Crispin Coombs

A re-conceptualization of the interpretive flexibility of information technologies: redressing the balance between the social and the technical

Interpretive flexibility – the capacity of a specific technology to sustain divergent opinions – has long been recognized as playing an important role in explaining how technical artefacts are socially constructed. What is less clear is how a systems technical characteristics might limit its ability to be interpreted flexibly. This gap in the literature has largely arisen because recent contributions to this debate have tended to be rather one-sided, focussing almost solely upon the role of the human agent in shaping the technical artefact, and in so doing either downplaying or ignoring the artefacts shaping potential. The broad aim of this study was to reappraise the nature and role of interpretive flexibility but giving as much consideration to how an information systems technical characteristics might limit its ability to be interpreted flexibly, as we do to its potential for social construction. In this paper, we use the results of two in-depth case studies, in order to propose a re-conceptualization of the role of interpretive flexibility. In short, this model helps explain how the initial interpretations of stakeholders are significantly influenced by the scope and adaptability of the systems functionality. Stakeholder interpretations will then, in turn, influence how the systems functionality is appropriated and exploited by users, to allow divergent interpretations to be realized and sustained.

Improving retention strategies for IT professionals working in the public sector

Despite much research interest, effective retention of IT professionals has proved difficult for many public sector organizations. By concentrating on intention to leave, researchers may not have provided a clear way to formulate effective retention strategies. Consequently, we used intention to stay as an alternative lens to identify factors that can reduce turnover of IT professionals. Our findings indicated that attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and identification with the organization all had a statistically significant relationship with intention to stay; attitude was the strongest. It was concluded that existing retention strategies needed to be refocused on the issues that make IT staff stay; a number of practical recommendations for IT managers are presented.

The importance of user ownership and positive user attitudes in the successful adoption of Community Information Systems

The factors that influence the ultimate level of success or failure of systems development projects have received considerable attention in the academic literature. However, despite the existence of a ‘best practice’ literature many projects still fail. The record of the National Health Service has been particularly poor in this respect. The research reported in this paper proposes that two additional factors; user ownership and positive user attitudes warrant further development and investigation. The current study investigated these two factors in a homogenous organisational sector, Community NHS Trusts, using a common type of information system, in order to eliminate the potentially confounding influences of sector and system. A multiple case-study design incorporating five Community Healthcare Trusts was utilised. The key results from the analysis indicated that both user ownership and positive user attitudes were important mediating variables that were crucial to the success of a CIS. In addition, it was also identified that the adoption of best practice variables had a dual role, directly influencing the level of perceived success but also facilitating the development of user ownership and positive user attitudes. These results will be of particular interest to practising IM&T managers in the NHS and also to the wider academic research community.

The process of individual unlearning: A neglected topic in an under-researched field

In a contemporary business environment where change is often regarded as continuous, the ability of people or organizations to be able to successfully adapt and respond to change is key. Change often involves not only the learning of new behaviours, ideas, or practices but also giving up or abandoning some established ones. Despite both these elements generally being important to change, academic focus on processes of abandoning or giving up established knowledge and practices, that is, unlearning, is lacking. This conceptual article draws on a range of literature to suggest that the process of individual unlearning may have particular features. The review defines the concept of unlearning, differentiates between two different types of individual unlearning, and suggests that each type of individual unlearning may have its own distinctive features and dynamics. This article builds from this insight through developing a typology, which distinguishes between four types of individual unlearning. It concludes with an agenda for future empirical research to examine and validate the concepts presented.

Organizational boundaries and beyond: A new look at the components of a boundaryless career orientation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a new conceptualization of the boundaryless career – a widely acknowledged contemporary career concept – that reflects its original description more fully than previous literature has done, and to apply this conceptualization in an empirical investigation of career behavior and intentions of a large sample of European information technology (IT) professionals. Design/methodology/approach – As part of a large study of IT professionals in Europe (N=1,350), the paper had three research objectives. First, the paper developed and empirically tested a new operationalization of a person’s boundaryless career orientation (BCO) that reflects the originally proposed boundaryless career meanings more closely than existing approaches. Second, the paper used this to identify in a holistic manner different patterns of BCO. Third, the paper examined the nature and extent of links between BCO and self-reported career behavior and intentions. Findings – The paper identifie...

