Carl Erik Moe

On the evolution of e-Government: The user imperative

This paper focuses the need for more research on user involvement and the investigation of stakeholders in e-Government initiatives. An investigation of existing work revealed a lack of research on those topics. As e-Government evolves and users mature, the value of their input can increase. The paper discusses the need and potential benefits of this approach. Finally, we suggest that existing stakeholder theory is investigated for adaptation into e-Government settings in order to map the complex body of interrelated stakeholders.

Public e-Procurement - Determinants of Attitudes Towards Adoption

The paper discusses the need for more research on the adoption of public e-procurement and what factors influences this adoption. A number of European countries have developed and implemented solutions for public e-procurement at a national level. Despite major initiatives from state level and claims of reduced cost through wider choice and higher efficiency these have been adopted to a less extent than expected by the public sector in some of the countries. Lack of adoption may be due to a number of reasons. Technical problems, costly solutions and competing electronic marketplaces (Somasundaram 2004b) are causes often suggested. Henriksen et. al. (2004) suggests that decentralisation of purchasing power conflicting with centralised solutions may be an important cause in Denmark. In Norway, the governemnts project manager for implementation of e-procurement suggests lack of organisational change as a cause for lack of adoption (Computerworld 2004). We need to identify the reasons for the lack of adoption so that public spending is not wasted. We suggest that institutional theory may help understand the different attitudes towards adoption, and that community goals expressed as concern for the regional business community may be an important institutional factor. The paper outlines a research agenda and presents a tentative research model and a design to test this. The study itself will start early autumn 2004, and preliminary results will be available late 2004.

Limits of public procurement: information systems acquisition

In this paper, we identify the tensions that exist inherently in the public procurement process as it applies to the acquisitions of larger information systems. The tensions are a result of government organizations trying to acquire the best information system possible while at the same time having to adhere to public procurement regulations. Based on case analysis of two information system acquisitions in a Norwegian municipality, we uncover three tensions inherent to the procurement process. Our findings reveal that municipalities employ a variety of strategies to deal with these tensions. However, in doing so, new tensions are created. The findings have implications for development of e-Government as these tensions needs to be taken into account when procuring new systems.

Challenges in information systems procurement in the Norwegian public sector

Public procurement of information systems (IS) and IS services provides several challenges to the stakeholders involved in the procurement processes. This paper reports initial results from a Delphi study, which involved 46 experienced procurement managers, chief information officers, and vendor representatives in the Norwegian public sector. The participants identified altogether 98 challenges related to IS procurement, divided further into 13 categories: requirements specification, change management, cooperation among stakeholders, competence, competition, contracting, intermunicipal cooperation, governmental management, procurement process, rules and regulations, technology and infrastructure, vendors, and IT governance. The results contribute by supporting a few previous findings from conceptual and case-based studies, and by suggesting additional issues which deserve both further research and managerial and governmental attention. As such, the results provide altogether a rich overview of the IS procurement challenges in the Norwegian public context.

The Public Procurement of IS -- A Process View

This paper addresses a lack of research into public procurement of information systems, especially from a process focus. Three case studies from IS procurement in Norwegian municipalities are presented. By following one of the procurements in detail, the paper shows a process with a very strict phased division, an approach quite different from todays agile system development methods. The cases show the importance of the requirement specification which is completed before talking to vendors. They also show the need for clarifying the content of the offer, through a dialogue with the vendor. A number of critical incidents are identified, involving the interests of different stakeholders. Continual management of stakeholders and of the procurement process through to implementation and acceptance testing are highlighted.

The Public Procurement of Information Systems: Dialectics in Requirements Specification

When acquiring information systems, public entities face a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to procure the system that best suits their needs, which often requires lengthy dialogues with vendors. At the same time, they are restricted by government regulations that mandate limited dialogue in the interests of transparency and equal opportunities for all vendors. To examine how public entities deal with this, we followed three procurement projects in Norway. We show that this dilemma manifests itself as a dialectic between the thesis of getting the system requirements right and the antithesis of strictly adhering to regulations. Public entities search for a resolution of this dialectic through two syntheses: selecting an appropriate tendering procedure, and learning how to specify requirements through networks of peer public entities. Our findings reveal that the syntheses are possible because the dialectic is actually complimentary, both the thesis and the antithesis are needed to create the joint outcome that satisfies both. The resolution of the dialectic unfolds differently over time. Our study contributes to the relatively neglected stream of IS research on dialectics that explicitly searches for a synthesis while revealing the complementarity of the dialectic. We show how time plays a nuanced role in the resolution of the dialectic situation.

Blended learning: communication, locations and work-life practices

The article discusses blended learning and how various delivery formats affect the way learning is situated in work-life practices. The authors approached this issue through an empirical study of an in-service training programme for middle-level managers in a number of case organisations. The programme used a combination of e-learning, textbooks and face-to-face seminars. The conclusion reached is that a purposeful blend of delivery modes and technology systems can situate learning outside the daily work location and at the same time facilitate the creation of communities of practice embedded in daily work experience. It is further argued that inflexibility can be a necessary for creation of such communities.

Crossing Borders: An Online Interdisciplinary Course in Health Informatics for Students From Two Countries

A cross-countries and interprofessional novel approach for delivering an international interdisciplinary graduate health informatics course online is presented. Included in this discussion are the challenges, lessons learned, and pedagogical recommendations from the experiences of teaching the course. Four professors from three different fields and from three universities collaborated in offering an international health informatics course for an interdisciplinary group of 18 US and seven Norwegian students. Highly motivated students and professors, an online technology infrastructure that supported asynchronously communication and course delivery, the ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the pedagogy requirements at all universities, and the support of higher administration for international collaboration were enablers for success. This project demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of an interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and cross-countries approach in teaching health informatics online. Students were able to establish relationships and conduct professional conversations across disciplines and international boundaries using content management software. This graduate course can be used as a part of informatics, computer science, and/or health science programs.

Dialectics and Contradictions in Public Procurement of Information Systems

Public procurement of Information Systems is a highly complex process. Not surprisingly, systems often fail to meet the needs for which they were procured. One of the main causes of this is the contradictions between goals of different stakeholders. Identifying and understanding these conflicts and contradictions are essential to develop strategies to improve the procurement process. In this paper, we present a case study where we examined the procurement process of a system carried out by a public entity in Norway. Using dialectic theory and stakeholder theory as interpreting lenses, we identified a number of conflicts and contradictions. Some of the contradictions resulted from conflicting and divergent goals of the various stakeholders across groups but also within groups, while others resulted from differing goals of policies and regulations.

Meeting the IT-skill shortage in Europe head-on: approaching in unison from practice and academia

The IT Personnel crisis is global afflicting many areas, including the US, Australia and Europe. In this paper, we report and evaluate on-going approaches in Europe from both practice and academia. We focus especially on the CEPIS projects that aim at addressing the IT skills shortage. We then examine how research projects based on theoretical and conceptual premises in Norway can enhance these practical approaches. We propose ways of integrating the two approaches, and incorporate human resource processes to successfully meet the IT needs of organisations.