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2013 | Buch

Designing Organizational Systems

An Interdisciplinary Discourse

herausgegeben von: Richard Baskerville, Marco De Marco, Paolo Spagnoletti

Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Buchreihe : Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation

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SUCHEN

Über dieses Buch

​This book is dedicated to the memory of Professor Alessandro (Sandro) D'Atri, who passed away in April 2011. Professor D'Atri started his career as a brilliant scholar interested in theoretical computer science, databases and, more generally information processing systems. He journeyed far in various applications, such as human-computer interaction, human factors, ultimately arriving at business information systems and business organisation after more than 20 years of researc hbased on "problem solving". Professor D'Atri pursued the development of an interdisciplinary culture in which social sciences, systems design and human sciences are mutually integrated. Rather than retrospection, this book is aimed to advance in these directions and to stimulate a debate about the potential of design research in the field of information systems and organisation studies with an interdisciplinary approach. Each chapter has been selected by the Editorial Board following a double blind peer review process. The general criteria of privileging the variety of topics and the design science orientation and/or empirical works in which a design research approach is adopted to solve various field problems in the management area. In addition several chapters contribute to the meta-discourse on design science research.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
The Contributions of Alessandro D’Atri to Organization and Information Systems Studies
Paolo Spagnoletti, Richard Baskerville, Marco De Marco

Design Science Research Principles and Methods

Frontmatter
Design and Normative Claims in Organization Studies: A Methodological Proposal
Abstract
This paper focuses on the pivotal role of Design Claims in scientific research. In fact, Design Claims link the adoption and/or use of a specific artifact (for example, a procedure, or a belief) to measurable and relevant effects. By doing so, Design Claims continuously spot gaps in theory, and then force to scientific advancements. This paper suggests that the dramatic lack of Design Claims (and consequently of Normative Claims) in Organization Studies not only results in lack of relevance, but also deprives our discipline of the beneficial epistemological interplay that should take place between design, normative and descriptive statements. This epistemological teamwork, where present, results in a “mirroring effect” that makes other fields of studies, such as Medicine, viable and relevant. Models and frameworks developed in Organization Studies, on the contrary, often result in epistemological dead ends: once emanated, their specific influence in the real world is rarely object of further specific interest. It is just as if Medicine scholars, after developing a theory on a certain health issue, were not interested in measuring how the adoption of that specific theory in the world of practice performed. Some methodological suggestions are then provided, to encourage a stronger presence of Design Claims in both qualitative and quantitative Organization Studies research.
Francesca Ricciardi
Design Science Research as Movement Between Individual and Generic Situation-Problem–Solution Spaces
Abstract
Design science is an emerging research paradigm in the Information Systems area. A design science project typically includes the activities of problem analysis, requirements definition, artifact development, and evaluation. These activities are not to be seen as sequential but can be carried out in any order. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptualization and formalization of design science research that show the possible ways in which a design science project can be carried out. The proposal is based on the state oriented view on business processes and suggests that design science research can be viewed as movements in a space of situations, problems and solutions.
Ilia Bider, Paul Johannesson, Erik Perjons
Restructuring the Design Science Research Knowledge Base
A One-Cycle View of Design Science Research and its Consequences for Understanding Organizational Design Problems
Abstract
The contribution of this paper is twofold. We revisit the three-cycle procedural view of Design Science Research (DSR) as introduced by Hevner, and we propose a structuring mechanism for the DSR Knowledge Base (KB) and the problem/context specification that supports our revisited DSR procedure. Regarding the first contribution, we argue that each design cycle has rigor related as well as relevance related aspects. We therefore introduce a one-cycle view of DSR, comprised of alternating core activities design and evaluation. With every iteration, the understanding of the environment and the problem to be solved are enhanced. Additionally, every design iteration allows for revisiting the Knowledge Base in order to improve the problem solution. Concerning the second contribution, we propose to structure the DSR KB by means of two two-dimensional maps to support an efficient search for existing, reusable solution artifacts. One map concerns the application scope; the other one concerns the artifact character. Solution artifacts are then organized with regard to their type, generality, application domain and coverage. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed DSR KB structure using the domain of change projects in organizations as an exemplar.
Robert Winter, Antonia Albani
Dealing with Critical IS Research: Artifacts, Drifts, Electronic Panopticon and Illusions of Empowerment
Abstract
The chapter explores the diversity of topics, views and perspectives focused on the relationship between information systems (IS) and control, from a critical perspective. The work reflects upon the framework of Critical IS Research and its relation to Foucaultian approach and IS practice, informing the discussion on the ways IS and managerial Discourses framing the organizational reality. For this purpose, a case study of call centre outsourced industry is presented. We have explained how the overlapping between “electronic panopticon” and “commitment practices” used by management becomes a powerful tool for exerting influence and control in the sense of self-discipline and self-regulation. From this point of view, these tools are merely illusions of empowerment, representing only an apparent departure from traditional form of control, reiterating the idea of technological Discourse as a means of manipulation.
Marcello Martinez, Mario Pezzillo Iacono

