Laurie Kirsch - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Laurie Kirsch

Management Information Systems Quarterly, Mar 1, 2005

... In using consultants, organizations typically have goals that go beyond the successful implem... more ... In using consultants, organizations typically have goals that go beyond the successful implemen tation of a new system; they also have the less tangible goal of acquiring new implementation, operational, maintenance, and training knowledge. The successful transfer of this ...

Increasingly, as firms undertake large, mission-critical, and strategic IT projects, the governan... more Increasingly, as firms undertake large, mission-critical, and strategic IT projects, the governance and management of these projects is an important challenge. Though prior research has examined the control and coordination of IS projects, not much attention has been devoted toward understanding what factors influence the governance of IS projects, particularly in terms of the distribution of project decisionmaking rights. Numerous decisions are made on IS projects, such as the integration of business requirements and information technologies and the management of costs and schedules. Despite a prevailing norm encouraging co-leadership of IS projects by business and IS units, it is not clear how and why successful IS projects might actually be governed. Drawing from the governance and project management literatures, we conceptualize IS project governance on the basis of decision-making rights for three key activities: requirements analysis, technical analysis, and budget/schedule management. Further, we identify a variety of factors that could determine how decision-making for these key project activities are organized and develop hypotheses about their impacts on project performance. The hypotheses are tested using matched survey responses from lead business unit and IT executives associated with 58 projects. Our results reveal that the strategic importance of the IS project and the business units' knowledge about IT are critical antecedents of the degree to which business and IT units are actively engaged in the governance of IS projects. We find that business unit participation in project governance is driven by executives' perceptions of the strategic importance of the project. The IT unit's role in governance is negatively influenced by perceptions of strategic importance, but it is positively influenced by both the business unit's knowledge of IT and the IT unit's knowledge of business processes. Understanding the drivers of each unit's role in governance is essential since our results indicate that a greater level of governance for both groups is positively related to project performance.

Springer eBooks, Aug 7, 2007

It is well known that information systems and technology can facilitate innovation in organizatio... more It is well known that information systems and technology can facilitate innovation in organizations. For example, companies in the automotive industry are leveraging product lifecycle management systems and advanced information technologies such as automated product design and testing tools, digital simulation and visualization, knowledge repositories of best practices, and collaboration tools linking globally distributed design teams. These technologies are revolutionizing the automotive product development process, facilitating the development of novel products, significantly reducing product development time and eliminating inconsistencies in product design, creation, and production (Rosencrance 2002). What is perhaps less well recognized is the impact that IT is having on the very nature of science. In fields as diverse as particle physics, education, oceanography, and engineering, information systems and technology are having a profound effect on how researchers and scientists go about their work. Moreover, many government agencies are

Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Apr 1, 2013

Cyber projects are large-scale efforts to implement computer, information, and communication tech... more Cyber projects are large-scale efforts to implement computer, information, and communication technologies in scientific communities. These projects seek to build scientific cyberinfrastructure that will promote new scientific collaborations and transform science in novel and unimagined ways. Their scope and complexity, the number and diversity of stakeholders, and their transformational goals make cyber projects extremely challenging to understand and manage. Consequently, scholars from multiple disciplines, including computer science, information science, sociology, and information systems, have begun to study cyber projects and their impacts. As IS scholars, our goal is to contribute to this growing body of inter-disciplinary knowledge by considering three areas of IS research that are particularly germane to this class of project, given their characteristics: development approaches, conflict, and success factors. After describing cyber projects, we explore how IS research findings in these three areas are relevant for cyber projects, and suggest promising avenues of future research. We conclude by discussing the importance and unique challenges of cyber projects and propose that, given our expertise and knowledge of project management, IS researchers are particularly well suited to contribute to the inter-disciplinary study of these projects.

