David Tilson

Research Commentary---Digital Infrastructures: The Missing IS Research Agenda

Since the inauguration of information systems research (ISR) two decades ago, the information systems (IS) fields attention has moved beyond administrative systems and individual tools. Millions of users log onto Facebook, download iPhone applications, and use mobile services to create decentralized work organizations. Understanding these new dynamics will necessitate the field paying attention to digital infrastructures as a category of IT artifacts. A state-of-the-art review of the literature reveals a growing interest in digital infrastructures but also confirms that the field has yet to put infrastructure at the centre of its research endeavor. To assist this shift we propose three new directions for IS research: (1) theories of the nature of digital infrastructure as a separate type of IT artifact, sui generis; (2) digital infrastructures as relational constructs shaping all traditional IS research areas; (3) paradoxes of change and control as salient IS phenomena. We conclude with suggestions for how to study longitudinal, large-scale sociotechnical phenomena while striving to remain attentive to the limitations of the traditional categories that have guided IS research.

A framework for selecting a location based service (LBS) strategy and service portfolio

Location-based services (LBS) add value by exploiting knowledge of a mobile devices location. The arrival of broadband mobile data networks has revived interest in these services which are seen as a major source of revenue growth. We propose a framework that supports the generation and assessment of LBS service concepts. The proposed framework offers a promising foundation for a design theory of LBS strategies and services. The analysis of the framework points towards avenues for future research by highlighting deficiencies in current knowledge of mobility and location awareness.

Change and Control Paradoxes in Mobile Infrastructure Innovation: The Android and iOS Mobile Operating Systems Cases

The advent of the smart phone as a highly complex technology has been accompanied by mobile operating systems (OS), large communities of developers, diverse content providers, and increasingly complex networks, jointly forming digital infrastructures. The multi-faceted and relational character of such digital infrastructures raises issues around how change and control can be conceptualized and understood. We discuss how change and control are paradoxically related in digital infrastructures and how they affect the evolution of such infrastructures. We examine these paradoxes by examining the change in, and competition between, two mobile operating systems: Apples iOS and Googles Android along with their related platform features and ecologies. We seek to validate a proposed theoretical framework of the dynamics of change and control through second-order analysis of the two cases. We observe that multiple factors had a significant effect on the evolution of these platforms including user interface, development platforms, business models, and value extraction principles. We observe how these factors significantly affect the evolution of mobile platform ecologies as well as speculate about the future of mobile system platforms.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Mobile Commerce: Mobile Commerce Research Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow—What Remains to Be Done?

ABSTRACT Mobile commerce (m-commerce) in the smartphone age is revolutionizing established value networks and transforming the wider economy. In this introduction we strive to build a bridge from the past of m-commerce research to its future. We examine more than a decade of research and conduct a Delphi study among leading scholars in the field. The review reveals significant changes in m-commerce topics as time goes on, and provides initial insights into what the future may hold for us. The most sobering finding is that the m-commerce field has still to establish a strong theoretical foundation. This has been reflected in less than overwhelming success in publishing on the subject in the most prestigious journals of the Information Systems discipline. At the same time, m-commerce forms one of the epicenters of the ongoing digitalization of our life. Therefore, we look forward to m-commerce research rising to the challenge and making significant contributions to understanding one of the important phenomena of our time.

Platform Complexity: Lessons from the Music Industry

Platforms provide anchor-points for coordinating varied activities within an ecosystem. Understanding platform complexity and its effects is therefore a vital concern for academia and industry. The complexity defines the range of possible activities on the platform and the related aspects of control. This paper argues that abstract models of platforms used in current research remove some of the most important features underlying the inherent complexity of digital platforms. This insight is illustrated with a small study of platforms and their evolving complexity in the music industry. The exploration highlights salient phenomena that a more comprehensive theory of digital platforms should encompass. We posit that advancing theoretical perspective that better embrace the complexity of digital platforms is needed to fully capture the strategic and technological implications of emerging digital platforms.

Towards a Theor etical Fr amework for Studying the Effect of Mobile- ICT on Coor dination

The use of mobile information and communications technologies is increasing rapidly in modern organizations. We present a theory based framework for studying the effect of these technologies on coordination in organizations. Four temporal workstyles that embed the key contingencies of dependence and uncertainty from organizational theory, and a set of fundamental question about coordination and mobility, provide the basis for the framework. We apply the framework to four mini-cases of coordination that include some element of mobility to gain initial insight into the effects of m-ICTs. The next steps include a more extensive meta-study of the literature to bolster these initial findings and to provide a foundation for the creation of a design theory

The Paradoxes of Change and Control in Digital Infrastructures: The Mobile Operating Systems Case

The advent of the smart phone as a highly complex technology has been accompanied by mobile operating systems, large communities of developers, diverse content providers, and increasingly complex networks, jointly forming digital infrastructures. The multi-faceted and relational character of such digital infrastructures raises issues around how change and control can be conceptualized and understood. We discuss how change and control are paradoxically related in digital infrastructures and how they affect the evolution of such infrastructures. We examine these paradoxes by examining the change in, and competition between, two mobile operating systems: Apples iOS and Symbian along with their related platform features and ecologies. We seek to verify a previously proposed theoretical framework of the dynamics of change and control through second-order analysis of the two cases. We observe that multiple and small factors have had a significant effect on the evolution of these platforms including user interface, development platforms, business models, and related value extraction principles. We make several observations about the factors that affect the evolution of mobile platform ecologies and their significance as well as speculate about the future of operating system platforms.

Mathematical Modeling to Reduce Waste of Compounded Sterile Products in Hospital Pharmacies

In recent years, many US hospitals embarked on “lean” projects to reduce waste. One advantage of the lean operational improvement methodology is that it relies on process observation by those engaged in the work and requires relatively little data. However, the thoughtful analysis of the data captured by operational systems allows the modeling of many potential process options. Such models permit the evaluation of likely waste reductions and financial savings before actual process changes are made. Thus the most promising options can be identified prospectively, change efforts targeted accordingly, and realistic targets set. This article provides one example of such a data-driven process redesign project focusing on waste reduction in an in-hospital pharmacy. A mathematical model of the medication prepared and delivered by the pharmacy is used to estimate the savings from several potential redesign options (rescheduling the start of production, scheduling multiple batches, or reordering production within a batch) as well as the impact of information system enhancements. The key finding is that mathematical modeling can indeed be a useful tool. In one hospital setting, it estimated that waste could be realistically reduced by around 50% by using several process changes and that the greatest benefit would be gained by rescheduling the start of production (for a single batch) away from the period when most order cancellations are made.

Unanticipated Influence of Coordination Mechanisms on Physician Workstyles and ED Operational Efficiency

The coordination of activities in a work context has been examined by many disciplines and in recent years the role of information systems and other artifacts has become increasingly prominent. The emergency department (ED) of a hospital in a large US city is used to study how information systems and other coordinating mechanisms affect how physicians choose to perform their work and how such choices can impact the operational performance of the ED as a whole. The study used direct observation of the work performed in the ED, interviews of physicians, nurses and other ED staff members, and the analysis of historical performance data. The key findings were that the workstyles adopted by physicians were shaped by incidental characteristics of coordination mechanisms. Some workstyles appear to have adverse, albeit unintended, effects on aspects of the departments operational performance.

Introduction to ICT Enabled Services Minitrack

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