Guide to methodology understanding in information systems practice

This report is part of a series of publications on the status and development of the North-American Information Systems (IS) field and Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI), its counterpart in German speaking countries. Information systems in businesses and organizations are the main subject of research in IS and WI. Hence, both disciplines are applied fields of research. Thus, the valuation of research results and graduates by business practice are vital indicators for the disciplines’ status and success. Between 1991 and 2001 a plethora of articles were published in leading Information Systems (IS) journals and conference proceedings addressing the issue of relevance of IS research and teaching. This research report provides a comprehensive content analysis of this „relevance debate“ in the North-American Information Systems field. The perceptions, opinions, and recommendations of the contributors are presented structured according to statements of valuation, perception, explanation, and recommendation. The reconstruction of the main IS relevance debate indicates that all debate participants agree that relevance to practice plays a vital role for the IS discipline, but that the field largely lacks relevance in terms of research as well as in terms of teaching. The lack of relevance is, for example, illustrated by the general perception that research results rarely impact practice and that IT/IS professionals usually do not read academic IS journals. In order to analyse if the debate has lead to any changes in terms of practice relevance of the IS field the most recent literature and studies available on IS relevance are evaluated. Analysis results indicate that no significant changes took place. But various IS researchers still report on problems in terms of acceptance and perception of IS degree programs and research. Based on the perspectives of experienced researchers from WI and other European IS communities the concluding remarks of this report attempt to explain the apparent lack of change in the North-American IS field and provide suggestions for improving the current status of the IS field in terms of relevance.

Digital development for a progressive networked society

Information technology (IT) projects regularly fail. IT projects fail rapidly, spectacularly and with monotonous regularity. IT and related information systems (IS) projects seem more prone than other technology-based interventions to prove to be enormously risky ventures for companies and government agencies to invest in. If this phenomenon is pronounced in so-called industrialised economies - the issues and problems around failure multiply when such projects are undertaken in transitional and developing economies. In all this failure the role of the IS practitioner appears invidious. On the one hand there are rapidly developing technologies and opportunities for change while on the other there are organisations often unable to express what change they desire or to articulate the difference between what they would like and what they feel able to cope with. It is little wonder that the IS practitioner—given the responsibility to manage the change process by analysis and design and other mediating strategies, can end up as the victim of technology failure, organisational inability to make up its mind and half-developed applications. In all this muddle the role of the action researcher (AR)—deeply involved with the processes and relationships within the research context is oddly empowered to deal with change while appearing even more vulnerable than his or her more managerialist or technologist colleagues. This chapter, by means of a reflective discourse representing my own learning, attempts to develop the theme of the vulnerability and power of the action research IS practitioner. Using current case study material drawn from working in transitional economies, the chapter indicates lessons learned in the value of the AR approach to analysis and design and the real benefits and powers which can arise from vulnerability such as autonomy and viability.

This article attempts to look at factors and events that led to the birth of the information system (IS) field, and traces how the field has changed over time and evolved. It also explains why at various times different names such as MIS, IT, IS, information management, information science, etc., have been proposed to label the IS field. Each framework's architects are thought to have discovered the true core of IS. Despite significant and seemingly continuous efforts toward defining the boundary of the IS field, the boundary remains fluid. The first step in trying to understand and resolve these issues is to step back and reflect on the history of the IS field. Such an understanding would facilitate IS researchers in answering the questions about IS, differentiating the IS field from other disciplines, and developing a sense of an IS identity.

Throughout its history, the information systems (IS) discipline has studied a wide range of phenomena. Many IS researchers support the notion that our interest in the IT artifact - defined as "bundles of material and cultural properties packaged in some socially recognizable form such as hardware and/or software" (Orlikowski & Iacono, 2001, p. 122) - unites the IS discipline. In "Desperately Seeking the 'IT' in IT Research-A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact," Orlikowski and Iacono (2001) argued that the IS field is "premised on the centrality of information technology in everyday socio-economic life...[yet] the field has not deeply engaged with its core subject matter-the information technology (IT) artifact" (p. 121). In their review of articles that had been published to date in Information Systems Research, nearly 25 percent did not discuss technology and most had simplistic views of technology: The outcome is that much IS research draws on commonplace and received notions of technology, resulting in conceptualizations of IT artifacts as relatively stable, discrete, independent, and fixed. As a consequence, IT artifacts in IS research tend to be taken for granted or assumed to be unproblematic. (Orlikowski & Iacono, 2001, pp. 121-122) Orlikowski and Iacono's (2001) article drew attention to our need to focus on the core of who we are as a discipline. It also created an important turning point. As an unintended consequence of the article, the IS discipline began abandoning its consideration and discussion of information. As a result, IS researchers focused more heavily on technology and the IT artifact, and information became implicit in our research. In this editorial, we expand upon Orlikowski and Iacono (2001) and draw the IS discipline's attention to its abandonment of that other central component in information systems research - information.

