Robert Wayne Gregory

Control balancing in information systems development offshoring projects

While much is known about selecting different types of control that can be exercised in information systems development projects, the control dynamics associated with ISD offshoring projects represent an important gap in our understanding. In this paper, we develop a substantive grounded theory of control balancing that addresses this theoretical gap. Based on a longitudinal case study of an ISD offshoring project in the financial services industry, we introduce a three-dimensional control configuration category that emerged from our data, suggesting that control type is only one dimension on which control configuration decisions need to be made. The other two dimensions that we identified are control degree (tight versus relaxed) and control style (unilateral versus bilateral). Furthermore, we illustrate that control execution during the life cycle of an ISD offshoring project is highly intertwined with the development of client--vendor shared understanding and that each influences the other. Based on these findings, we develop an integrative process model that explains how offshoring project managers make adjustments to the control configuration periodically to allow the ISD offshoring project and relationship to progress, yielding the iterative use of different three-dimensional control configurations that we conceptualize in the paper. Our process model of control balancing may trigger new ways of looking at control phenomena in temporary interfirm organizations such as client--vendor ISD offshoring projects. Implications for research on organizational control and ISD offshoring are discussed. In addition, guidelines for ISD offshoring practitioners are presented.

Breaching the Knowledge Transfer Blockade in IT Offshore Outsourcing Projects - A Case from the Financial Services Industry

In this paper the authors present the results of a research project that strives to fill a literature gap in IT offshore outsourcing research by analyzing clientside managerial mechanisms for the effective knowledge transfer from client to vendor organization. 31 qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed using the grounded theory development methodology. A key finding is that client firms cannot rely solely on the capabilities of IT service providers and must actively involve themselves in the transfer, accumulation, and use of business knowledge, process knowledge, and functional knowledge in the client-vendor relationship.

Design Science Research and the Grounded Theory Method: Characteristics, Differences, and Complementary Uses

The information systems (IS) research community is characterized by a large diversity of research approaches and topics. Although empirical quantitative research approaches dominate (Orlikowski et al. 1991), new research strategies are on the rise. Two research strategies that have received increasing scholarly attention recently are design science research (DSR) and the grounded theory method (GTM). For example, the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) recently published a special issue on DSR edited by Baskerville (2008). In addition, there is a call for papers by the same journal for a special issue on the GTM which will appear in the near future.

Theory-generating design science research

A frequently mentioned challenge in design science research (DSR) is the generation of novel theory above and beyond information technology artefacts. This article analyzes the DSR process and extends established frameworks for theory generation to exemplify improvements to theory generation through methods of grounded theory development. On a conceptual base, we developed a theory-generating DSR approach which integrates methods of grounded theory development with established DSR methodology. This combination enables a design theorist to generate theoretical knowledge that extends the applicable knowledge base. We do not elaborate this combination on a meta-level, but rather provide a process model for researchers in form of an extension of a well-known DSR model to combine both methods in a pluralistic research design. With this suggested research approach, scholars can draw theoretical insights from analytical abstractions and can improve the development of IT artefacts in a structured way to avoid failure or repair loops.

Research Note-Heuristic Theorizing: Proactively Generating Design Theories

Design theories provide explicit prescriptions, such as principles of form and function, for constructing an artifact that is designed to meet a set of defined requirements and solve a problem. Design theory generation is increasing in importance because of the increasing number and diversity of problems that require the participation and proactive involvement of academic researchers to build and test artifact-based solutions. However, we have little understanding of how design theories are generated. Drawing on key contributions by Herbert A. Simon, including the ideas of satisfice and bounded rationality and reviewing a large body of information systems and problem-solving literature, we develop a normative framework for proactive design theorizing based on the notion of heuristic theorizing. Heuristics are rules of thumb that provide a plausible aid in structuring the problem at hand or in searching for a satisficing artifact design. An example of a problem-structuring heuristic is problem decomposition and an example of an artifact design heuristic is analogical design. We define heuristic theorizing as the process of proactively generating design theory for prescriptive purposes from problem-solving experiences and prior theory by constantly iterating between the search for a satisficing problem solution, i.e., heuristic search, and the synthesis of new information that is generated during heuristic search, i.e., heuristic synthesis. Heuristic search involves alternating between structuring the problem at hand and generating new artifact design components, whereas heuristic synthesis involves different ways of thinking, including reflection and learning and forms of reasoning, that complement the use of heuristics for theorizing purposes. We illustrate the effectiveness of our heuristic theorizing framework through a detailed example of a multiyear design science research program in which we proactively generated a design theory for solving problems in the area of intelligent information management and so-called big data in the finance domain. We propose that heuristic theorizing is a useful alternative to established theorizing approaches, i.e., reasoning-based approaches. Heuristic theorizing is particularly relevant for proactive design theorizing, which emphasizes problem solving as being highly intertwined with theorizing, involves a greater variety of ways of thinking than other theorizing approaches, and assumes an engaged relationship between academics and practitioners.

