Alireza Amrollahi

Open Strategic Planning in Universities: A Case Study

This paper introduces a case study in which the crowdsourcing model has been used to implement the open strategy concept in an Australian university. This model helps the organisation to include more stakeholders and provide the opportunity of a transparent planning process. The paper explains an IT artefact and accompanying conceptual design supporting an internally open strategic planning process of a university. It also explains the result of the case study in accordance to the suitability of the crowdsourcing model for implementation of an open strategy approach, challenges which were faced during the study, and root causes. It concludes with some recommendations for future research and practices.

Success of Open Source in Developing Countries: The Case of Iran

Open Source approach has been recognized as one of the best methods for software development in developing countries. Previous research however underemphasized different aspects of Open Source Software OSS success in context of developing countries compared to western context. In this research the authors use exploratory mixed methodology to study measures of and factors affecting OSS success with emphasize on the social and cultural context of Iran. In the qualitative section of the research 13 interviews with experts of the field have been conducted and the result is reflected in the research model. In the quantitative section, five research hypotheses have been evaluated by using data of 109 Iranian projects from sourceforge.net repository. The results indicate that the license type and use of project management tools may affect the success of OSS. The authors finally conclude that OSS research especially in the field of OSS success may lead to different findings in different contexts.

OSPM: A Design Methodology for Open Strategic Planning

Abstract This study employs a design science perspective to propose a methodology for open strategic planning (OSP). Habermas’ discourse theory and Bryson’s strategy change cycle are used as informing kernel theories. A methodology is proposed to satisfy the requirements retrieved from the kernel theories. The proposed methodology contains modules for a planning system and a planning process. Design principles are explained through a blueprint of the system and process. The proposed methodology is applied and evaluated in two cases. Contributions to the literature involve extending the literature on OSP to an applicable methodology with guidelines on how to implement open strategy.

Collaborative open strategic planning: a method and case study

The purpose of this paper is to show how collaborative information technology (IT) tools and a crowdsourcing model can be leveraged for the purpose of strategic planning. To achieve this objective, a formal method of open strategic planning (OSP) is proposed.,Based on a review of the literature a set of activities, stakeholders, and governing rules are identified in the form of an OSP method. The proposed planning method is implemented in a case study of strategic planning in an Australian university. Observations by the research team, and archival records were used to ascertain the relevance of the used method.,A method for OSP is presented and assessed. The method contains four phases: pre-planning, idea submission, idea refinement, and plan development. These phases cover the activities required from conceptualization to preparing and publishing the strategic plan. The findings clarify how the principles of OSP helped the organization to include more stakeholders and provided the opportunity to make the planning process transparent through use of a collaborative IT tool.,The study provides managers and planning consultants with detailed guidelines to implement the concept of open strategy.,This study is among the few to propose a method for OSP based on empirical research. The study also shows how collaborative IT tools can be used for high-level organizational tasks such as strategic planning.