/engineering/construction (A/E/C) industry. However, the issue of whether A/E/C organizations are receiving adequate returns from their IT investments remains an important managerial concern. Recently, Peña-Mora, Vadhavkar, Perkins, and Weber introduced a strategic IT planning framework for construction projects that includes four steps: environmental scan, internal scrutiny, IT diffusion analysis, and IT investment modeling. It analyzes the external and internal IT conditions of a project/firm, identifies the diffusion phase of IT in the project/firm, and finally evaluates the effects of IT investments on the project/firm. Although this framework was originally intended to plan future IT investments, we assume that the framework can also be used to evaluate ongoing or past IT investments in projects/firms. Following this idea, this paper presents an application of the Peña-Mora et al. framework to an ongoing IT project in Kajima Corporation, one of the largest Japanese general contractors. Kajima is currently developing an IT system called LINCS (Linkage of Information for a New Construction System). This synthetic information network system has been designed to share building data among design and construction stages and streamline design/build activities. By using the framework proposed in this paper, we analyzed how LINCS is justified in terms of its strategic and operational value for Kajima and its construction projects.

Coordinating new product development in an international joint venture

This is a case study of the problems in coordinating business functions (R&D and manufacturing) among firms engaged in a joint venture for new product development (NPD). The study focused on relationships across organisational boundaries, that is among the joint venture organisation and the two partner companies. A conceptual framework, based on the new product development and strategic alliance literatures, served as a guide in developing specific propositions from the interview data. The findings indicate that a partnership's task and task environment, specifically cross-company subunit interdependencies, produce requirements for inter-functional coordination between firms. Certain partner characteristics, however, hamper attaining the required coordination. These characteristics include the relative degree of concurrency of the partners' NPD processes and a partner's difficulty in establishing external information technology linkages. Aspects of the partners' relationship, specifically perceived appropriability risks, also hinder achieving the necessary coordination. The relative degree to which each partner has management control over the relationship influences perceived risks. These findings are put into perspective through a comparison of new product development in a partnership and in a single business unit.

Evidence-based medicine and the Cochrane Collaboration in anaesthesia

In 1972, the British epidemiologist Archie Cochrane book, Evidence-Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach Evidence-Based Medicine.3 The following is a short published his view of the principles on which the delivery outline of the five principles of EBM. of health care should be based.1 Put simply, he stated that limited resources should be used equitably to provide care of proven benefit. Cochrane promoted randomized Ask a clinical question you can answer controlled trials (RCT) as the most reliable source of In order to find an answer to your clinical question, the evidence on which to base decisions about the effectivequestion will have to be clear and well focused. For ness of health care interventions. He advocated the example, see the following. compilation of a comprehensive catalogue of definitive reviews of scientifically valid clinical trials for each special(i) Who is the question about? How could you describe ity. These regularly updated reviews could be consulted to a group of patients similar to this particular patient? assist with clinical decision-making. Medical interventions (E.g. a healthy teenager, an overweight pregnant would thus be scientifically based on properly planned and woman or an elderly person with coronary heart executed clinical trials (distilled where possible into equally disease.) scientifically valid reviews) rather than on anecdote, habit, (ii) Which treatment or manoeuvre are you considering selective experience, faulty memory, or a skewed sample for the patient? (E.g. type of anaesthesia, route for of the relevant clinical trials. The impact of Cochrane’s central venous catheterization or antibiotic in the book,1 Effectiveness and Efficiency, was not fully recognized intensive care unit.) at the time, but it captured the essence of today’s evidence(iii) What is the desired (or undesired) outcome for the based medicine movement. Cochrane’s vision of a reliable, patient? (Reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting, comprehensive and accurate medical database, the Cochrane reduced morbidity or mortality, reduced costs.) Library, is approaching reality. A good question will cover these three areas of subject, intervention and outcome, each of equal importance. Failure to frame the question properly will make it harder to find Evidence-based medicine useful and applicable answers. For example, ‘Is propofol a The Cochrane Collaboration is a major focus of activity better induction agent than thiopental?’ contrasted with and a rich source of information within the evidence-based ‘Does propofol lead to fewer unexpected overnight admismedicine movement. The term evidence-based medicine sions than thiopental after adult day case laparoscopic (EBM) originated at McMaster University in Canada, and sterilization?’ has been defined as ‘the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best evidence in making decisions about the care Search for evidence of individual patients.2–4 Thus to practice EBM is to integrate clinical expertize with the best available external Information technology has undoubtedly made it easier to evidence from systematic research.3 search the medical literature, and most institutions provide computers that allow electronic searching. Several databases The practice of EBM is described in David Sackett’s

Environmental Scanning for Information Technology: An Empirical Investigation

:An increasing number of organizations are recognizing the strategic significance of their information technology (IT) resources. A process by which emerging information technologies may be effectively identified and evaluated is rapidly becoming a necessity. This process may be accomplished through scanning the external IT environment.Based on the strategic emphasis given to IT resources, organizations may be classified as exploiter/innovator (EI), competitor/early adopter (CEA), or participant/effective efficient follower (PEEF). This study uses data from 131 top information systems managers to examine differences in the three types of organizations across a number of issues concerning the process of scanning the external IT environment. These issues include: (1) the objectives of scanning the external IT environment; (2) the methods of scanning the external IT environment; (3) the existence of separate units dedicated to IT scanning; (4) the level of IT scanning intensity; (5) the sources of information used for IT scanning; and (6) the level of top management involvement with IT scanning.

Driving safely on the information superhighway

Information technology (IT) has become part and parcel of the business world today. In fact, it will continue to become an even larger factor in the future. Organizations will interlink their IT systems as a result of linking to the Internet, electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPoS), etc. All of this might hold an information security risk for an organization. Organizations attempt to secure their own IT environment, but they have little control over the IT systems they link with. If those external IT environments are insecure, they might pose a threat to the IT systems in the host environment. Organizations would like to obtain some proof that the IT systems of their business partners are secure before they link with their individual systems. Such a proof can only be given through some security evaluation and certification process. Shows and explains the need for such a process.