Erja Birgitta Mustonen-Ollila

ABSTRACT This study identifies how Information System process innovations' (ISPIs) were evolved in three organisations using a sample of 124 internally developed ISPIs over a period that spanned four decades. The four distinct time generations analysed are early computing (1954-1965); main frame era (1965-1983); office computing era (1983-1991), and distributed applications era (1991-1997). These follow roughly Friedman's and Cornford's categorisation of IS development eras. Four categories of ISPI's are distinguished: base line technologies (T), development tools (TO), description methods (D), and managerial process innovations (M). ISPI evolution in the three organisations is characterised with two types of modifications based on Tolvanen's (1998) local method development framework: the degree and frequency of modifications. The degree of ISPI modification defines how large the changes are that are made to the local ISPI to improve its applicability. The frequency of ISPI modification explains how often an ISPI is changed. For each era the variation between the modifications in the four ISPI categories is analysed. The analysis shows that within the organisations, the degree of ISPI modifications and the frequency of ISPI modifications varied significantly in the ISPI categories. The variation can be partly explained by differences in the development environments, differences in ISPI categories, and the differences in the organisations. Keywords: Empirical research, Longitudinal Study, IS Process Innovations, degree of ISPI modification, frequency of ISPI modification INTRODUCTION One type of innovation, called here Information System (IS) Process Innovation has become important for organisational effectiveness. IS process innovation (ISPI) is defined here as any new way of developing, implementing, and maintaining information systems in an organisational context (Swanson, 1994). IS development (ISD) can be described as a change process, which aims at improving and changing a present information system (IS) or implementing a new information system. IS process innovations (ISPIs) on the other hand play a major role in changing the information system development (ISD) process in organisations, and they can improve the process and outcomes of information systems. In the context of our paper we consider that a specific ISPI is chosen for use at a specific ISD project. Our ISPI definition is relatively broad and covers a wide range of innovative activity within IS development. First, an ISPI can embrace changes in the technologies that offer new computing functionality or novel non-functional features (like portability, security) for the delivered IS . Typical technological innovations include adoptions of programming languages or operating systems. ISPIs can also include administrative innovations, such as the deployment of proj ect management methods, the introduction of participative approaches to guiding development interactions, or the contracting of development work outside. In Swanson's terminology, ISPIs thus cover thus both technological (Type Ia) as well as administrative innovations (Type Ib) (Swanson, 1994). Both administrative and technological innovations can be further classified into two sub-categories. In the administrative ISPI category we distinguish between management innovations (M) and description innovations (D). Within the technological innovations, we separate between tool innovations (TO) and core technology innovations (T). The motivation for such classification is that most of the IS development literature clearly distinguishes between organisational innovations (like project management principles, programming teams, extreme programming) and notati onal innovations (like the development of UML, method engineering and so forth). Some ISPIs specifically address the need for software engineering task improvement or advance core technologies including programming languages or data base management systems. …

This goal of this paper is to represent the method choice and adoption factors in two organizations over the 43 years period. General theoretical framework, chosen research approach, the research problems concerning method choice, implementation and use (adoption), the research methodology, related research and historical background of the organizations are represented. Methods for validity and reliability checking of the data sources are checked. The method choice using the theory of Diffusion of Innovations is taken as a focal point in this research.

This paper examines method adoption factors in three organisations and their three specific locales over a 43-year-period. The collected data covers the said 43 years, which were divided into four time periods, or phases, that are concurrent with the four computer generations, as described in Friedman and Cronford (1989). A conceptual framework is presented for method choice and adoption with the Rogers’s (1995) theory of Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) as a focal point. Analysis is made in accordance with the DOI to identify factors affecting method choice. The results show that DOI characteristics (factors) groups have affected method choice and adoption, and factors specific to different methods explained why a certain method was chosen and adopted. Four method categories were created from the basic method definition in this study. In locale one and two the method categories were almost identical, but in locale three they were different. Phase one (late 1940s until the mid1960s) w...

This paper identifies mechanisms that affected over 200 Information System Process Innovation (ISPI) unlearning decisions in three organisational environments over a period that spanned four decades. The analysis is based on previous unlearning studies. Four distinct generations analysed are early computing (1954-1965); main frame era (1965-1983); office computing era (1983-1991), and distributed applications era (1991-1997). These follow roughly Friedman’s and Cornford’s categorisation of IS development eras. We also distinguish four types of ISPI’s: base line technologies, development tools, description methods, and managerial process innovations. Our analysis shows that the most important unlearning mechanisms were new knowledge creation, poor performance, react to changing environment, changes in management, and too complicated to use. In the organisations the unlearning mechanisms varied significantly according to the ISPI category, and time generation. The variation can be thu...

