David Wastell

The fetish of technique: methodology as a social defence

Abstract. Methodology is a central issue in the theory and practise of information systems development. Structured methods, for instance, have been widely championed as providing a way of improving the quality of software systems. In this paper a case study is presented in which a mail order company made an attempt to implement a well‐known methodology, Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM). Far from facilitating the development process, SSADM encouraged a rigid and mechanical approach in which the methodology was applied in a ritualistic way which inhibited creative thinking. The argument is thus, that methodology, although its influence may be benign, has the potential to operate as a ‘social defence’, i.e. as a set of organizational rituals with the primary function of containing anxiety. The grandiose illusion of an all‐powerful method allows practitioners to deny their feelings of impotence in the face of the daunting technical and political challenges of systems development. By withdrawing into this fantasy world the learning processes that are critical to the success of systems development are jeopardized. Methodology, whilst masquerading as the epitome of rationality, may thus operate as an irrational ritual, the enactment of which provides designers with a feeling of security and efficiency at the expense of real engagement with the task at hand.

Effects of sleep deprivation and user interface on complex performance: a multilevel analysis of compensatory control.

This study was carried out to test the compensatory control model, which predicts performance maintenance under stress at the expense of effort and increased selectivity. It examined the effects of sleep deprivation on performance in an automated process control task based on a simplified life support system with two types of operator control panel interface: machine centered (M-C), in which access to the system was scheduled by the computer, and human-centered (H-C), in which access was ad-lib. The task environment also permitted the analysis of changes in strategy and in subsidiary activities (alarm reaction time, prospective memory). In a 2 × 2 repeated-measures design, 16 participants carried out the task with each interface after both normal sleep and one night of sleep deprivation (SD). No effects of SD were observed on primary task performance. As predicted, SD effects were confined to strategy changes and subsidiary task impairment and occurred only under the (low control) M-C interface. Subjective effort was increased under SD, with greater increases of effort associated with high levels of performance protection. The findings provide strong evidence in favor of the compensatory control model and argue for the use of complex, multilevel tasks in the analysis of performance under stress. Actual or potential applications include the development of more sensitive performance-testing systems based on multilevel analysis of decrement, and the design of interfaces for shift work and other suboptimal work conditions.

A methodology for business process redesign: experiences and issues

Abstract Business process redesign (BPR) refers to the endeavour to augment organizational performance by improving the efficiency, effectiveness and adaptability of key business processes. This article describes a flexible and extensible methodological framework (called PADM) for BPR which has been developed on the firm basis of several years of practical experience. PADM is an eclectic methodology. It has been strongly influenced by a number of methodological approaches, most notably soft systems methodology and sociotechnical systems design. This article outlines the main features of PADM and describes three recent case studies which show the range and variety of BPR initiatives. A number of issues are taken up in the discussion. The need for a flexible and adaptable methodology is stressed given the broad spread of studies subsumed under the BPR rubric. The dangers of process automation are illustrated and the need for a sociotechnical perspective is underlined. Business process redesign entails organization change. Many of our case studies fell short of their anticipated impact; various explanations are discussed (politics, culture, information technology inertia). The paper concludes by outlining several fruitful areas for further research and describes a number of aspects of our current work.

Software Process: Principles, Methodology, Technology

Software process technology is an emerging and strategic area that has already reached a reasonable degree of maturity, delivering products and significant industrial experiences. This technology aims at supporting the software production process by providing the means to model, analyse, improve, measure, and whenever it is reasonable and convenient, to automate software production activities. In recent years, this technology has proved to be effective in the support of many business activities not directly related to software production, but relying heavily on the concept of process (i.e. all the applications traditionally associated with workflow management). This book concentrates on the core technology of software processes, its principles and concepts as well as the technical aspect of software process support. The contributions to this book are the collective work of the Promoter 2 European Working Group. This grouping of 13 academic and 3 industrial partners is the successor of Promoter, a working group responsible for creating a European software process community. Promoter 2 aims at exploiting this emerging community to collectively develop remaining open issues, to coordinate activities and to assist in the dissemination of results. The title “Software Process Modelling and Technology” [Fink94] was produced during Promoter 1. Being “project based”, it presented the main findings and proposals of the different projects then being undertaken by the partners. The present book is more ambitious for two reasons: it is “principles oriented” and it is intended to reflect our common understanding of the key concepts. In order to produce it, we have adopted, from the beginning, an explicit “book writing” process and we have also described it with one of the available formalisms. This is used as an example in Appendix C to illustrate the discourse and to defend the thesis that software process technology can be exploited in other related domains. Each chapter has specific editors and contributors, and contributions have been discussed and amended before being integrated. The global editing has been decomposed into two facets, with the syntactic and semantic editing undertaken by Ali Kaba and myself, and a complete revision to transform our “Esprit English” into one more correct, with thanks to the IPG at Manchester for their enormous contribution.

