Bjørn Erik Munkvold

Enterprise Content Management: An Integrated Perspective on Information Management

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is an emerging concept involving numerous software vendors, consultants, and information management practitioners around increasing market potential. However, there exist yet few academic reports on ECM from the viewpoint of organizational system implementations. This article analyses 58, mainly practitioner-oriented, case narratives of ECM projects and implementations to identify a framework of major issues that require managerial attention in organizations. The main areas covered by the framework are: objectives/impacts sought with ECM, enterprise model to be supported by ECM, content model, technological infrastructure, administrative resources and practices, and change management issues. The issues identified in this framework serve information management practitioners to facilitate ECM development from the viewpoint of the enterprise. Comparing the concept of ECM with related research on information resource management, electronic document management, and knowledge management, we argue that ECM represents a modern, integrated perspective on information management.

Process and technology challenges in swift-starting virtual teams

Virtual teams often face tight schedules and a need to start quickly and perform instantly. The goal of our study was to enhance understanding of the challenges faced by such teams. We used time-interaction-performance theory as the framework for following the processes and functions within virtual teams working on a systems development task. Our study provided a detailed examination of the group process, applied to virtual teams working under time pressure. The challenges faced by virtual teams in such settings showed that teams must work to enhance their effectiveness in multiple dimensions.

IT-supported competence management: A case study at Ericsson

Abstract This article highlights the potential benefits and challenges related to implementation of IT-sup-ported strategic competence management as part of a human resource management system. A case study of the implementation of a competence management system in the global telecommunications company Ericsson reveals several implementation challenges, and also shows how the system supports Ericssons knowledge networking strategy, through locating experts and stimulating emerging “communities of knowing.”

Factors in the Global Assimilation of Collaborative Information Technologies: An Exploratory Investigation in Five Regions

The diffusion of innovation theory is deployed to investigate the global assimilation of collaborative information technologies (CITs). Based on the concepts of IT acquisition and utilization, an assimilation framework is presented to highlight four states (limited, focused, lagging, and pervasive) that capture the assimilation of conferencing and groupware CITs. Data collected from 538 organizations in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Norway, and Switzerland are aggregated and analyzed to explore assimilation patterns and the influence of decision-making pattern, functional integration, promotion of collaboration, organization size, and IT function size on the assimilation of CITs. Although most of these factors influence assimilation of CITs from nonadoption to a state of limited assimilation, and from limited assimilation to a state of pervasive assimilation, they may not be critical when assimilation of CITs deviates from the expected path. The implications of our findings are discussed for practice and research on assimilation of CITs.

The wheel of collaboration tools: a typology for analysis within a holistic framework

We present a holistic framework for analyzing and specifying collaboration solutions, developed by an oil and gas company in response to practical needs in supporting integrated collaboration and information management. A typology of collaboration tool capabilities, termed the Wheel of Collaboration Tools (WCT), is described. We assess its contributions, and discuss areas of application and potential further development. Our intent is to stimulate discussion and research related to this type of collaboration modeling.

Identifying reasons for ERP system customization in SMEs: a multiple case study

Authors version of an article in the journal: Journal of Enterprise Information Management. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17410391211265142

On the rhetoric and relevance of IS research paradigms: a conceptual framework and some propositions

This paper discusses the relevance of IS research with respect to the rhetoric associated with three IS research paradigms in use - positivism, constructivism/interpretivism and critical research. The discussion is framed in terms of the following dimensions: ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions, relationship between theory and practice, and the role of the researcher in the research process. Based on this discussion, the authors propose a theoretical framework to study the relationship of the espoused assumptions of a researchers perspective with the degree of relevance of their knowledge claims to various stakeholders. In conclusion, some key propositions are elucidated and justified.

ERP system implementation in SMEs: exploring the influences of the SME context

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Compared to large enterprises, SMEs differ in a number of inherent characteristics, which are likely to impact the ERP system implementations. The purpose of this study is to explore these influences of the SME context on the ERP system implementation process. SME characteristics are synthesised from relevant literature and the influences of the contextual factors on various activities across the ERP life cycle are investigated. The study presents findings from a multiple case study of four SMEs. The ownership type of the companies and limited resources were identified as the most influential contextual factors. Among the ERP life-cycle phases, the implementation phase was affected most by the SME context. The case studies also illustrate the need for a more nuanced view on what should be considered general characteristics of SMEs; for example, regarding the level of IS knowledge, business processes, and market characteristics.

Exploring the role of informants in interpretive case study research in IS

Recent information systems research calls for interaction between the researcher and the informants in interpretive case study research. In line with Van de Vens call for engaged scholarship, we investigate how to involve the informants in case studies, not only for the collection of facts, but also in the co-construction and interpretation of the case narrative. The paper builds on a longitudinal case study, in which we explored an approach of extensive informant involvement. Using the ladder of analytical abstraction as our analytical tool, we discuss how an extended involvement of informants may enrich the interpretive process in case study research, and increase the relevance of the findings. We discuss how and under what conditions this form of involvement may take place, and potential challenges of this approach.

Identifying generative mechanisms through affordances: a framework for critical realist data analysis

Critical realism has attracted increasing attention as an alternative to positivist and interpretive research for explaining contemporary phenomena. There are now several sources for information systems’ (IS) scholars providing guidance on conducting critical realist studies. However, the most challenging step of a critical realist data analysis, the identification of causal mechanisms, is still insufficiently described. Identifying mechanisms is challenging. Drawing on the concept of affordances as an analytical construct offers the researcher a tool to identify and analyse mechanisms. We present a step-wise framework for identifying structural components of a mechanism, how these components interact to produce an outcome and contextual influences on this outcome. We illustrate the application of the framework through an example of the identification of IS innovation mechanisms in a case study in the airline industry. In doing so, we argue that the approach offers a methodological tool for identifying generative mechanisms, helping the researcher in conducting a more precise data analysis in empirical research.