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This exploratory study analyzes the relationship between organizational culture and the deployment of systems development methodologies. Organizational culture is interpreted in terms of the competing values model and deployment as perceptions of the support, use, and impact of systems development methodologies. The results show that the deployment of methodologies by IS developers is primarily associated with a hierarchical culture that is oriented toward security, order, and routinization. IT managers' critical attitudes of the deployment of methodologies in organizations with a strong rational culture (focusing on productivity, efficiency, and goal achievement) is also worth noting. Based on its empirical findings, the paper proposes a theoretical model to explain the impact of organizational culture on the deployment of systems development methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop and bring to fruition strategic information systems (SIS) projects, chief information officers (CIOs) must be able to effectively influence their peers. This research examines the relationship between CIO influence behaviors and the successfulness of influence outcomes, utilizing a revised model initially developed by Yukl (1994). Focused interviews were first conducted with CIOs and their peers to gain insights into the phenomenon. A survey instrument was then developed and distributed to a sample of CIO and peer executive pairs to gather data with which to test a research model. A total of 69 pairs of surveys were eventually used for data analysis. The research model was found to be generally meaningful in the CIO-top management context. Furthermore, the influence behaviors rational persuasion and personal appeal exhibited significant relationships with peer commitment, whereas exchange and pressure were significantly related to peer resistance. These results provide useful guidance to CIOs who wish to propose strategic information systems to peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the media selection behavior of directors (executives) and managers through the use of multiple methods. The findings indicate the directors were more 'self' oriented in their media choices, more often choosing media based on access/ease of use criteria, while the managers were more 'other' oriented, more often making choices based on media richness/social presence criteria. These differences have implications in the interpretation of communication from directors and managers to the rest of the organization and suggest a model for understanding the use of 'rich' and 'lean' communication media. The literature review of the study makes a major contribution by fitting together the multiple theories applied to the area and showing how conflicting results from all the established media selection theories make sense in different circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What motivates use of an expert system? Recent studies have found that the anticipated performance benefits of using an expert system-such as increases in decision quality, consistency, and speed of decision making-can lead to increases in expected usage. But is motivation limited to performance benefits? Findings in job design theory suggest that other factors-such as increasing a user's sense of control over a task or making a task less routine might also have an impact. If so, understanding these factors could be extremely valuable to managers seeking to build expert systems that will be readily accepted by users. This paper synthesizes findings from expert systems, information systems and job design research to model how the task change experienced by an expert systems user during adoption can affect that user's motivation to continue using the system. Using existing task constructs from the job design literature, a simplified version of the model is operationalized and tested on a data set of expert systems (all constructed in the early and mid-1980s) for which extensive quantitative and qualitative task-change data was available, as well as data on systems usage. The findings suggest significant relationships between the nature of the task changes associated with adoption and long-term usage of the systems, all consistent with the predictions of the job design literature. The study, therefore, concludes that a job design perspective of expert systems adoption can be a valuable tool in predicting user acceptance and, ultimately, systems usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 15 years, the Society for Information Management (SIM) has periodically surveyed its members to determine the most critical issues in IS management. Again in 1994-95, SIM institutional and board members were asked to consider what they felt were the most critical issues facing IS executives over the next three to five years. Signaling an evolutionary shift in IS management, this study shows that business relationship issues have declined in importance compared to technology infrastructure issues. For IS executives and general managers, the key issue framework suggests some general directions for emphasis and provides a coarse measure for benchmarking their own concerns against those of their peers. The results of this study also impact educational missions in teaching and research to the extent that they need to be sensitive to the views of practicing IS executives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that the difficulty of convincing top management of the potential strategic impact of information systems impedes information systems planning. Interviews with 20 top information systems executives revealed reasons for this difficulty and techniques that they use in attempting to overcome it. The results suggest the importance of information systems executives' skills and activities necessary for the selling of information systems products and services. The research also raises three controversial questions for future investigators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]