Research on information systems failures and successes: Status update and future directions

Information systems success and failure are among the most prominent streams in IS research. Explanations of why some IS fulfill their expectations, whereas others fail, are complex and multi-factorial. Despite the efforts to understand the underlying factors, the IS failure rate remains stubbornly high. A Panel session was held at the IFIP Working Group 8.6 conference in Bangalore in 2013 which forms the subject of this Special Issue. Its aim was to reflect on the need for new perspectives and research directions, to provide insights and further guidance for managers on factors enabling IS success and avoiding IS failure. Several key issues emerged, such as the need to study problems from multiple perspectives, to move beyond narrow considerations of the IT artifact, and to venture into underexplored organizational contexts, such as the public sector.

When policy o'erleaps itself: The 'tragic tale' of the integrated children's system

Information technology plays a pivotal role in New Labour’s modernization programme. Here we report findings from a 2 year ethnographic study of the impact and origin of one such system, the Integrated Children’s System, which has been deployed in statutory children’s social care. We show how the ICS, by attempting to micro-manage work through a rigid performance management regime, and a centrally prescribed practice model, has disrupted the professional task, engendering a range of unsafe practices and provoking a gathering storm of user resistance. We attribute these paradoxical outcomes to inherent flaws in the design of ICS, which derive from the history of its development and its embodiment of an audit-driven, inspectorial ideology. We conclude with some suggestions for user-centred design and policymaking, which have relevance not only for children’s social care but for the public services in general.

Diffusion – or delusion? Challenging an IS research tradition

– This paper seeks to critique the notion of diffusionism., – The notion of diffusionism provides a general way of understanding innovation and human progress. It is pervasive within IS research and practice. Generically, diffusionism denotes an asymmetrical view of innovation as originating exclusively in “progressive” centres, from which it spreads through an essentially passive recipient community. This model is pernicious, as it privileges an elite few over the majority, with the innovator/imitator dichotomy presented as natural, moral and inevitable. This paper analyses the notion of diffusionism in information systems (IS)., – The failure to find any empirical support for diffusionism reveals both its mythical character and its ideological rationale in lending moral legitimacy to colonialistic projects. Empirical examples demonstrate both the ubiquity of the diffusionist mindset in IS research and practice, and its linkage to pseudo‐colonial activities in the home domain., – The paper concludes by arguing for a more critical approach within IS research on innovation, the use of richer, process‐based theories, and greater partnership with practitioners in order to close the research/practice gap.

Blinded by neuroscience: social policy, the family and the infant brain

Current social policy initiatives are promoting early intervention to improve the lives of disadvantaged children. Neuroscientific evidence is prominent in this discourse, creating the lustre of science, but too much has been taken on trust. In particular, the argument that the first three years are critical has created a now-or-never imperative to intervene before irreparable damage is done to the developing infant brain. A critique of current policy in the United Kingdom is provided here, drawing on counter-arguments from the policy discourse in the United States during the ‘decade of the brain’, updated with more recent research findings. Overall, we show that the infant brain is not readily susceptible to permanent and irreversible damage from psychosocial deprivation. Rather, plasticity and resilience seem to be the general rule. The co-option of neuroscience has medicalised policy discourse, silencing vital moral debate and pushing practice in the direction of standardised, targeted interventions rather than simpler forms of family and community support, which can yield more sustainable results.

Technology transfer: diffusion or translation?

There can be little doubt that over the last three decades diffusion theory has had a major impact on a large number of disciplines. However diffusion theory is but one way of thinking about ‘technology transfer’, and here we present an alternative view — namely the notion of translation embodied in actor-network theory (ANT). We believe ANT offers ways of thinking about transfer problems that diffusion metaphors fail to adequately address. Using a retrospective analysis of a case study, we examine and contrast key concepts of these two approaches to technology transfer.

Effects of training on short- and long-term skill retention in a complex multiple-task environment.

The paper reports the results of an experiment on the performance and retention of a complex task. This was a computer-based simulation of the essential elements of a spacecrafts life support system. It allowed the authors to take a range of measures, including primary and secondary task performance, system intervention and information sampling strategies, mental model structure, and subjective operator state. The study compared the effectiveness of two methods of training, based on low level (procedure-based) and high level (system-based) understanding. Twenty-five participants were trained extensively on the task, then given a 1-h testing session. A second testing session was carried out 8 months after the first (with no intervening practice) with 17 of the original participants. While training had little effect on control performance, there were considerable effects on system management strategies, as well as in structure of operators mental model. In the second testing session, the anticipated general performance decrement did not occur, though for complex faults there was an increase in selectivity towards the primary control task. The relevance of the findings for training and skill retention in real work environments is discussed in the context of a model of compensatory control.