Information systems as a nexus of information technology systems: A new view of information systems practice

2022 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 0

Authors: Baskerville, Richard L; Davison, Robert M; Kaul, Mala; Malaurent, Julien; Wong, Louie HM

Abstract: The close relationship between the concepts of information systems and informati ... Expand

Abstract: The close relationship between the concepts of information systems and information technology creates issues for researchers. Usefully distinguishing between the concepts is problematic. We investigate the use of the systems concept in practice, finding a pragmatic distinction between an information system (IS) and an information technology system (IT system). In a practice view, an IS incorporates an emphasis on both a technical and a social subsystem, while an IT system predominantly emphasizes the technical elements. This distinction becomes useful in practice because contemporary IS practitioners are often involved in acquiring and integrating IT systems into an organizational IS. This involvement leads to a viewpoint on the organizational IS (including the social subsystem) as a nexus of multiple IT systems. This nexus creates issues in practice for not only integrating IT systems into the organizational IS, but also integrating multiple IT systems with each other in the context of the organizational IS. These issues lead to research opportunities such as the need for new methodologies for IT system acquisitions and new theories that accommodate the social integration of IT systems and IS. Collapse

Topics: IT workforce system integration pseudonymity digital ecosystem electronic finance

Methods: qualitative interview design artifact theory development literature sample field study

Theories: soft systems theory general systems theory

Microfoundations of Organizational Agility: A Socio-Technical Perspective

2020 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Crick, Charles; Chew, Eng K.

Abstract: To be agile, organization need to be able to quickly reconfigure their internal ... Expand

Abstract: To be agile, organization need to be able to quickly reconfigure their internal resources in order to respond to changes occurring in their environment. In this paper, we draw on the theories of organizational routines and technology affordances to explicate the internal socio-technical “machinery”—the people, processes, and technology—that, in response to an external change, an organization must reconfigure and redirect to achieve new organizational imperatives. The paper contributes a novel multi-level theory that recognizes behavior at the human individual (micro-) level as a causal factor in the macro-level phenomenon of agility. We illustrate and validate the theoretical model with case studies that represent three large organizations that exist in dynamic business environments that demand agility. The research suggests that business processes in the organization evolve both via top-down design and bottom-up practice routinization and further that the need for flexibility drives the tension between them. By elucidating microfoundational mechanisms, the theory defines a stronger causality model for explaining organizational agility phenomena. Collapse

Topics: business process management affordance spreadsheet innovation management knowledge representation

Methods: case study theory development conceptual modelling qualitative interview ontological modelling

Theories: dynamic capabilities theory theory of workarounds dominant logic actor network theory sociomaterialism theory

Reinforcement learning for extended reality: designing self-play scenarios

2019 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Leal, Leonardo A Espinosa; Chapman, Anthony; Westerlund, Magnus

Abstract: A common problem for deep reinforcement learning networks is a lack of training ... Expand

Abstract: A common problem for deep reinforcement learning networks is a lack of training data to learn specific tasks through generalization. In this paper, we discuss using extended reality to train reinforcement learning agents to overcome this problem. We review popular reinforcement learning and extended reality techniques and then synthesize the information, this allowed us to develop our proposed design for a self learning agent. Meta learning offers an important way forward, but the agents ability to perform self-play is considered crucial for achieving successful AI. Therefore, we focus on improving self-play scenarios for teaching self-learning agents, by providing a supportive environment for improved agent-environment interaction. Collapse

Topics: extended reality decision making soft systems methodology artificial intelligence

Methods: reinforcement learning literature study experiment conceptual modelling design methodology

Taking the first step with systems theorizing in information systems: A response

2017 | Information and Organization | Citations: 0

Authors: Demetis, Dionysios S.; Lee, Allen S.

Abstract: We address the commentaries of Robey and Mikhaeil, of Mingers, and of Schultze w ... Expand

Abstract: We address the commentaries of Robey and Mikhaeil, of Mingers, and of Schultze which provided responses to our paper, “Crafting theory to satisfy the requirements of systems science.” We find their responses useful for reflecting on the development of the role of systems theorizing within information systems research and provide our reaction in order to clarify several fundamental considerations pertaining to 1) our proposed set of requirements for systems theorizing, 2) the need for explicit systems theorizing, 3) the supposed overall neglect of systems science, 4) the communicability of systems theory and the path of grand theories, 5) emergence, the observer, and other considerations, and 6) systems theory from the perspective of sociomateriality. Collapse

Topics: knowledge representation soft systems methodology database system IS discipline information management

Methods: theory development ontological modelling field study bibliometric analysis action research

Theories: general systems theory

Cross-Organizational Software Development: Design and Evaluation of a Decision Support System for Software Component Outsourcing

2017 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Kramer, Tommi; Heinzl, Armin; Neben, Tillmann

Abstract: While the decision to outsource software development tasks was mainly considered ... Expand

Abstract: While the decision to outsource software development tasks was mainly considered strategically and economically, it relies on technical properties of single components and their integrability into complex systems, as well. This paper suggests a decision model that evaluates technical properties of software components to support the outsourcing decision with its implications on the cross-organizational distribution of development tasks. Following a design science approach decision criteria are deduced and logically combined in order to design a decision model. The model is then used to implement a mobile prototype for a decision support system in order to classify all software components regarding their outsourcing applicability. Both model and tool are evaluated in depth: we examine the quality of model and tool in a naturalistic and experimental evaluation setting. The overall satisfaction with utility, ease of use and intention to use is very positive. Collapse

Topics: outsourcing decision support system decision support usage intention usability