Knowledge management describes how information communication technology systems are applied to support knowledge creation, and in capturing, organization, access, and use of an organization’s intellectual capital. This paper investigates knowledge management problems in the healthcare environment. We used the Grounded Theory approach in collecting and analyzing the data. The discovered six thematic categories found were Patient, Patient Data, Physician, Midwife, ICT Systems, and Medical Equipment. We decomposed each category into multiple items by deriving them from the data and validated them with past studies. We found propositions to our categories, relationships between the categories, and discovered eleven higher levels of abstraction of statements. A conceptual framework of knowledge management categories, items, the relationships of the categories to each other, and propositions to our categories were developed by the Grounded Theory approach. The relationships between the knowledge management categories enhance the validity of the categories and expand the emerging theory.

This goal of this paper is to represent the method choice and adoption factors in two organizations over the 43 years period. General theoretical framework, chosen research approach, the research problems concerning method choice, implementation and use (adoption), the research methodology, related research and historical background of the organizations are represented. Methods for validity and reliability checking of the data sources are checked. The method choice using the theory of Diffusion of Innovations is taken as a focal point in this research.

This paper examines method adoption factors in three organisations and their three specific locales over a 43-year-period. The collected data covers the said 43 years, which were divided into four time periods, or phases, that are concurrent with the four computer generations, as described in Friedman and Cronford (1989). A conceptual framework is presented for method choice and adoption with the Rogers's (1995) theory of Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) as a focal point. Analysis is made in accordance with the DOI to identify factors affecting method choice. The results show that DOI characteristics (factors) groups have affected method choice and adoption, and factors specific to different methods explained why a certain method was chosen and adopted. Four method categories were created from the basic method definition in this study. In locale one and two the method categories were almost identical, but in locale three they were different. Phase one (late 1940s until the mid1960...

Low-level citizens’ education and adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a common problem in both the developed and developing countries. E-government, which is defined as the application of ICTs to improve the activities of government, is widely seen as a means to promote efficiency of the government activities and services. In e-government context the citizens are playing a vital role in success of e-government services, initiatives, plans, strategies, and overall activities. Though, this can be achieved if citizens are well ICT educated, and have wider access to ICTs. Furthermore, ICT as a new and supporting tool to improve e-government should be accessible in social places aside from home and work. The goal is to increase and widen the citizens’ access to ICTs regardless of any citizens’ age, gender, professions, income levels, education, ethnic minorities, and religion. On the other hand, proper and adequate ICT education in schools, universities, public ...

Abstract This paper identifies mechanisms that affectedover 200 Information SystemProcess Innovation (ISPI) unlearning decisions in three organisational environments over a period that spanned four decades. The analysis is based on previous unlearning studies. Four distinct generations analysed are early computing (1954-1965); main frame era (1965-1983); office computing era (1983-1991), and distributed applications era (1991-1997). These follow roughly Friedman’s and ,Cornford’s categorisation of IS development eras. We also distinguish four types of ISPI’s: base line technologies, development tools, description methods, and managerial process innovations. Our analysis shows that the most important unlearning mechanisms were new knowledge creation,

This paper gives important methodological, theoretical, and practical guidelines to the information system (IS) researchers to carry out a historical study. This study shows how a new theory can be discovered inductively from historical studies using a methodological guideline from Mason et al. (1997b); using multiple data collection methods, such as semi-structured interviews, archival files, and published news; and using novel data analysis methods from learning and intelligent systems, such as the Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), SOMs combined with U-matrices, and the Bayesian network modeling. It also outlines the benefits, the main problems, the characteristics, and the implications of historical research in the information system field. Finally this paper gives future some research directions of historical research.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to understand the management issues that influence efforts towards software quality construction. . This study presents six findings describing managerial issues in the software developing companies: First, managers’ technical skills, experience, and knowledge in software and domain influence the developers’ productivity; second, top-down decisions deprive transparency and affect the efficiency of requirements prioritization; third, the communication between managers and customers, and realistic estimation of resources sustains good customer relationship, and have positive effect to the product quality; fourth, the aim of managers’ decisions on resources is not to reduce expenditure but to achieve long-term goals for both organization and customers; fifth, the managers’ choice and decisions on people affect other resources and the quality of the product, and sixth, organizational structures have influence on the teams and product quality. The findings of this study may be valuable for software developing companies.

ABSTRACT The objective of this qualitative case study was to observe and describe how software quality is constructed in software development organizations. Eleven software programmers, testers, quality control personnel, requirement managers and research and development personnel were interviewed and common practices of quality construction analyzed. The findings indicated that quality construction practices vary considerably across different organizations. Differences were noted in the type and extent of customer involvement in software development, methods used for requirements elicitation, and objectives of software testing. Based on the results, the following conclusions are drawn. First, requirements elicitation in software development is an ongoing process even after the product has been delivered to the customer. Second, the quality characteristics of the software depend on the type of software, user and application domain. Third, a quality software product is not necessarily technically the best but it must satisfy customer needs. Fourth, the quality of the software is resource-dependent.