Information Systems Research, Jun 1, 2016

Emerging from rapid advances in digitization and technological capabilities is a new form of info... more Emerging from rapid advances in digitization and technological capabilities is a new form of information systems development project: cyber projects. Cyber projects are complex, massive, and ambitious, often involving hundreds of academic, government, and industry professionals, requiring years of development, and costing millions of dollars. In our study, we examine how control is exercised in cyber projects. Based on a longitudinal study over eight years, we develop a process theory of the control of cyber projects. Initially we observe that project control is driven by the field, i.e., all of the individual or collective entities that subscribe to the general purpose of the project. This form of control is later replaced by a more bureaucratic form from government-sponsored entities to ensure that traditional project objectives are met. Once construction begins and the field understands the implications and promise of the project, we observe that control is again exerted by the primary project users in the field, complemented by authority-based control exerted by the government-sponsored entisty in the field.

Accounting, Management and Information Technologies, 1996

In today's turbulent business environment, there is a move away from traditional hierarchical rel... more In today's turbulent business environment, there is a move away from traditional hierarchical relations and governance within organizations, and a move toward increased reliance on self-control, where an individual sets his own goals, monitors his own work, and rewards or sanctions himself accordingly. Since the use of self control is often recommended in an environment of task complexity and ambiguity, systems development would seem to provide an excellent context in which to study it. The goal of this research is to examine contextual factors (work unit structure and knowledge technology) that influence IS project leaders' perceptions of self-control. To meet this goal, two studies were carried out: a survey of IS professionals and a series of three case studies of systems development efforts. Overall, the results suggest that IS project leaders' perceptions of self-control are highest when they have considerable job experience, when they are able to further refine existing development procedures, and when they are involved in smaller, less-complex systems development projects. Implications for the practice of systems development are discussed. Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Kqwordst Information systems development, Control, Structure, Knowledge 'To be consistent with other authors (e.g. Kirsch, 1996; Jaworski, 1988), the term "self control" is used throughout this paper. This concept of individual self-control should not be confused with the concept of self-managing or selfdirected work teams, which refers to groups of individuals who are organized into teams and who are collectively responsible for managerial activities and decisions such as budgeting, controlling, record keeping, and assessing performance. as well as the execution of specific tasks (Seibold, 1995; Sims & Lorenzi, 1992).

Decision Sciences, Jun 1, 2000

Despite more than 25 years of research on the processes and outcomes of information systems devel... more Despite more than 25 years of research on the processes and outcomes of information systems development in organizations, deficiencies exist in our knowledge about the effective management of complex systems development processes. Although individual studies have generated a wealth of findings, there is a need for a cumulative framework that facilitates interpretation of what has been learned and what needs to be learned about the process of information systems development. This paper reviews prior research on ISD processes and identifies the different types of contributions that have been made to our growing knowledge. More important, it generates a cumulative framework for understanding the process of ISD that could provide a valuable template for future research and practice.

Organization Science, Feb 1, 1996

Control theory attempts to explain how one person or group in an organization can ensure that ano... more Control theory attempts to explain how one person or group in an organization can ensure that another person or group works toward and attains a set of organizational goals. Prior empirical work investigating control theory has shown that characteristics of the task and of the organizational environment predict the use of various types of control. However, this paper argues that when control theory is applied to a complex, nonroutine task such as the management of information systems development, the theory of control is incomplete. In particular, it proposes that knowledge of the task is a key determinant of type of control. Four modes of control (behavior, outcome, clan, and self) art identified from the organizational literature; each high-lights different aspects of control in organizations. Building on prior empirical work, this paper integrates the different theoretical perspectives and predicts the circumstances under which each type of control will be implemented. Survey responses from 96 participants of 32 systems development efforts suggest that the extent to which behaviors are monitored interacts with the project sponsor's level of systems development knowledge to determine the amount of behavior control; that outcome control is a function of the extent to which behaviors are monitored and outcomes are measurable; and that self-control is dependent on the extent to which outcomes are measurable and the level of the project sponsor's knowledge about systems development activities. No relationship between clan control and the independent variables was found.