Objectives. The study set out to develop fundamental methodological principles for the logical integration of information systems (IS) in organizations and to quantitatively assess the topological significance of the IS integration process.Methods. Methods based on expert systems were used for the logical integration of information in conjunction with data-mining approaches based on various IS. In order to quantitatively assess the topological significance of the IS integration procedure, graph theory methods were used. Discrete topology methods were also employed for calculating the topological invariants of the IS interconnection topology.Results. Issues and challenges involved in the integration of IS in large organizations are considered in terms of integration methods based on physical and logical principles. While IS integration approaches based on logical principles offer distinct advantages over physical integration approaches, new problems arising in the context of logical integration approaches require innovative solutions. The proposed scheme for the logical integration of IS includes an algebraic method for quantitatively assessing the topological significance of integration, comprising an important numerical indicator in the logical integration of IS. Methods based on learning expert systems, which represent a fundamental solution for organizing the logical integration of IS for intelligent data analysis, are reviewed.Conclusions. When integrating IS in organizations, it is advisable to use a logical integration approach that preserves the logic of existing information systems. The application of logical integration enables intelligent data analysis using various IS. The use of expert systems in logical integration enables the creation of a new logical layer for providing decision support within the organization.

The field of information systems (IS) remains ill-defined, facing problems of recognition and identity crisis. Several papers and debates have been dedicated on this topic for over three decades. The focus of these debates have largely centered on the state of the IS field in Americas and Europe and with a limited study conducted in the Asia---Pacific context. This study attempts to assess the field in the Indian context and highlight the challenges and issues faced by IS faculties in India. Based on literature survey of the seminal papers in the field, we identified the salient topics of interest to IS researchers: identity of the IS field; diversity of the field; research approaches, methods and rigor; reference disciplines; journals and conferences; and IS course and curriculum. A two-phase study was carried out to explore the interest generated by the IS field in India. In the first phase, secondary data review of leading business schools in India was carried out to understand their focus on IS as an academic discipline. In the second phase, we conducted interviews of IS researchers from the premium business schools in India. In our study, we analyze the research focus of IS faculties in B-schools in India, analyze the composition of the faculty pool and the nature of research work undertaken by them. Our study points at the restricted focus of IS researchers in India around a few narrow areas, with a significant breadth of topics not being explored for research. We found the identity struggle of the field to be prominent, which was further compounded by the limited number of active, IS researchers. The growing importance of qualitative techniques in IS research, the challenges of developing a sound base in multiple reference disciplines and the need for making IS course interesting for business school students were some of the other significant observations. Our study also highlighted the paradox of the success of the IT industry in India leading to reduced enrollment of IS courses in B-Schools. We conclude by providing recommendations to B-school deans and directors.

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Academic information systems (IS) is struggling with an identity crisis that is grounded in limited consensus about the discipline's core concepts, its important research questions and its boundaries. The result is a pluralistic discipline that has triggered an ongoing debate about whether the ‘liquidity’ characteristic of IS is a natural consequence of rapidly changing technologies or if it is indicative of a chaotic state that is unsustainable. This paper looks at IS through a new and different lens by using the theory of the professions to gain insight into current and heretofore unidentified problems facing the discipline. Casting IS as a profession presents an integrated view of academic IS, IS practice and IS education grounded in a framework that explores connections among these three elements. The paper concludes with a discussion of the processes by which professions evolve and likely consequences for IS research, practice and education.

Many US companies adopted business process re-engineering (BPR) strategy to demonstrate the way culture influenced information technology (IT)-enabled organizational change and information systems. It was observed that many corporations improved their business performance after re-engineering their core processes. The BPR strategy used some of the specific cultural characteristics of American citizens to introduce IT-enabled organizational change and information systems. Specific cultural characteristics of the American citizens, such as innovativeness, individualism, self-reliance, a willingness to accept risk, and a desire for change helped them to adopt such a strategy and introduce changes. Several corporations in a number of other countries with diverse cultural traits also adopted the BPR strategy to introduce similar information technology (IT)-enabled organizational change and information systems.

