Wai Fong Boh

Learning from Experience in Software Development: A Multilevel Analysis

This study examines whether individuals, groups, and organizational units learn from experience in software development and whether this learning improves productivity. Although prior research has found the existence of learning curves in manufacturing and service industries, it is not clear whether learning curves also apply to knowledge work like software development. We evaluate the relative productivity impacts from accumulating specialized experience in a system, diversified experience in related and unrelated systems, and experience from working with others on modification requests (MRs) in a telecommunications firm, which uses an incremental software development methodology. Using multilevel modeling, we analyze extensive data archives covering more than 14 years of systems development work on a major telecommunications product dating from the beginning of its development process. Our findings reveal that the relative importance of the different types of experience differs across levels of analysis. Specialized experience has the greatest impact on productivity for MRs completed by individual developers, whereas diverse experience in related systems plays a larger role in improving productivity for MRs and system releases completed by groups and organizational units. Diverse experience in unrelated systems has the least influence on productivity at all three levels of analysis. Our findings support the existence of learning curves in software development and provide insights into when specialized or diverse experience may be more valuable.

Using Enterprise Architecture Standards in Managing Information Technology

Organizations increasingly need to build an enterprise-wide capability to leverage technology that is distributed in different business units. Some organizations establish enterprise architecture (EA) standards to enable greater compatibility of information technology (IT) components and integration of applications and data across the enterprise. Through a firm-level survey, we sought to answer two key questions about the use of EA standards: (1) How do different governance mechanisms affect the use of EA standards? and (2) To what extent does the use of EA standards help organizations to improve the sharing and integration of IT resources across the enterprise? We identified four key governance mechanisms for EA standards management and examined how each mechanism affected the use of EA standards. We also examined how the use of EA standards affects the management of IT infrastructure, applications, and data resources across business units. Our empirical results showed that the use of EA standards is effective in helping organizations to better manage their IT resources. Our study also provides detailed insights into how organizations can set up governance mechanisms to facilitate the use of EA standards in achieving enterprisewide goals.

Misalignments in ERP Implementation: A Dialectic Perspective

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are often not fully aligned with the implementing organization. It is important to understand their sources of misalignments because they can have significant implications for the organization. From a dialectic perspective, such misalignments are the result of opposing forces that arise from structures embedded in the ERP package and the organization.

Mechanisms for sharing knowledge in project-based organizations

Organizations need to effectively combine and utilize knowledge resources that are distributed amongst the employees and groups in the firm. This paper examines the use of knowledge-sharing mechanisms to leverage the learning, experience and expertise of employees accumulated across projects. I specify a framework that classifies the knowledge-sharing mechanisms used by project-based organizations. Prior research tends to examine only one dimension of knowledge-sharing mechanisms - personalization versus codification. Personalization mechanisms are often assumed to be more ad hoc and informal, and codification mechanisms are assumed to be formal and involve the use of electronic databases. In this paper, personalization versus codification and individualization versus institutionalization are highlighted as two distinct dimensions of knowledge-sharing mechanisms. Individualized knowledge-sharing mechanisms are informal and unstructured, while institutionalized knowledge-sharing mechanisms are formal and embedded in organizational routines and structure. A framework is presented to show how the two dimensions interact. Based on empirical case studies in two project-based organizations, the paper examines if there are suitable configurations of knowledge-sharing mechanisms for organizations with different characteristics. The study contributes to research by providing a more nuanced classification of knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and provides guidance to managers about the types of knowledge-sharing mechanisms that should be adopted based on the size, geographical dispersion and task nature of organizations.