Attractiveness of physiotherapy in the National Health Service as a career choice: qualitative study

Background and Purpose The National Health Service is currently experiencing a shortfall of staff in the allied health professions and in particular, physiotherapy. This research project aimed to identify the key factors that determine the attractiveness of physiotherapy as a career choice and the National Health Service as an employer to potential recruits and returners. Methods Interviews were conducted with school pupils, mature students on Access courses, physiotherapy students, physiotherapy assistants, agency physiotherapists and independent sector physiotherapists. Findings Ninety-two individuals participated in the qualitative stage of the study. Physiotherapy as a career choice was seen as attractive because of caring for patients, job availability, variety in work content and high levels of teamwork. However, these positive features were offset by high levels of stress and workload, staff shortages and poor equipment. Conclusions In order to improve the attractiveness of a physiotherapy career greater publicity about consultant therapist positions, improved staffing levels, better working environments and increased work flexibility are required. It should be noted that the relatively small number of participants reduces the generalisability of the results of this study.

Factors affecting the level of success of community information systems

The factors that influence the ultimate level of success or failure of systems development projects have received considerable attention in the academic literature. However, previous research has rarely targeted different instances of a common type of system within a homogeneous organisational sector. This paper presents the results of a survey of IM&T managers within Community Trusts to gain insights into the factors affecting the success of Community Information Systems. The results demonstrate that the most successful operational systems were thoroughly tested prior to implementation and enjoyed high levels of user and senior management commitment. Furthermore, it has been shown that there is a relationship between the level of organisational impact and systems success, with the most successful systems engendering changes to the host organisations culture, level of empowerment and clinical working practices. In addition to being of academic interest, this research provides many important insights for practising IM&T managers.

Attractiveness of Physiotherapy in the National Health Service as a Career Choice: Qualitative studySource of Funds

Background and Purpose The National Health Service is currently experiencing a shortfall of staff in the allied health professions and in particular, physiotherapy. This research project aimed to identify the key factors that determine the attractiveness of physiotherapy as a career choice and the National Health Service as an employer to potential recruits and returners. Methods Interviews were conducted with school pupils, mature students on Access courses, physiotherapy students, physiotherapy assistants, agency physiotherapists and independent sector physiotherapists. Findings Ninety-two individuals participated in the qualitative stage of the study. Physiotherapy as a career choice was seen as attractive because of caring for patients, job availability, variety in work content and high levels of teamwork. However, these positive features were offset by high levels of stress and workload, staff shortages and poor equipment. Conclusions In order to improve the attractiveness of a physiotherapy career greater publicity about consultant therapist positions, improved staffing levels, better working environments and increased work flexibility are required. It should be noted that the relatively small number of participants reduces the generalisability of the results of this study.

Improving the recruitment and return of nurses and allied health professionals: a quantitative study

The United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) is continuing to experience recruitment and retention problems of nursing and allied health profession staff. Consequently, the need to study and understand the key factors that encourage or dissuade people to work for the NHS remains a major research and policy issue. This study provides well-focused, independent research to explore how the NHS can be made more attractive for potential new recruits and possible returners. The views of potential recruits and returners interested in working for the NHS as either a qualified nurse, physiotherapist or radiographer were explored through a postal questionnaire survey which achieved a response rate of 23%. Analysis of the results indicate that the strongest predictor of intention to work for the NHS in one of the three professions was the attitude held by respondents. These attitudes in turn were most influenced by the extent to which people perceived that NHS work as a qualified nurse, physiotherapist or radiographer offered positive features, i.e. rewarding career, teamwork and a chance to help people and to get to know them. The views of family and friends regarding working for the NHS were also important as was the belief in ones ability to secure an NHS job.

Measuring and Managing the Benefits from IT Projects: A Review and Research Agenda

There is growing agreement that organisations must explicitly plan for and proactively manage the realisation of benefits, if a new technology is to deliver real value to its host organisation. In particular, benefits need to be leveraged through carefully planned and co-ordinated programmes of organisational change and ongoing organisational adaptation. Inevitably these insights have encouraged academics, consultants and practitioners to develop tools and techniques that explicitly support the benefits realisation process. Unfortunately, even when organisations have adopted such prescriptions, tools or panaceas, the outcome from software projects still often disappoints users and managers alike. Based upon a thorough review of the existing literature, we begin by critically evaluating the benefits management literature and argue that before organisations can meaningfully manage benefits, they must be able to effectively measure benefits. We then critique the existing benefits measurement literature to assess whether the current measurement tools are sufficiently robust and effective, to facilitate benefits management approaches. The chapter concludes by proposing an agenda that identifies the many areas in which future research projects could be fruitfully conducted.