<p>A crisis is a specific, unanticipated, and non-routine event that generates high levels of uncertainty and jeopardizes high value priorities such as life, economic well-being, or physical infrastructures. Some scholars observe that our computing environment has dramatically changed and is now defined by greater use and dependence on technology, while simultaneously it is hampered by technological failures and security vulnerability, which have perhaps led to an increase in the incidence of organisational crises. Because of the high occurrence of crises and the increased dependence on information systems (IS) in organisations, one would assume that most firms would have established measures to counteract these events, however the literature indicated otherwise. The purpose of this research was to explore and understand the factors that contribute to crisis preparedness of the information systems. A comprehensive review of the literature indicated that the IS field has a large volume of publications on information systems disaster recovery, business continuity, information systems risk management and information systems security but little on crisis preparedness of the information systems. This study comprehensively reviewed relevant literature on the nature of crises, crisis preparedness and information systems. The literature review established groundwork necessary for the development of the research hypotheses which were tested during this investigation. A quantitative positivist research approach was proposed. The study utilized a web-based survey to collect quantifiable information on the subject matter from study participants. The survey instrument was developed based on seven research dimensions. From these dimensions descriptive questions were created which formed part of the survey instrument. The collected data was analysed using three different approaches: descriptive statistics, correlation and percentage responses. From the data, facts about crisis preparedness of the information systems in New Zealand organisations were revealed. In total 90 responses were received, 72 of which were eligible for data analyses. The study findings indicate some degree of end-user awareness of and adherence to crisis preparedness of the information systems in New Zealand organisations. However, more emphasis is needed in the understanding of the processes that bring about successful CPIS strategies across varying organisation structures. The academic value of this research is the review of discourse in the fields of crisis preparedness and Information Systems, and the application of some of the theoretical concepts from those fields. These were necessary to test the research hypotheses and their findings can be used to explain the crisis-preparedness phenomenon in future studies. The practical value of this research is the development of a tool that can be used by managers and senior executives to undertake informed decisions with regard to the status or progress of the crisis preparedness of the information systems initiatives in their respective organisations from the end-user perspective.</p>

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore why students do not choose to study In-formation Systems. Background Demand for information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) employees and managers has been increased, with the widespread use of information technologies. IT skills shortage is a concern for industries and higher education institutions. The findings of this study can help understanding why students do not choose to study Information Systems. Methodology: This study used an online survey for data collection. The survey link was emailed to 609 undergraduate students at the University of Agder in Kristian-sand, Norway. 62 useable responses were used for analysis. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and t-test were used for data analysis. Contribution: This study provides the results of a survey exploring why students do not choose to study Information Systems at a Norwegian university. Findings: The most indicated reason by the respondents for not choosing to study Information Systems was “little or no knowledge about IS”, followed by “lack of interest in the IS field.” Job availability was identified as the most motivating factor for the participant students in choosing to study their pro-grams at the university. The participants of this study did not consider In-formation Systems as easy to study. Recommendations for Practitioners: Candidate students should be given sufficient information about Information Systems study program and how it differs from other IT-related study pro-grams should be explained well. There is a need to better promote Information Systems study programs to candidate students. Future Research: Future studies should explore the factors impacting enrolment to Information Systems study programs with larger sample sizes and in different universities. Qualitative studies can help a deeper understanding of students’ career decisions. Future studies can also consider comparative studies in different countries.

The purpose of this research is to describe the use of information technology and information systems in organizations with the environment. This research is a literature review, with a descriptive approach. The results of the theoretical analysis and studies of relevant previous studies are that information technology can be placed/treated as a mediating (intervening) variable in the relationship between environmental attributes and organizational structure attributes. This is due to the high level of utilization/use of information technology in companies and the application of information technology is an important requirement in managing the company's business activities. The role of technology in the relationship between environmental attributes and organizational structure attributes is information technology as a mediator in this relationship. Information technology has become an important element in achieving organizational goals to overcome environmental uncertainties. The existence of information technology is needed to create the structural response desired by management in anticipating environmental changes