Methods: survey design artifact design science parametric test Student's t-test

Theories: technology acceptance model transaction cost economics

Back to the future: A critique of Demetis and Lee's “Crafting theory to satisfy the requirements of systems science”

2017 | Information and Organization | Citations: 0

Authors: Mingers, John

Abstract: Demetis and Lee's paper outlines criteria for constructing theory in accordance ... Expand

Abstract: Demetis and Lee's paper outlines criteria for constructing theory in accordance with systems science. This is a laudable aim but in this comment I suggest that their view of systems thinking is both narrow and somewhat dated. Demetis and Lee equate systems science with only one aspect of it – General Systems Thinking (GST) – and they discuss in detail only one theorist – Niklas Luhmann. I draw attention to a range of other systems approaches including system dynamics, soft systems methodology, complexity theory, critical systems thinking, critical realism and multimethodology. I conclude with tentative guidelines of my own. Collapse

Topics: soft systems methodology

Methods: system dynamics design methodology mixed method

Theories: general systems theory complexity theory

A computational literature review of the technology acceptance model

2016 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 14

Authors: Mortenson, Michael J.; Vidgen, Richard

Abstract: a b s t r a c tA literature review is a central part of any research project, a ... Expand

Abstract: a b s t r a c tA literature review is a central part of any research project, allowing the existing research to be mapped and new research questions to be posited. However, due to the limitations of human data processing, the literature review can suffer from an inability to handle large volumes of research articles. The computational literature review (CLR) is proposed here as a complementary part of a wider literature review process. The CLR automates some of the analysis of research articles with analyses of impact (citations), structure (co-authorship networks) and content (topic modeling of abstracts). A contribution of the paper is to demonstrate how the content of abstracts can be analyzed automatically to provide a set of research topics within a literature corpus. The CLR software can be used to support three use cases: (1) analysis of the literature for a research area, (2) analysis and ranking of journals, and (3) analysis and ranking of individual scholars and research teams. The working of the CLR software is illustrated through application to the technology acceptance model (TAM) using a set of 3,386 articles. The CLR is an open source offering, developed in the statistical programming language R, and made freely available to researchers to use and develop further.Crown Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet cloud computing big data insider threat soft systems methodology

Methods: literature study topic model literature sample computational algorithm co-citation analysis

Theories: technology acceptance model sociomaterialism theory actor network theory

Integrating Decision-Making Support in Geocollaboration Tools

2014 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 0

Authors: Antunes, Pedro; Zurita, Gustavo; Baloian, Nelson; Sapateiro, Claudio

Abstract: Collaborative spatial decision making (CSDM) involves multiple stakeholders maki ... Expand

Abstract: Collaborative spatial decision making (CSDM) involves multiple stakeholders making strategic decisions based on spatial data. Current CSDM tools have been exploring different ways to integrate spatial data with collaboration, distribution and mobility. Notably, decision-making support has not seen the same level of attention. This paper discusses the challenges raised by the integration of decision-making models in CSDM tools. We review a large collection of decision-making models using three different views: sequential, dynamic and continuous. From this review we derive a conceptual model and a set of functional requirements necessary to integrate decision-making support in CSDM tools. The conceptual model highlights the importance of several functions in decision-making processes: representing problems, finding alternatives and making choices (sequential view); classification and communication (dynamic view); and perception, comprehension and projection (continuous view). The paper also describes a prototype developed to validate the model. The paper provides two main research contributions: a unified view of decision-making support and an innovative CSDM tool blending spatial data with decision-making support. Collapse

Topics: decision making business process design situation awareness Google Cloud Platform tablet

Methods: conceptual modelling experiment computational algorithm design requirement synthesis

Explaining Broadband Adoption in Rural Australia: Modes of Reflexivity and the Morphogenetic Approach

2013 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 125

Authors: Dobson, Philip; Jackson, Paul; Gengatharen, Denise

Abstract: Universal fast broadband is currently being implemented by the Australian govern ... Expand

Abstract: Universal fast broadband is currently being implemented by the Australian government. It is the largest single project in Australia's history. Represented as a nation-building exercise by the government and many public and private promoters, it is vilified by others as a massive waste of taxpayers' money. Ultimately the target of successful universal availability will require that metropolitan installations subsidize rural adoption. The take-up of these facilities, particularly in regional and remote areas, constitutes a complex, multi-factorial scenario in which political, personal, and organizational decisions are shaped by physical, cultural, economic, and ideological elements. Critical realism is proposed here as an aid for examining the complex reality of rural adoption for communities and small businesses in the regions. This article highlights the importance of considering individual reflexivity in explaining the adoption decision and potential adoption barriers. Collapse

Topics: technology adoption web application geographic information system social media social network

Methods: qualitative interview focus group case study cross sectional research theory development

Theories: technology acceptance model

Mobile Applications Development on Apple and Google Platforms

2011 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 14

Authors: Bergvall-Kåreborn, Birgitta; Howcroft, Debra

Abstract: The uptake of Internet-enabled multifunctional mobile devices is an emerging are ... Expand

Abstract: The uptake of Internet-enabled multifunctional mobile devices is an emerging area within software development. This article examines the under-researched area of mobile application developers and considers some of the current challenges facing this sector within the IT workforce. We frame our study within the wider context of the evolution of the industry in order to illustrate how the emerging business model of mobile application development shapes the everyday practices of systems developers, specifically those working on iPhone and Android platforms. Drawing on qualitative research carried out in Sweden, the UK, and the U.S., we analyze developers’ experiences in order to illustrate how they respond and adapt to the turbulent environment of the IT sector. Collapse

Topics: mobile application Apple iPhone Android Google+ business model

Methods: qualitative interview survey field study design methodology cross sectional research