We discuss research on GENI, a program of multiple cyberinfrastructure (CI) projects. Drawing on ... more We discuss research on GENI, a program of multiple cyberinfrastructure (CI) projects. Drawing on the concept of technological frames we discuss how the projects’ stakeholders perceived and presented the competing technologies that were part of GENI and how they attempted to influence GENI’s development.

Many large organizations today are finding that even if they can access data from multiple functi... more Many large organizations today are finding that even if they can access data from multiple functions, the lack of logical data integration (common data definitions and codes) across information systems makes it difficult or impossible to answer cross-functional or crossdivisional questions. This reduces their ability to take advantage of potential opportunities or respond to business problems. Strategic Data Planning is one methodology which can address such problems, within the general umbrella of information engineering. Resting on the assumption that a relatively stable group of data entities lies at the center of an organization's information processing needs, SDP is a formalized, top-down, data-centered planning approach that builds a model of the enterprise, its functions, and its underlying data as a basis for identifying and implementing an integrated set of information systems. In spite of strong conceptual arguments for the value of the SDP approach and its use in many...

Decision Support Systems, 2008

ABSTRACT Firms often turn to supply chain software to streamline and standardize operations. A ch... more ABSTRACT Firms often turn to supply chain software to streamline and standardize operations. A challenge is how to best utilize the data provided by the software. One approach is to import the data into Decision Support Systems (DSS) to build special-purposed decision aids. This paper presents an effective inventory management model for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The DSS effectively determines the safety stock level and the number of weeks forward coverage (WFC) for each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). We discuss GSK's experiences relative to the literature on DSS design, implementation, and usage. This research shows implementing the proposed decision support system would provide GSK a distinct competitive advantage. However, careful implementation is necessary to fully realize the potential of the DSS.

Journal of the Association for Information Systems

International Journal of Project Management

Information Systems Research, 2016

Organization Science, Feb 1, 1996

Information Systems Research, Dec 1, 2004

Organization Science, Jul 28, 2009

Management Information Systems Quarterly, Mar 1, 2005

... In using consultants, organizations typically have goals that go beyond the successful implem... more ... In using consultants, organizations typically have goals that go beyond the successful implemen tation of a new system; they also have the less tangible goal of acquiring new implementation, operational, maintenance, and training knowledge. The successful transfer of this ...

Increasingly, as firms undertake large, mission-critical, and strategic IT projects, the governan... more Increasingly, as firms undertake large, mission-critical, and strategic IT projects, the governance and management of these projects is an important challenge. Though prior research has examined the control and coordination of IS projects, not much attention has been devoted toward understanding what factors influence the governance of IS projects, particularly in terms of the distribution of project decisionmaking rights. Numerous decisions are made on IS projects, such as the integration of business requirements and information technologies and the management of costs and schedules. Despite a prevailing norm encouraging co-leadership of IS projects by business and IS units, it is not clear how and why successful IS projects might actually be governed. Drawing from the governance and project management literatures, we conceptualize IS project governance on the basis of decision-making rights for three key activities: requirements analysis, technical analysis, and budget/schedule management. Further, we identify a variety of factors that could determine how decision-making for these key project activities are organized and develop hypotheses about their impacts on project performance. The hypotheses are tested using matched survey responses from lead business unit and IT executives associated with 58 projects. Our results reveal that the strategic importance of the IS project and the business units' knowledge about IT are critical antecedents of the degree to which business and IT units are actively engaged in the governance of IS projects. We find that business unit participation in project governance is driven by executives' perceptions of the strategic importance of the project. The IT unit's role in governance is negatively influenced by perceptions of strategic importance, but it is positively influenced by both the business unit's knowledge of IT and the IT unit's knowledge of business processes. Understanding the drivers of each unit's role in governance is essential since our results indicate that a greater level of governance for both groups is positively related to project performance.

