More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/

article

Organization designs for the management of end-user computing: reexamining the contingencies

Authors:

Carol V. Brown,

Robert P. BostromAuthors Info & Claims

Journal of Management Information Systems, Volume 10, Issue 4

Pages 183 - 211

https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1994.11518025

Published: 01 March 1994 Publication History

Abstract

To date, little research has been directed at the management infrastructure for end-user computing (EUC) from an organization design perspective. This study reports on the testing of a previously published contingency model in which two different structural forms are modeled for four states of EUC implementation: (1) an organic design (characterized by a decentralized, highly participatory form of decision making with loose controls), and (2) a mechanistic design (characterized by centralized decision making with a more tightly controlled form of management). Based on questionnaire data from 63 companies, statistical support is found for only the two states of EUC implementation for which a mechanistic design is modeled. Although only moderate support for this contingency model is found, the results of this study provide additional evidence for the effectiveness of a more controlled approach to EUC management under a low EUC growth objective at an early stage of implementation. This finding has important implications for other EUC management models and organization design options for assimilating new information technologies in general. The article concludes with recommendations for future empirical research, including a revised contingency model.

References

[1]

1. Alavi, M.;Nelson, R.R.; and Weiss, I.R. Strategies for end-user computing: an integrative framework. Journal of Management Information Systems, 4, 3 (Winter 1987-88), 28-49.

Digital Library

[2]

2. Benbasat, I.; Dexter, A.S.; Drury, D.H.; and Goldstein, R.C. A critique of the stage hypothesis: theory and empirical evidence. Communications of the ACM, 27, 5 (May 1984), 476-485.

Digital Library

[3]

3. Berger, C.J., and Cummings, L.L. Organizational structure, attitudes, and behaviors. In B.M.Staw (ed.),Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 1. Greenwich, CT: JAIPress, 1979, pp. 169-208.

[4]

4. Brancheau, J.C., and Amoroso, D.L. An empirical test for the expansion-control model for managing end-user computing. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Information Systems, Copenhagen, December 16-19, 1990, pp. 291-303.

[5]

5. Brancheau, J.C., and Brown, C.V. The management of end-user computing: status and directions. ACM Computing Surveys, 24, 4 (December 1993), 437-482.

[6]

6. Brancheau, J.C., and Wetherbe, J.C. The adoption of spreadsheet software: testing innovation diffusion theory in the context of end-user computing. Information Systems Research, 1, 2 (June 1990), 115-43.

Digital Library

[7]

7. Brown, C.V., and Bostrom, R.P. Effective management of end-user computing: a total organization perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 6, 2 (Fall 1989), 77-92.

Digital Library

[8]

8. Brown, C.V., and Wynne, B.E. Effective management of end-user computing: prior models and a case example. In K.M. Kaiser and J.J. Oppelland (eds.), Desktop Information Technology. New York: North-Holland, 1990, pp. 157-176.

[9]

9. Burns, T., and Stalker, G.M. The Management of Innovation. London: Tavistock, 1961.

[10]

10. Cameron, K.S., and Whetten, D.A. Organizational Effectiveness: A Comparison of Multiple Models. New York: Academic Press, 1983.

[11]

11. Cash, J.I., Jr., and McLeod, P.L. Managing the introduction of information systems technology in strategically dependent companies. Journal of Management Information Systems, 1, 4 (Spring 1985), 5-23.

[12]

12. Churchill, G.A., Jr. Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, 3d ed. New York: Dryden Press, 1983.

[13]

13. Collins, P.D.; Hage, J.; and Hull, F.M. Organizational and technological predictors of change in automaticity. Academy of Management Journal, 31, 3 (September 1988), 512-543.

[14]

14. Cronbach, L.J. Test validation. Educational Measurement, 2d ed., ed. by R.L. Thorndike. Washington, DC: American Council on Education, 1971, pp. 443-507.

[15]

15. Daft, R.L. Organization Theory and Design, 2d ed. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing, 1986.

[16]

16. Duncan, R.B. The ambidextrous organization: designing dual structures for innovation. In R.H. Kilmann et al. (eds.), The Management of Organization Design, vol. 1, Strategies and Implementation. New York: North-Holland, 1976, pp. 167-188.

[17]

17. Ein-Dor, P., and Segev, E. organizational context and MIS structure: some empirical evidence. MIS Quarterly, 6, 3 (September 1982), 55-68.

Digital Library

[18]

18. Gerrity, T.P., and Rockart, J.F. End-user computing: are you a leader or a laggard? Sloan Management Review (Summer 1986), 25-34.

[19]

19. Gibson, C.F., and Nolan, R.L. Managing the four stages of EDP growth. Harvard Business Review, 52, 1 (January-February 1974), 76-88.

[20]

20. Guimaraes, T., and V. Ramanujam. Personal computing trends and problems: an empirical study. MIS Quarterly, 10, 2 (June 1986), 179-85.

Digital Library

[21]

21. Hage, J., and M. Aiken. Social Change in Complex Organizations. New York: Random House, 1970.

[22]

22. Hall, R.H. Organizations: Structures, Processes, and Outcomes, 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1987.