Design and Evaluation of IT Artifacts

Frontmatter
User Centered Systems Design: The Bridging Role of Justificatory Knowledge
Abstract
In this paper we debate on the possibility of enhancing current Human Computer Interaction (HCI) methods by proposing a structured view on current approaches to the design of IT artifacts which is grounded on the Information Systems (IS) literature. We adopt a design research approach by focusing on the design problem of “designing user centered systems” and by applying a framework based on “The anatomy of a design theory” [1], to better understand the nature of current User Centered Design methods. Our discussion brings to both a deep understanding on the design problem domain (the design of User Centered Systems) and a conceptual contribution at the meta-level of the design research debate. Interaction designers can benefit from the proposed conceptualization by following a more holistic approach in the analysis of the context of use. As a consequence IT artifacts are expected to better fit with the dynamics of socio-technical systems at different levels (i.e. individual, group, organizational, institutional, etc.). The value of our proposal lies in the approach adopted for conducting the research and in the research outcome itself (design theory).
Paolo Spagnoletti, Laura Tarantino
A Design Theory for Dynamic Competencies Mapping Systems
Abstract
This paper describes a research in progress that addresses the design problem of dynamically mapping competencies with IT. In turbulent markets, companies face the problem of an expansive maintenance of competencies inventory. They have to choose between maintaining those systems and manage new knowledge or abandoning them and risk being less competitive. Using IS design theory [1], we’ll try to identify meta requirement, products and process requirements and testable hypothesis in order to develop an IT tool able to classify old and new competencies in a dynamic way. The hypothesis will be tested comparing a real competence inventory (elaborated by ISFOL, an Italian public entity) with an inventory coming from an IT tool designed with this methodology. These activities are planned in three phases. As first step, we extract from ISFOL database a list of competencies required for financial organizational roles. The second step is to hypothesize which sources could provide these competencies in order to verify extracting competencies from the “corpus” articulated in those sources. The third steps of this process will be to compare ISFOL skills inventory for financial industry and the inventory that comes from a DCMS (Dynamic Competencies Mapping System).
Luigi De Bernardis, Riccardo Maiolini
Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing Communities Design: A Cross Case Analysis
Abstract
While a great amount of literature has focused on the effects of open innovation and crowdsourcing strategy on firms’ competition and generation of ideas, we know little about how to design an IT artifact to manage the supporting of creativity among on line communities. Defining an interpretative framework which is based on the Design Theory concept, this paper aims to contribute to this body of knowledge by means of a cross-case study, focused on the design evaluation of two crowdsourcing-supporting IT platforms. We develop a theoretical framework for crowdsourcing communities, aimed to identify how the design characteristics shape the competition to generate new ideas, thereby influencing the crowdsourcing strategy.
Francesca Cabiddu, Manuel Castriotta, Maria Chiara Di Guardo, Paola Floreddu
New Internet-Based Relationships Between Citizens and Governments in the Public Space: Challenges for an Integrated System Design
Abstract
This paper deals with the recent phenomenon of original and official data about the activity of governments and public administrations distributed through the Internet by private subjects. In this paper, adopting a design research approach, we discuss four recent cases and the software artifacts that were used in them. The aim of the paper is that of deriving a descriptive design theory for a software artifact for improving citizens’ capacity to act in the public space.
Alessio Maria Braccini, Tommaso Federici

Design and Evaluation of Organizational Practices

Frontmatter
Designing Teams for Enhancing Individual Added-Value Use of Technology
Abstract
This paper focuses on the team contextual characteristics that may support or hinder individuals’ exploration of a new technology. By adopting a multi-level framework we show how team-level and individual-level attributes influences individual exploratory behaviors. Moreover, we show how team level and individual characteristics interact in shaping individual exploration. Our paper offers directions for future research and insights for managers supporting them to design teams that are going to adopt a new system.
Stefano Basaglia, Leonardo Caporarello, Massimo Magni, Ferdinando Pennarola
Design Principles at the Edge of the Designable: Non-formal and Informal Learning in SMEs
Abstract
Informal learning is defined as the learning process which occurs in the workplace and is neither determined nor designed by an organization. Designing a methodology for identification and recognition of non-formal and informal learning could help managers to give employees a better autonomy and better forms of experiential learning and skills. So the main goal is to explore and describe in depth the organizational concept of informal learning. It is fundamental also to understand and improve in depth the recognition of non-formal and informal learning acquired by employees in SMEs, as a central part of lifelong learning processes. This is an essential feature to find the designability edge at which organizational systems designers can effectively operate to enable learning to occur. The reflections transpired have important implications about the development of detailed procedures for the accreditation of informal learning in the workplace.
Nunzio Casalino
Designing Innovative Learning Spaces in Higher Education at a Turning Point: Institutional Identities, Pervasive Smart Technologies and Organizational Learning
Abstract
The provision of innovative learning spaces has become increasingly a critical mission to many higher education institutions around the world. This paper sets out testing an on-going research proposition that designing learning spaces in higher education is at a turning point, and it calls for a more open participatory system approach to better managing the tension arising from (a) the continuing trend of institutional quests for branding and re-branding distinctive visual identities to compete nationally and globally, (b) rising expectations of pervasive smart ICT provision, and (c) the need to sustain organizational learning from campus planning and design projects as the knowledge base for evaluating and envisioning innovative learning spaces. The paper reports and reflects on the findings from the design and deployment of a larger-scale Web-based 3D architectural and data visualization platform aimed at supporting collaborative modeling of present and future learning spaces in two real institutional contexts. A critical discussion of the prospect of the interactive 3D visualization platform for supporting organizational learning in designing innovative learning spaces is presented.
Chengzhi Peng
Performance Management Systems as Driver of Public Administration Improvement: A Dream?
Abstract
Recently the Italian Government required public administrations to manage organizational and individual performance and to implement pay for performance systems. Actually each Italian public administration has to adopt Performance Management Systems (PMS). The Reform recalls the New Public Management framework in several points even if there’s a great controversy in the literature concerning the effective implementation of PMS in public administrations: for some authors PMS would run well while for others they need an adaptation to the public context. In this scenario, we assess the design of PMS on the basis of the empirical evidence collected in an Italian public administration and we indentify which parts of the literature are consistent with the empirical results. Our aim is to contribute to knowledge base on performance management in public administrations through an action design research approach based on the empirical evidence collected in the design of a PMS in Italy.
Debora Tomasi, Stefano Scravaglieri, Maurizio Decastri

