Ciaran Murphy

Understanding the design of information technologies for knowledge management in organizations: a pragmatic perspective

Abstract.  Researchers report mixed findings on the successful application of information technologies (IT) for knowledge management (KM). The primary difficulty is argued to be the use of information management techniques and concepts to design and develop KM Tools. Also problematic is the existence of a multiplicity of KM technologies, the application and use of which differs across organizations. This paper argues that these problems stem, in part, from the information system field’s over‐reliance on design concepts from the functionalist paradigm. Hence, our contention that alternative perspectives, which bring into focus issues of ontology and epistemology, need to be brought to bear in order to understand the challenges involved in the design and deployment of IT artefacts in knowledge management systems (KMS). The philosophy of technology, with its emphasis on the primacy of praxis, and which incorporates ontological and epistemological concepts from phenomenology and hermeneutics, is applied to the findings of a participative action research study to illustrate how social actors interpret and understand worldly phenomena and subsequently share their knowledge of the life‐world using IT. The outcome of this marriage of situated practical theory and philosophy is a set of design principles to guide the development of a core KM Tool for KMS.

A framework for the classification of DSS usage across organizations

The research project reported in this paper constitutes an attempt to build upon existing research in the DSS area, namely the well-known framework for DSS developed by Gorry and Scott Morton. The authors put forward a revised framework which researchers in the field can use to classify DSS applications meaningfully and make comparisons across large samples of systems and organizations. The findings of a three year action research study were used to develop a framework for the classification of DSS usage which was then tested empirically. The organizations studied were classified based on the extent to which they used DSS for different decision situations using two specific measurements: DSS spread and DSS complexity. The results obtained suggest that the framework which was developed in this research is a useful vehicle for categorizing the degree of maturity of organizations regarding their usage and development of actual DSS applications.

An exploratory study on IS capabilities and assets in a small-to-medium software enterprise

There is a dearth of research on the capabilities of innovative small-to-medium software enterprises (SMSEs). Understanding how SMSEs build and apply business and information systems (IS) capabilities is important, as such firms account for over 90% of software enterprises operating in Europe and the US. This paper elaborates and applies dynamic capability theory to explore and help understand the web of conditions and factors that shaped and influenced business and IS capability development and application in one European SMSE. Drawing on the overarching theory of dynamic capabilities, a theoretical model is presented that posits relationships among (1) a firms past activities; (2) its integration, learning and reconfiguration, and transformation capabilities; (3) its financial, complementary, locational, and technological asset positions; and (4) the products and services that result, and which are of value to an SMSEs customers. The paper refines and elaborates the model by describing and enumerating the business and IS capabilities, assets, and products and services of the SMSE under study. To properly assess whether this firms products and services were of value to its customers, research was also conducted at two customer sites in Ireland and the US, in addition to the investigation at the primary research site in Dublin. The study therefore informs both practitioners’ and researchers’ understandings of this complex and under-researched phenomenon: for practitioners, it highlights the characteristics required to build innovative software solutions; for researchers, it illustrates the patterns and regularities associated with the development and application of business and IS capabilities.

Introducing executive information systems into organizations: separating fact from fallacy

Several factors have been proposed by researchers to explain why organizations are motivated to introduce executive information systems (EIS) now. These are identified and categorized in this paper and the results of an empirical study which examined the relevance of these factors in practice are presented. The findings of the study question the relevance and validity of some of the factors that have been identified – most notably that EIS are being introduced at the request of executives who are becoming increasingly computer literate and see EIS as a means of coping with todays extremely competitive business environment. The study findings suggest that IS department push and EIS envy are factors which play a significant role in the emergence of EIS in organizations.

EXAMINING NON-REPRESENTATION IN ENGINEERING NOTATIONS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ONTOLOGICAL INCOMPLETENESS OF THE FUNCTIONALLY-RATIONAL MODELLING PARADIGM

Abstract The assumption that functionally rational notations can represent organisational spaces is central to engineering diagrammatical approaches in the delivery of advanced technology. This is reflected in a approach to notations which assumes objective, rationalistic ontologies. This form of rationalism in the modelling approach undermines notions of social context and social impact but, as such, has received little attention in the engineering literature to date. This paper opens the debate on research into notations and their relationship to sound method, suggesting that researchers need to rethink the ways in which the world is represented in engineering documentation, especially Requirements Engineering and Business Process Re-Engineering (BPRE). Empirical data from 9 companies and 48 people involved in manufacturing systems projects is presented which provides evidence for this position.

Challenging the hierarchical perspective on information systems: implications from external information analysis

The strategic choices of organizations have traditionally been influenced by their environmental interactions. Consequently, the field of information systems has become increasingly concerned with providing managers with external information. However, such systems are largely based on research that was conducted prior to the important organizational and environmental changes of the late 1980s and 1990s. Much of this research focuses on hierarchical differentiation when providing information (especially external information) to managers. This paper presents the findings of a study that investigated the sourcing, dissemination and use of external information in organizations. The results show that managerial demand for such information is unrelated to managerial level, but is influenced by functional affiliation. The study also contradicts many of the previously held beliefs about managerial preferences for information channels and media. These findings have important implications for the field of information systems, especially personnel involved in systems design.

Business Process Re-Engineering: Putting Theory Into Practice

AbstractBusiness Process Reengineering (BPR) advocates the fundamental examination and redesign of business processes, recognising that the legacy of scientific management has been the excessive fragmentation of work practices in organisations today. This is reflected in the hierarchical structuring of organisations around functional departments, with individual and departmental goals displacing overall organisational goals. This paper discusses the development of a specific methodology for BPR. The practical application of this methodology in an actual BPR project in one organisation is discussed and some of the findings and lessons learned from the project are presented.

Expert systems in marketing: An application for pricing new products

Abstract The use of expert systems in support of the marketing function is a relatively new field within expert systems. This paper reports on the issues arising in the development of an expert system for a key area of marketing—that of new product pricing. The paper describes the approach followed in the acquisition, modelling, and encoding of marketing expertise. The system developed is described, and sample consultations are outlined. An important aspect of the system detailed in this study is that it has been validated by marketing personnel in a range of business and has been used by a number of companies to support them in their new product pricing.

Twin peaks: rationalist and cultural perspectives on executive support systems

Abstract This paper summarizes the limitations of the rationalistic approach for the design, implementation and appraisal of executive support systems and advances in an interpretive cultural approach addressing their symbolic, boundary redefining and cultural attributes. Recognizing both perspectives provides richer insights about the meaning and role of such systems in organizations. This suggests that the efforts of managers, developers and researchers must embrace not only instrumental technology, but also the wider organizational and symbolic issues involved in the implementation of such systems.

Open innovation and the quest for a theoretical core

This paper lays a theoretical foundation from which it builds a typology of innovation search activities that can be used to characterize the openness of organisations. The typology is subsequently used as the conceptual lens when reviewing the extant literature in order to draw out recommendations for future research. This paper proposes that there are major issues with the extant literature and provides some recommendations for addressing these issues. This paper is of value to innovation scholars and those interested in building typologies as theoretical artefacts. More must be done to discover and to probe into why and how organisational elements interrelate and complement each other to impact the performance of organisations. Therefore, we suggest that scholars looking at innovation performance should consider combinations of search activities rather than the activities in isolation. Unfortunately existing studies tend to concentrate on either single activities or on the dichotomised choice between internal and external sources.