R. Ryan Nelson

Antecedents of Information and System Quality: An Empirical Examination Within the Context of Data Warehousing

Understanding the successful adoption of information technology is largely based upon understanding the linkages among quality, satisfaction, and usage. Although the satisfaction and usage constructs have been well studied in the information systems literature, there has been only limited attention to information and system quality over the past decade. To address this shortcoming, we developed a model consisting of nine fundamental determinants of quality in an information technology context, four under the rubric of information quality (the output of an information system) and five that describe system quality (the information processing system required to produce the output). We then empirically examined the aptness of our model using a sample of 465 data warehouse users from seven different organizations that employed report-based, query-based, and analytical business intelligence tools. The results suggest that our determinants are indeed predictive of overall information and system quality in data warehouse environments, and that our model strikes a balance between comprehensiveness and parsimony. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for both theory and the development and implementation of information technology applications in practice.

Educational needs as perceived by IS and end-user personnel: a survey of knowledge and skill requirements

One of the fundamental issues inherent to both practice and academia emanates from the need to know what knowledge and skills personnel must possess to successfully perform their jobs. This article addresses this issue by performing an educational needs assessment, one that considers the deficiencies of both IS and end-user personnel. To this end, an instrument has been developed, tested, and completed by 275 employees within eight different organizations. The findings of this study suggest that among six different knowledge and skill areas, both IS and end-user personnel are most deficient in the area of general IS knowledge (e.g., IS policies and plans, fit between IS and organization, etc.). In addition, IS personnel appear to be in need of more organizational knowledge (e.g., organizational goals and objectives, critical success factors, etc.). End users, on the other hand, seem to require more IS-related skills (e.g., data access, use of software packages, etc.). The implications of these findings for practitioners and academicians focus on finding ways to improve the education and training programs currently in place.

The assessment of end-user training needs

ecent studies estimate that of the more than

A comparative evaluation of the impact of electronic and voice mail on organizational communication

50 billion that U.S. organizations spend on training annually [1], well over

An empirical re-examination of the relationship among training, ability, and the acceptance of information technology

5 billion is directed toward the users of information technology [10]. Despite the high dollar investment in end-user training (EUT), there was little evidence of verifiable returns or of effective results. Less than 50% of those organizations that evaluated their training programs attempted to measure the programs impact on the organizations budgets. Similarly, the American Society for Training and Development found that organizations conducted a training needs assessment less than 50% of the time [11]. When taken in aggregate, these studies present a rather discouraging scenario: the inputs into the training process are often not systematically identified while the outputs of the process are often not systematically evaluated. Therefore, a great deal of money and effort may be going into programs that reflect a precarious and ineffective Random In–Random Out, approach to training. Careful needs assessment and systematic evaluation are needed to guide improvements in training [5, 8, 9, 14]. Where needs assessment identifies the objectives of training, evaluation measures the accomplishment of objectives. Needs assessment, therefore, clearly sets the stage for effective training. Unfortunately only two substantive models have been offered to direct needs assessment: one by McGehee and Thayer in 1961 and the other by Ostroff and Ford in 1989. For over 30 years, both managers and researchers applied McGehee and Thayers [12] approach to needs assessment that identifies three content areas—organizational, task, and person. However, most applications and investigations of needs assessment, including those focused on end-user training, have emphasized only the person component, ignoring the critical roles of the organizational and task components. For example, researchers from the fields of human resource management and information systems have elected to concentrate on such issues as the interaction between learning styles and types of learning tasks [18] cognitive learning models [3, 19] disposi-tions toward computers [4, 17] and human-computer interaction [20]. As Gash and Kossek contend, if managers persist in viewing end-user training as an individual-level phenomenon, they are wasting their money. Similarly, researchers who only focus on individual aspects of training are studying the wrong questions and overlooking critical organizational and strategic issues of training ([7] p. 230). In an attempt to broaden the narrow focus of practice and research, Ostroff and Ford [15] expanded on McGe-hee and Thayers approach, developing …