Springer eBooks, Aug 7, 2007

It is well known that information systems and technology can facilitate innovation in organizatio... more It is well known that information systems and technology can facilitate innovation in organizations. For example, companies in the automotive industry are leveraging product lifecycle management systems and advanced information technologies such as automated product design and testing tools, digital simulation and visualization, knowledge repositories of best practices, and collaboration tools linking globally distributed design teams. These technologies are revolutionizing the automotive product development process, facilitating the development of novel products, significantly reducing product development time and eliminating inconsistencies in product design, creation, and production (Rosencrance 2002). What is perhaps less well recognized is the impact that IT is having on the very nature of science. In fields as diverse as particle physics, education, oceanography, and engineering, information systems and technology are having a profound effect on how researchers and scientists go about their work. Moreover, many government agencies are

Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Apr 1, 2013

Cyber projects are large-scale efforts to implement computer, information, and communication tech... more Cyber projects are large-scale efforts to implement computer, information, and communication technologies in scientific communities. These projects seek to build scientific cyberinfrastructure that will promote new scientific collaborations and transform science in novel and unimagined ways. Their scope and complexity, the number and diversity of stakeholders, and their transformational goals make cyber projects extremely challenging to understand and manage. Consequently, scholars from multiple disciplines, including computer science, information science, sociology, and information systems, have begun to study cyber projects and their impacts. As IS scholars, our goal is to contribute to this growing body of inter-disciplinary knowledge by considering three areas of IS research that are particularly germane to this class of project, given their characteristics: development approaches, conflict, and success factors. After describing cyber projects, we explore how IS research findings in these three areas are relevant for cyber projects, and suggest promising avenues of future research. We conclude by discussing the importance and unique challenges of cyber projects and propose that, given our expertise and knowledge of project management, IS researchers are particularly well suited to contribute to the inter-disciplinary study of these projects.

Information Systems Research, Jun 1, 2016

Emerging from rapid advances in digitization and technological capabilities is a new form of info... more Emerging from rapid advances in digitization and technological capabilities is a new form of information systems development project: cyber projects. Cyber projects are complex, massive, and ambitious, often involving hundreds of academic, government, and industry professionals, requiring years of development, and costing millions of dollars. In our study, we examine how control is exercised in cyber projects. Based on a longitudinal study over eight years, we develop a process theory of the control of cyber projects. Initially we observe that project control is driven by the field, i.e., all of the individual or collective entities that subscribe to the general purpose of the project. This form of control is later replaced by a more bureaucratic form from government-sponsored entities to ensure that traditional project objectives are met. Once construction begins and the field understands the implications and promise of the project, we observe that control is again exerted by the primary project users in the field, complemented by authority-based control exerted by the government-sponsored entisty in the field.

Accounting, Management and Information Technologies, 1996

In today's turbulent business environment, there is a move away from traditional hierarchical rel... more In today's turbulent business environment, there is a move away from traditional hierarchical relations and governance within organizations, and a move toward increased reliance on self-control, where an individual sets his own goals, monitors his own work, and rewards or sanctions himself accordingly. Since the use of self control is often recommended in an environment of task complexity and ambiguity, systems development would seem to provide an excellent context in which to study it. The goal of this research is to examine contextual factors (work unit structure and knowledge technology) that influence IS project leaders' perceptions of self-control. To meet this goal, two studies were carried out: a survey of IS professionals and a series of three case studies of systems development efforts. Overall, the results suggest that IS project leaders' perceptions of self-control are highest when they have considerable job experience, when they are able to further refine existing development procedures, and when they are involved in smaller, less-complex systems development projects. Implications for the practice of systems development are discussed. Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Kqwordst Information systems development, Control, Structure, Knowledge 'To be consistent with other authors (e.g. Kirsch, 1996; Jaworski, 1988), the term "self control" is used throughout this paper. This concept of individual self-control should not be confused with the concept of self-managing or selfdirected work teams, which refers to groups of individuals who are organized into teams and who are collectively responsible for managerial activities and decisions such as budgeting, controlling, record keeping, and assessing performance. as well as the execution of specific tasks (Seibold, 1995; Sims & Lorenzi, 1992).