Information system (IS) success is still one of the most researched topics in the IS discipline, but most research on defining and measuring IS success was conducted in North America. As the world globalizes, multinational organizations consider information technology and IS as crucial and necessary tools to glue together all of their units. Moreover, IS standardization (i.e., the same IS implemented in all the units), particularly through enterprise systems (ERPs), has attracted these organizations because of the economic benefits standard applications can eventually yield to. However, researchers in the international management discipline have assessed that culture may be a major factor that influences organizational structure and management practices. Some researchers in the field of IS have also confirmed that national cultures do, indeed, have an impact on IS design and acceptance. As culture is defined as “a shared system of meaning,” the success of IS should hold different meanings in different cultures. We found only sparse research work on how people from different national cultures perceive, define and operationalize IS success. The objective of this chapter is twofold: first, discuss why organizations that intend to standardize IS in different cultures should consider culture as an important factor in the achievement of success and second, propose a comprehensive framework for future cross-national research on IS success in multinational organizations. After the introductory section, the four main components of the proposed framework and their interrelations are presented: IS success, culture, IS standardization, and IS built-in success assumptions. The chapter concludes with the presentation of the new framework.

Objective: the purpose of the entire work is to help system analysts involved in assessing the quality of information sys tems (IS) operation during their creation, operation, modernization, development, to form the appearance of a comprehensive probabilistic prediction methodology applicable in the interests of ensuring quality and safety, justifying acceptable risks, identifying significant threats and supporting the adoption of scientifically rational system decisions to proactively counter threats in IS life cycle. The purpose of the 3rd part of the work is to complete the detailing of the general methodological provisions on the probabilistic prediction of the quality of IS operation quality (taking into account the enlarged description of the approach in the 1st part of the article [1] and the presentation of the basics of detailing modeling using «black boxes» in the 2nd part of the article [2]) by proposing: • the formalization of complex modeled systems consisting of parallel-sequential structures formed from «black boxes» and combined using logical connections «AND», «OR»; • the methods of system analysis of the IS operation quality; • the main components of the appearance of a comprehensive methodology for the probabilistic predicting IS operation quality, used by system analysts in the interests of ensuring quality and safety, justifying acceptable risks, identifying significant threats and supporting the adoption of scientifically based system decisions to proactively counter threats in the life cycle of specific IS. Research methods include: methods of probability theory, methods of system analysis. The modeled system is formally represented by «black boxes» and complex systems in the form of parallel-sequential structures formed from «black boxes» combined using logical connections «AND», «OR». The obtained results of mathematical modeling are used in the interpretation of the original IS, in the interests of which the corresponding calculations are carried out. The result of the work as a whole is: based on the research results presented in [1, 2], methodological provisions have been created that form the main components of the appearance of a complex methodology for probabilistic prediction of IS operation quality in accordance with GOST R 59341-2021 «System engineering. Protection of information in system information management process». The use of the proposed methodological provisions is intended to help system analysts form the appearance of a versatile complex methodology of probabilistic prediction, applicable in the interests of ensuring quality and safety, justifying acceptable risks, identifying significant threats and supporting the adoption of scientifically sound system decisions to proactively counter threats in the life cycle of specific IS. Scientific novelty of the work: with the widespread introduction of modern information technology tools and systems, the problems associated with a comprehensive study of the IS operation quality remain acutely relevant. Despite the fact that many system engineering standards have appeared that recommend the use of probabilistic system analysis for various types of systems, in practice, the formation of a set of techniques applicable to predicting quality measures, justifying acceptable risks, identifying significant threats and supporting the adoption of scientifically sound system decisions in IS life cycle causes practical difficulties for system analysts. These difficulties and the use of subjective assessments are related not only to the versatility of the very concept of IS operation quality, but also to the complexity of mathematical formalization, taking into account the specifics of each system. As a result, many important aspects are beyond the analyst's field of consideration, specific quality measures turn out to be incommensurable on a single quantitative scale, and the inverse analytical tasks of proactive threat management in IS life cycle and constituent elements are not solved. I.e., in practice, there is a contradiction between the needs for system analysis of IS and the possibilities for solving urgent problems of system analysis. To overcome this contradiction, the proposed methodological provisions formulate the general purpose of IS operation in various areas applications – to ensure the reliability and timeliness of providing the necessary information, completeness, validity and safety of the information used for subsequent intended use. The main proposed components of the complex methodology of probabilistic prediction of IS operation quality have determined the scientific novelty of this work, focused precisely on achieving this general formulated goal of IS operation.