Strategies for managing EUC on the Web

Abstract Communication in scheduled and unscheduled meetings, over the telephone and in face-to-face encounters consumes the majority of a managers time. By some estimates, up to 85% of a managers time is involved with various forms of communication. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that many organizations see the enhancement of managerial communication as a potentially high leverage application. This paper reports on the results of an exploratory study that compares two of the most prevalent communication technologies: Voice and electronic mail. Based on the findings of a questionnaire completed by 68 users of both voice mail and electronic mail from 12 organizations, cross-media comparisons are made with respect to scope of communication, patterns of communication, communication tasks and message content. The findings indicate that E-mail is viewed as a medium that has a significant impact on how individuals communicate in an organization. By contrast, V-mail is viewed as only a supplement to the telephone and has minimal perceived impact on intra-organizational communication.

Peopleware: emerging roles and responsibilities: an interview with John F. Andrews

This article validates a conceptual model of the relationship among training, ability, and acceptance of information technology (IT) within organizations. Previously developed to explain the relationship for end users, the model is tested for information systems personnel as well. To examine these variables (training, ability, and acceptance) and their interrelationships, an instrument was developed, pretested, and completed by 232 employees at eight different organizations. Based on the results of this study, the model is validated for both IS personnel and end users of information technology, indicating that positive relationships exist between (1) the IT-related training of an individual and his/her ability to use IT, (2) an individual’s ability to use IT and his/her use of IT, and (3) an individual’s ability to use IT and his/her satisfaction with IT. The implications and possibilities for further research are discussed.

The management of end-user computing: research directions for the 90's

Beginning in the early 1980s, end-user computing (EUC) began to permeate organizations following the advent of the personal computer and a host of applications directed at the non-IS professional. Along with EUC came a whole new set of organizational opportunities and risks. Ten years later the World Wide Web has opened the door to a yet more powerful set of EUC applications capable of reaching well beyond the boundaries of the organization. Indeed, Web technology permits end users to design applications that are immediately accessible by unlimited numbers of people from anywhere in the world. As a result, EUC using Web technology has introduced a whole new set of opportunities and risks for organizations. The purpose of this research is to examine what strategies organizations are using in their attempt to maximize the benefits of the Web for end users while mitigating the inherent risks. To this end, individuals from twelve major organizations were surveyed via the Web. The results indicate that while organizations seem to be doing an adequate job of establishing roles and standards, mechanisms for resource allocation, development management, and maintenance appear to be lacking. In fact, most firms seem to be relying on a monopolist control strategy at this point in time. While such a strategy may be the best approach given tile relative infancy of Web technology, it could prove to be an unstable strategy in the long run given the reach, range and flexibility of access that Web technology provides. Organizations are encouraged to take a proactive, formal posture toward EUC development on the Web.

Peopleware: the hiring and retention of IT personnel

R. Ryan Nelson University of Virginia I John F. Andrews is President of CSX Technology ! and Senior Vice President, Technology, for CSX Transportation, and is a member of CSX I Corporations Commercial Board. CSX Tech~i nology, a business unit of CSX, provides data processing, information systems, and telecommunications in support of CSXs transportation l companies and their customers. John joined CSX in 1993 from GTE where he served most recently ~ as the Vice President and General Manager of I several business units, serving the health, government, and telecommunications industries. During his career at GTE, he also held positions in engineering, planning, operations, and finance. John holds a B.A. degree in business administration and finance from Whitworth College and a masters degree in business administration il from the University of Puget Sound. t As chairman of the Railroad Operations Communications Strategy Task Force of the Association of American Railroads, John led the team responsible for tapping leading technologies to improve the industrys level of service. The CSX group recently completed its version of the Java commerce application for use by the entire railroad industry. CSXs Java initiative involves 150 customers in 14 companies. Using CSXs Java-based Transportation Workstation Net (TWSNet), customers can track and trace their t shipments, find pricing data, initiate work orders for train cars and containers, dispute claims, send email, and check bulletin boards and directories. The company expects to save up to

IT Project Retrospectives: Learning from the Past through a Program of Action Research

10 million yearly in labor and equipment costs.