Design and Evaluation of Managerial Strategies

Frontmatter
Design on a Societal Scale: The Case of e-Government Strategic Planning
Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss the case of the instantiation and development of a methodology for e-Government initiatives design and planning in the specific context of Mediterranean Countries. The methodology aims to support the definition of strategy implementation roadmaps that consider the fitting of e-Government vision principles, policies and the context of intervention. Moreover, the methodology aims to provide a contribution to design science research on a societal scale, by dealing with the obstacles that Simon recognized as a “budget of obstacles or alternatively as a budget of planning requirements”, even with restraint and simplification typical of a complex decision making process. Taking these issues into account, the chapter discusses the case of the methodology application to an information systems integration initiative of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources in 2008–2009. The focus of the case is on problem representation and organizations in social design as challenges for information systems design on a societal scale.
Carlo Batini, Gianluigi Viscusi, Marco Castelli
Towards the Redesign of e-Business Maturity Models for SMEs
Abstract
This paper shows the results of the conceptual part of a research aimed at redesigning e-business stage models for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). The literature review shows that these models are based mostly on a techno-centric perspective and are rather mechanistic in their approach to the development of e-business in smaller firms. Based on design science—which offers a methodology capable of understanding business needs deriving from the interplay of people, organization and technology—a non-linear stage model for the development of e-business in SMEs is proposed. Different levels of interaction in the exchange of information between a firm and its suppliers and customers characterize e-business: the model includes four levels and it outlines their main organizational implications. The model is not meant to be prescriptive, that is it is not intended to serve as an evaluation ladder for public administrations deciding to grant financial support to SMEs investing in e-business. Rather, it has an interpretive, organizational character: (i) entrepreneurs can be supported in their understanding and evaluation of the organizational needs connected with the exploitation of a given opportunity by means of different levels of digital interaction and (ii) policy makers can be guided in promoting the appropriate support (e.g.: training and advisory services) to different kinds of SMEs.
Paolo Depaoli, Stefano Za
Offline and Online Communities: Great Differences and Some Similarities
Abstract
The concept of community has evolved considerably: from an essentially closed, spontaneous community based blood ties, space sharing, and spiritual connection to a planned community without clear borders. Due to the online communication phenomenon a traditional society is superseded by a virtual society. A society that is innovative because it involves a variety of cultures with their richness and diversity, and it is advanced because it requires ways of interactions that differ from the ones typical of traditional life. Then, can ICT create a real society? This is one of the questions at stake and the origin of the necessity to investigate online community. Further, does it reproduce the characteristics of a traditional community? An analysis of main organizational forms that typify the net suggests something different and community is representative only of a small number of such social groupings and a more precise terminology is necessary to identify them.
Andrea Resca, Maria Laura Tozzi
The Role of Network Governance Models in the Design of Local eHealth Policies
Abstract
This paper aims to contribute to the rich debate over the obstacles to the diffusion of eHealth technologies by investigating the role of the institutional setting on the success or failure of an IT diffusion policy. This work focuses on the policy network perspective and it is based on the expectation that the internal characteristics of the policy network influence the policy design. The main goal of this paper is to investigate how eHealth policy networks operate and to determine whether a more effective network governance configuration exists that could improve the design and deployment of successful eHealth projects. This work presents a case study of three Italian healthcare networks with different models of network governance: a Region-governed network, an eHealth Local Board-governed network and a Local Health Agencies’ Consortium-governed network. The focus of this investigation is on how the three models of network governance operate and influence the design of strategies to address the main challenges to eHealth implementation that have been identified by scholars and practitioners.
Valentina Albano
Metadaten
Titel
Designing Organizational Systems
herausgegeben von
Richard Baskerville
Marco De Marco
Paolo Spagnoletti
Copyright-Jahr
2013
Verlag
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Electronic ISBN
978-3-642-33371-2
Print ISBN
978-3-642-33370-5
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33371-2