Information Systems Reseach at RuG: rigour, relevance, or both? Prof. Hans Wortmann Dept. Business and Economics, RuG June 29th, 2007

2 The menu Preliminary: The dominant topic is change What is the field of Information Systems What is the relationship with Business Studies? What is the relationship with Economics? Some notes about rigour and relevance What about IS research at RuG? Where are we going?

3 Change Organizational theory neglects IS change as part of organizational design Is this bad? Yes, because the source of new organizational reality is neglected Software engineering neglects organizational change as part of the problem definition Is this bad? Yes, because legacy is part of the design problem – also organizational legacy

4 ICT versus IS ICT can be used to improve an organization’s: Products and services (e.g. e-business), Processes (national census, banking, energy) Resources (tele-service), Operations (factory automation) However, ICT is embedded in other academic disciplines: marketing, BPR, operations management, maintenance ICT can also be used to improve information systems Themes such as strategic alignment, organizational change cover all these fields

5 Strategic alignment of Business and ICT: covers all areas of the business academic work is in strategy ISOMHRMBPRMRO

6 Change management of ICT in organizations: covers all areas of the business ISOMHRMBPRMRO academic work is in change management

7 The field of Information Systems Two alternatives: IS defined as a work system, producing information In other words, a subsystem of organizations The academic field of IS becomes specialization of the field of business, e.g.: Organization of IS, Accounting of IS, Quality management of IS,Outsourcing of IS, etc. IS defined as an artifact, facilitating information flow In other words, an aspect system of organizations The academic field of IS becomes a specialization of engineering, e.g.: Design of IS, Architecture of IS, Integration of IS, Modeling of IS

8 About Rigour and Relevance Differs completely between: Economics Engineering Business Humanities Therefore, academic IS research should be: Tolerant Allow the individual research actor to specify criteria

9 What is Business & ICT at RuG Human and organizational issues in ICT deployment triggered by change ICT-economics: decision making on change Enterprise models, simulation and architectures of enterprise information systems EIS are to bedeveloped by model-driven approaches, including change

10 Organization(s) ICT-application(s) Business performance Understand (dynamic) interaction between organizations and ICT- applications. Directed to contribute to improved business performance Human&organizational issues – Research objective:

11 Focus and concepts Organization(s) Service organizations, information intensive Processes, strategies, behaviour and people ICT-applicationsas a socio-technical system mainly applications that support operational processes within and between organizations, e.g. enterprise information systems and extra organizational information systems. Business performancewhether and how ICT-apps contribute to business performance. What is business performance? Relation with strategies Interactionof ICT application with organization

12 Research objective has theoretical and practical relevance and builds on current work within our group. Theoretical relevance: alignment, interaction theory, interpretive approaches, system development approaches, Practical relevance: need to use ICTs as effective as possible. Search for alignment, adaptation to changing circumstances. Many human and organizational problems around use of ICTs. Current work: organization centered IS development, research in effectiveness of ICTs in business processes, research in the mutual adjustment of organization and ICT. Theoretical and practical relevance

13 IT Economics Research is focused on the economics of information technologies. Our research aims at understanding and analyzing the dynamics and the processes of development, distribution and implementation of information and communications technologies and improving their efficiency and effectiveness. Projects and main venues of research Cost/benefit management of IT (Powell). Decision-support methods for implementation decisions within organizations (Sassenburg). Evaluation of legacy systems (Commandeur & Orie). ‘Open’ vs. ‘proprietary’ software modes of development (Harison). Management of IT operations (Schuurman). Sponsors UWV Getronics PinkRoccade

14 Enterprise models, simulation, architecture of enterprise information systems Modelling objects which play an important role in enterprises, or in organizational networks, such as: Goals, processes, activities, contracts, products, … Resources: competencies and capacities (humans, agents) Temporal behaviour For various purposes, e.g.: Understanding of systems for their design in e.g. logistics (by simulation or gaming) For theoretical models in business and management For decision support in e.g. planning situations For developing enterprise information systems For inter-organizational systems

15 Different corners have different definitions of rigor and relevance Strategy Change IS Work system Artifact ISICT

16 Different corners have different definitions of rigor and relevance Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business

17 Networked organizations Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

18 Ph D projects at RuG – Software supply networks – D. Postmus Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

19 Ph D projects at RuG – Collaborative planning – C. de Snoo Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

20 Ph D projects at RuG – Agent-based modeling: M. Stuit Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

21 Ph D projects at RuG – Complex engineering: A. Alblas Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

22 Ph D projects at RuG – End of life decisions of IS: P. Schuurman Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

23 Ph D projects at RuG – IS in maintenance: J. Koochaki Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

24 Ph D projects at RuG – Risk management in IS: K de Bakker Economics Humanities IS as a business IS in a business ICT supply

25 Is there a common theme? The role in information systems in changing organizations How to act, in order to make IS add most value Either from the software delivery perspective or from an integral organizational perpective Multiple approaches? Of course! Is it to be regretted? Not at all!

26 Future IS has to be embedded in the mainstream of business studies, because business without IS is like a body without nerves But IS also has to be developed as an engineering dicipline, because it can be and should be designed: IS is an artefact We will continue to walk on two legs!