Decision Sciences, Jun 1, 2000

Despite more than 25 years of research on the processes and outcomes of information systems devel... more Despite more than 25 years of research on the processes and outcomes of information systems development in organizations, deficiencies exist in our knowledge about the effective management of complex systems development processes. Although individual studies have generated a wealth of findings, there is a need for a cumulative framework that facilitates interpretation of what has been learned and what needs to be learned about the process of information systems development. This paper reviews prior research on ISD processes and identifies the different types of contributions that have been made to our growing knowledge. More important, it generates a cumulative framework for understanding the process of ISD that could provide a valuable template for future research and practice.

Organization Science, Feb 1, 1996

Control theory attempts to explain how one person or group in an organization can ensure that ano... more Control theory attempts to explain how one person or group in an organization can ensure that another person or group works toward and attains a set of organizational goals. Prior empirical work investigating control theory has shown that characteristics of the task and of the organizational environment predict the use of various types of control. However, this paper argues that when control theory is applied to a complex, nonroutine task such as the management of information systems development, the theory of control is incomplete. In particular, it proposes that knowledge of the task is a key determinant of type of control. Four modes of control (behavior, outcome, clan, and self) art identified from the organizational literature; each high-lights different aspects of control in organizations. Building on prior empirical work, this paper integrates the different theoretical perspectives and predicts the circumstances under which each type of control will be implemented. Survey responses from 96 participants of 32 systems development efforts suggest that the extent to which behaviors are monitored interacts with the project sponsor's level of systems development knowledge to determine the amount of behavior control; that outcome control is a function of the extent to which behaviors are monitored and outcomes are measurable; and that self-control is dependent on the extent to which outcomes are measurable and the level of the project sponsor's knowledge about systems development activities. No relationship between clan control and the independent variables was found.

We discuss research on GENI, a program of multiple cyberinfrastructure (CI) projects. Drawing on ... more We discuss research on GENI, a program of multiple cyberinfrastructure (CI) projects. Drawing on the concept of technological frames we discuss how the projects’ stakeholders perceived and presented the competing technologies that were part of GENI and how they attempted to influence GENI’s development.

Many large organizations today are finding that even if they can access data from multiple functi... more Many large organizations today are finding that even if they can access data from multiple functions, the lack of logical data integration (common data definitions and codes) across information systems makes it difficult or impossible to answer cross-functional or crossdivisional questions. This reduces their ability to take advantage of potential opportunities or respond to business problems. Strategic Data Planning is one methodology which can address such problems, within the general umbrella of information engineering. Resting on the assumption that a relatively stable group of data entities lies at the center of an organization's information processing needs, SDP is a formalized, top-down, data-centered planning approach that builds a model of the enterprise, its functions, and its underlying data as a basis for identifying and implementing an integrated set of information systems. In spite of strong conceptual arguments for the value of the SDP approach and its use in many...

Decision Support Systems, 2008

ABSTRACT Firms often turn to supply chain software to streamline and standardize operations. A ch... more ABSTRACT Firms often turn to supply chain software to streamline and standardize operations. A challenge is how to best utilize the data provided by the software. One approach is to import the data into Decision Support Systems (DSS) to build special-purposed decision aids. This paper presents an effective inventory management model for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The DSS effectively determines the safety stock level and the number of weeks forward coverage (WFC) for each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). We discuss GSK's experiences relative to the literature on DSS design, implementation, and usage. This research shows implementing the proposed decision support system would provide GSK a distinct competitive advantage. However, careful implementation is necessary to fully realize the potential of the DSS.

Journal of the Association for Information Systems

International Journal of Project Management

Information Systems Research, 2016

Organization Science, Feb 1, 1996

Information Systems Research, Dec 1, 2004

Organization Science, Jul 28, 2009