Blending Bureaucratic and Collaborative Management Styles to Achieve Control Ambidexterity in IS Projects

Managing information systems (IS) projects requires what we refer to as ‘control ambidexterity’, which is the use of different types of control to meet conflicting demands. This leads to the use of contrasting styles of IS project management and creates tensions in managerial practice, neither of which are well understood. We address this theoretical gap in our understanding based on an exploratory case study of an IS implementation project in the financial services industry. Adopting the lens of management styles as a meta-theoretical perspective, we sought to address two research questions: (1) Which management style(s) do IS project managers draw upon in practice and why? (2) What kinds of tensions result for IS project managers and team members from drawing upon contrasting management styles in combination – and how do IS project managers and team members deal with these tensions? Two contrasting styles of management emerged from our data – bureaucratic and collaborative – that are drawn upon by IS project managers to achieve control ambidexterity. Furthermore, drawing upon these two different styles in combination within the confines of a single project creates tensions. We explore these tensions and present an illustrative example of how IS project managers can deal with these tensions successfully in practice. Specifically, we find that they can be dealt with effectively by a tandem of two project managers who share responsibility for managing the IS project. The findings of this study have important implications for our understanding of control ambidexterity in IS projects.

Combining Design Science and Design Research Perspectives--Findings of Three Prototyping Projects

A challenge that information system researchers face in general is to combine the goals of generating new scientific knowledge while at the same time producing practically relevant research results, e.g., in the form of IT artifacts. To combine both, researchers and practitioners need to collaborate to develop and employ methods that enable both the systematic generation of scientific insights as well as the knowledge exchange between academia and industry. In this paper, we present the findings of a research project where we entered into an industry-academic collaboration involving three software development projects. We used a design science research approach to observe and accompany the project and to guide the scientific discovery process. In the course of our research process we developed an innovative research model that integrates our experiences from a research project with existing design science research models.

The Interplay of Institutional Logics in it Public-Private Partnerships

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) offer a popular means by which the public sector can obtain infor-mation technology (IT) innovations and management know-how from private firms. However, these IT PPPs are extremely difficult to realize, especially considering the divergent interests of public- and private-side stake-holders. Our case study of an IT PPP reveals public- and private-side differences that initially impeded the establishment of a partnership; using institutional logics theory as meta-theoretical lens, we propose a model that explains how public and private parties managed to negotiate their mode of collaboration by balancing their competing institutional norms and practices which ultimately resulted in the convergence of the two divergent logics. Our paper contributes to theory and practice by (1) elucidating the theoretical foundations and role of institutional logics for IT project management that we found dominated by public and private norms and practices, (2) explaining why collaboration in IT PPPs is so diffi-cult, and (3) how eventually an IT PPP can be estab-lished. We discuss theoretical and practical implica-tions in the paper.

Establishing Preconditions for Spanning the Boundaries in Public Private IT Megaprojects

Inter-organizational cooperations between public and private partners, called public private partnerships PPP, are increasingly gaining more importance concerning renewal, standardization, and optimization of the information technology IT infrastructure of public sector organizations. Reasons for this trend include the search for partners with necessary technological and innovative knowledge of sourcing IT and the identification of cost-saving potentials. Unfortunately, IT-PPP-cooperations are particularly susceptible to failure due to the clash of different cultures. Divergent understandings, expectations, and pressure from the relevant stakeholders hinder a working partnership. Therefore, in this exploratory, qualitative single-case study from the German TollCollect IT megaproject, the authors draw on findings from boundary spanning literature to explain how establishing preconditions for boundary spanning and actively bridging the gap between the partners, moderated by external stakeholder support, affects the formation of mutual trust and success of an IT-PPP-megaproject.

How Information Systems Providers Develop and Manage Expertise and Leverage Their Client Relationships for Competitive Advantage

Information technology vendors are continuously growing into global service providers. To reap the benefits of the changing global economy and gain a competitive advantage, providers need to see their client relationships as strategic assets and leverage them for expertise development and knowledge integration. How do IS service providers absorb knowledge from client relationships over multiple projects at multiple levels? How do IS service providers transfer and disseminate knowledge internally at and across multiple levels and integrate it to generate value-creating competencies? These questions are investigated in a longitudinal qualitative study employing interpretive case-study methods. The case included in the analysis is a 4-year IS outsourcing project between a large European bank and one of the largest Asian service providers. Services were delivered through a global virtual team, including offshore and onshore locations, and a particular strategy was employed to transfer knowledge cross-functionally, integrate this knowledge internally within the organization, and utilize it effectively in the global service delivery system. However, our initial analysis of the first interviews reveals that there was a discrepancy between the expected and actual performance of the service provider. Accordingly, the knowledge transfer and management processes need to be analyzed in more detail. With this research study, we aim at contributing to the domain of IS offshore outsourcing and services science as well as to the theory on vendor capabilities and knowledge management.