James C. Wetherbe

Key issues in information systems management

The results from a five-part Delphi survey of chief IS executives and corporate general managers indicate the most critical information systems management issues and consensus on their importance. The research project is the second in a series of such studies conducted by the Society for Information Management and the MIS Research Center at the University of Minnesota. The research confirmed the expected in some areas and revealed surprises in other areas. While strategic planning continued to top all issue sin importance, many changes have occurred since 1983. Three new issues have joined the top ten issues in importance. Also, the rank order of several issues in the top ten has shifted. Survey results are discussed in terms of the differing views of IS executives and corporate general managers. A review of how these views have changed over time is also presented. A number of conclusions are drawn about managing information systems and about the changing nature of the IS executives job.

Key issues in information systems management: 1994–95 SIM Delphi results

Over the past 15 years, the Society for Information Management (SIM) has periodically 1 Sirkka Jarvenpaa was the accepting senior editor for this paper. 2 Dr. Wetherbe is also FedEx Professor of Excellence at the University of Memphis. surveyed its members to determine the most critical issues in IS management. Again in 1994-95, SIM institutional and board members were asked to consider what they felt were the most critical issues facing IS executives over the next three to five years. Signaling an evolutionary shift in IS management, this study shows that business relationship issues have declined in importance compared to technology infrastructure issues. For IS executives and general managers, the key issue framework suggests some general directions for emphasis and provides a coarse measure for benchmarking their own concerns against those of their peers. The results of this study also impact educational missions in teaching and research to the extent that they need to be sensitive to the views of practicing fS executives.

The Adoption of Spreadsheet Software: Testing Innovation Diffusion Theory in the Context of End-User Computing

Judging by the wealth of problems reported in the literature, information systems (IS) and general managers are not sure how to manage the introduction of new information technology. One step toward providing sound management guidelines is to improve understanding of the social forces which affect the introduction and diffusion process within organizations. This research takes a step toward that goal by examining the validity of innovation diffusion theory within the context of end-user computing. The research involved a field study and historical analysis of the diffusion of spreadsheet software in organizations. To assist in controlling exogenous factors, only finance and accounting departments were studied. Over 500 professionals in 24 business units from 18 large businesses in manufacturing and services participated in the research. Findings supported hypotheses that earlier adopters of spreadsheet software were younger, more highly educated, more attuned to mass media, more involved in interpersonal communication, and more likely to be opinion leaders. Also supported was the hypothesized sigmoidal distribution of adoption over time. Application of the theory was not supported in all areas, however, suggesting that information technology diffusion is different from other diffusion phenomena. Contrary to theory, interpersonal channels of communication were dominant in all phases of adoption decision making. And contrary to their hypothesized role as change agent, IS departments played a minor role in the diffusion process. This was consistent with the observed user-led nature of the phenomenon. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The relationship between user participation and user satisfaction: an investigation of four contingency factors

User participation has been widely touted by the MIS community as a means to improve user satisfaction with systems development. This claim, however, has not been consistently substantiated in the empirical literature. In seeking to explain such equivocal results, the effects of four contingency factors - task complexity, system complexity, user influence, and user-developer communication - on the relationship between user participation and user satisfaction were investigated. As suggested in the literature, this research tests hypotheses that these specific contingency factors should aid in identifying situations where user participation would have a strong relationship with satisfaction.Analysis of 151 independent system development projects in eight different organizations indicated that user participation has a direct relationship with user satisfaction. In addition, the four contingency factors were found to play key roles on this relationship. Task complexity and system complexity proved to be pure motivators. That is, the strength of the participation-satisfaction relationship depended on the level of these factors. In projects where there was a high level of task complexity or system complexity, the relationship between user participation and user satisfaction was signifiantly stronger than in projects where task complexity or system complexity was low. User influence and user-developer communication were shown to be independent predictors of user satisfaction. That is, user influence or user-developer communication was positively related to user satisfaction regardless of the level of participation.The results help explain the relationship between user participation and user satisfaction by suggesting the nature of the relationship under different sets of conditions. The implications are relevant to system developers and to academicians seeking to explain how, when, why, and where user participation is needed.

Key information systems issues for the 1980's

Knowledge of the most important issues in the information systems field would help focus research and educational efforts. A Delphi study, using leading information systems (IS) professionals, was used to identify and rank ten key IS management issues for the 1980s. Measures were also taken to the amount of agreement achieved on these issues and rankings. The number one issue identified was improved IS planning, followed by facilitation and management of end user computing. This article describes the research approach involved and discusses the results.

MIS research: a profile of leading journals and universities

MIS research is emerging as an electric and diverse body of literature. Frameworks have been developed to define and direct research efforts. Considerable variation in research methodology, however, creates problems of effective comparison and evaluation of merit. In this article, MIS research is reviewed from the perspective of an examination of leading journals in the field. A taxonomy is proposed and tested, illustrating research preference by journals and universities. Significant differences of research methodology and .journal preference are noted between the top publishing universities both within that group and in comparison to the wider body of publishing institutions.

Toward a comprehensive framework for MIS research

A comprehensive framework for Management Information Systems (MIS) that attempts to define the domain of MIS research is proposed. The framework draws extensively from existing MIS frameworks and organizational theory concepts and definitions. Validation of the framework is accomplished by categorizing a cross-section of MIS literature within the framework.

Empirical investigation of systems development practices and results

Abstract A survey was conducted of 72 information system development projects in 23 major U.S. corporations. The characteristics of the organizations, their system development methodologies, and the information system projects were reviewed. The study focused on the early phases of systems development, especially systems analysis and systems development planning. Early plans and budgets were evaluated with respect to the results of the completed projects. An analysis of the development of these projects provides a summary description of systems development practice as performed in these leading organizations. Included with development practices, the study measured or estimated such aspects of the projects as user satisfaction and development time and cost overruns. The results provide useful insight into system development methodology, cost and time estimating, variables affecting user satisfaction, and the need to iteratively determine user requirements.

Cognitive stopping rules for terminating information search in online tasks

Online search has become a significant activity in the daily lives of individuals throughout much of the world. The almost instantaneous availability of billions of web pages has caused a revolution in the way people seek information. Despite the increasing importance of online search behavior in decision making and problem solving, very little is known about why people stop searching for information online. In this paper, we review the literature concerning online search and cognitive stopping rules, and then describe specific types of information search tasks. Based on this theoretical development, we generated hypotheses and conducted an experiment with 115 participants each performing three search tasks on the web. Our findings show that people utilize a number of stopping rules to terminate search, and that the stopping rule used depends on the type of task performed. Implications for online information search theory and practice are discussed.

Three stage model of MIS planning

Abstract Planning an information system that will meet the information needs of an organization is a difficult task. Thr process of formulating the plan is not well-defined in the information system literature. This article proposes a three-stage model for planning the Management Information System (MIS). The three stages are strategic MIS planning, organizational information requirements analysis, and resource allocation. This model clarifies many ill-defined issues of MIS planning. Several methodologies that have been proposed for MIS planning are surveyed and classified to the stage of the MIS planning model in which they are useful. Recommendations are made for applying the model.