Reuse of knowledge assets from repositories: A mixed methods study

Reuse of information retrieved from an electronic knowledge repository and how this complements person-to-person interactions are poorly understood. I developed a research model that examined factors influencing how individuals benefit from reuse of knowledge assets. Using a mixed method approach, two empirical studies were conducted to test the model. The results showed that two key factors helped users to overcome difficulties in reusing knowledge assets: seeking assistance from and sharing a common perspective with the author of the asset. The study explains when and how individuals receive benefits from knowledge reuse. When individuals reuse complex knowledge assets in domains with which they are unfamiliar, they apparently gain more benefit by contacting the author; sharing a common perspective with the author also facilitates asset reuse. Thus both electronic repositories and person-to-person interaction mechanisms complement one another in facilitating knowledge sharing.

Standards development and diffusion: a case study of RosettaNet

The RosettaNet consortium aligns its diffusion strategies with its development processes while adapting them to the local conditions in the home countries of its member organizations.

The Organizational Impact of Enterprise Architecture: A Research Framework

Many organizations have adopted an Enterprise Architecture (EA) approach because of the potential benefits resulting from a more standardized and coordinated approach to systems development and management, and because of the tighter alignment of business and information technology in support of business strategy execution. At the same time, experience shows that having an effective EA practice is easier said than done and the coordination and implementation efforts can be daunting. While nobody disputes the potential benefits of well architected systems, there is no empirical evidence showing whether the organizational benefits of EA outweigh the coordination and management costs associated with the architecting process. Furthermore, most practitioners we have interviewed can provide technical metrics for internal EA efficiency and effectiveness, but none of our participants were able to provide concrete metrics or evidence about the bottom line impact that EA has on the organization as a whole. In this article we raise key issues associated with the evaluation of the organizational impact of EA and propose a framework for empirical research in this area.

Vertical IS standards deployment and integration: A study of antecedents and benefits

We drew on institutional and learning theories to develop a research model assessing how organizations influence standards deployment and integration by creating institutional pressures and learning opportunities. We also examined how standards deployment and integration differentially influenced operational and strategic benefits. Survey data was collected from organizations in China who have implemented RosettaNet. Overall, the study extended research on standards adoption by examining how the learning perspective complemented institutional pressures, generating an integrated view of how pressures and learning from other organizations influence standards deployment and integration as important dimensions of standards use, as well as the benefits arising from their use.

Knowledge sharing in communities of practice: examining usefulness of knowledge from discussion forums versus repositories

With the prevalent use of virtual Communities of Practice (CoPs) in organizations to link networks of individuals located in disparate geographical areas, information communication technologies (ICTs) take on a crucial role in supporting CoPs. In this paper, I examine the role that ICTs play in supporting knowledge sharing in virtual CoPs. In particular, I examine the use of two key types of ICTs -- knowledge repositories and online discussion forums. Based on the perceived cost of using these two types of ICTs, I theorize about how various factors would differ in their influence on knowledge sourcing from knowledge repositories and from online discussion forums. Two event-driven surveys were conducted with members of a CoP in a consulting firm to test the hypotheses. The surveys were conducted when CoP members downloaded documents from the knowledge repository and when CoP members posted inquiries and received responses in an online discussion forum. The results of the event-driven surveys partially support the hypotheses and show the importance of understanding the perceived costs of using the ICT to support knowledge reuse when we study knowledge sharing in virtual CoPs and in other settings that depend significantly on technological tools for knowledge sharing.

The Contingent Effects of Social Network Sparseness and Centrality on Managerial Innovativeness

Prior research has highlighted that network sparseness and network centrality enhance innovativeness through access to information and influence, respectively. We advance this perspective by exploring the extent to which individual actions are needed to mobilize information and influence accessed through social networks, and whether such information and influence would mutually reinforce to enhance managerial innovativeness. Our findings found partial support for the idea that actions are needed to actualize potential resources embedded in social networks, as centrally positioned managers enjoy higher innovativeness when they engage in ambassador activities. We also found that advice network sparseness and advice network centrality had independent, not interactive relationships with managerial innovativeness, suggesting that they offer distinct routes to achieving managerial innovativeness. Overall, our research clarifies the relationships of two important social network attributes on managerial innovativeness, and also sheds new light on how managerial action matters in realizing social network advantages for innovative ends.