[23]

23. Harris, R.W. Management control of end-user computing. Proceedings of the 1992 ACM SIGCPR Conference, pp. 33-40.

[24]

24. Hartmanis, J., and Lin, H., eds. Computing the Future: A Broader Agenda for Computer Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1992.

[25]

25. Henderson, J.C., and Treacy, M.E. Managing end-user computing for competitive advantage. Sloan Management Review, 27, 2 (Winter 1986), 3-14.

[26]

26. Huff, S.L.; Munro, M.C.; and Martin, B.H. Growth stages of end user computing. Communications of the ACM, 31, 5 (May 1988), 542-50.

Digital Library

[27]

27. Kanter, R.M., and Brinkerhoff, D. Organizational performance: recent developments in measurement. Annual Review of Sociology, 7 (1981), 321-49.

[28]

28. Kwan, S.K., and Curley, K.F. Corporate MIS/DP and end user computing: the emergence of a new partnership. Data Base, 20, 2 (Summer 1989), 31-37.

Digital Library

[29]

29. McFarlan, W.F., and McKenney, J.L. The information archipelago--maps and bridges. Harvard Business Review (September-October 1982), 109-119.

[30]

30. McLean, E.R., and Kappelman, L.A. The convergence of organizational and end-user computing. Proceedings of the 25th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS--25), vol. 4, 1992, pp. 260-268.

[31]

31. Munro, M.C., and Huff, S.L. Information technology assessment and adoption: understanding the information centre role. ACM Proceedings of the Computer Personnel and Business Data Processing Research Conference, Minneapolis, May 1985, pp. 29-37.

Digital Library

[32]

32. Munro, M.C.; Huff, S.L.; and Moore, G. Expansion and control of end user computing. Journal of Management Information Systems, 4, 3 (Winter 1987-88), 5-27.

Digital Library

[33]

33. Nolan, R.L. Managing the crises in data processing. Harvard Business Review (March-April 1979), 115-126.

[34]

34. Nord, W.R., and Tucker, S. Implementing Routine and Radical Innovations. Toronto: Lexington Books, 1987.

[35]

35. Park, C.G., and Ahn, J.H. Impacts of diffusion of end-user computing on job satisfaction and organizational commitment of MIS personnel. Proceedings of the 1992 ACM SIGCPR Conference, pp. 26-32.

[36]

36. Pugh, D.S.; Hickson, D.J.; Hinings, C.R.; and Turner, C. Dimensions of organization structure. Administrative Science Quarterly, 13, 1 (June 1968), 65-105.

[37]

37. Raymond, L. End-user computing in the small business context: foundations and directions for research. Data Base, 20 (1990), 20-26.

Digital Library

[38]

38. Rivard, S., and Huff, S.L. Factors of success for end-user computing. Communications of the ACM, 31, 5 (May 1988), 552-561.

Digital Library

[39]

39. Robey, D. Designing Organizations, 3d ed. Homewood, IL: Irwin, 1991.

[40]

40. Saarinen, T.; Heikkila, J.; and Saaksjarvi, M. Strategies for managing end user computing. Journal of Systems Management (August 1988), 34-39.

[41]

41. Straub, D.W., and Wetherbe, J.C. Information technologies in the 1990s: an organizational impact perspective. Communications of the ACM, 32, 11 (1989), 1328-339.

Digital Library

[42]

42. Tomatzky, L.G., et al. The process of technological innovation: reviewing the literature. National Science Foundation, report NSF/ISI-83012, May 1983.

[43]

43. Wynne, B.E. Information intensity: let's make it more than an intuitive concept. Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-22), vol. 3, 1989, pp. 123-130.

[44]

44. Zaltman, G.; Duncan, R.; and Holbeck, J. Innovations and Organizations. New York: Wiley, 1973.

[45]

45. Zmud, R.W. Design alternatives for organizing information systems activities. MIS Quarterly, 8, 2 (June 1984), 79-93.

Digital Library

Cited By

Hussein RKarim NMohamed NAhlan A(2017)The Influence of Organizational Factors on Information Systems Success in E‐Government Agencies in MalaysiaThe Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries10.1002/j.1681-4835.2007.tb00195.x29:1(1-17)Online publication date: 5-Dec-2017
Nilsen HSein MTanniru MWeisband S(2004)What is really important in supporting end-users?Proceedings of the 2004 SIGMIS conference on Computer personnel research: Careers, culture, and ethics in a networked environment10.1145/982372.982383(48-54)Online publication date: 22-Apr-2004
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/982372.982383
Menachemi NBurke DAyers D(2004)Factors Affecting the Adoption of Telemedicine—A Multiple Adopter PerspectiveJournal of Medical Systems10.1023/B:JOMS.0000044964.49821.df28:6(617-632)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2004
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1023/B%3AJOMS.0000044964.49821.df
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Organization designs for the management of end-user computing: reexamining the contingencies

Recommendations

An Efficient Frontier in Organization Design: Organizational Structure as a Determinant of Exploration and Exploitation

This paper develops a parsimonious process-level theory that connects organizational structure to exploration and exploitation. Toward this end, it develops a mathematical model of organizational decision making that combines an information processing ...
The end of the information system life: a model of is discontinuance

Considerable information systems (IS) research has sought to understand the adoption, implementation, and use of information systems. In contrast, the literature offers only limited insight into end-of-life issues such as those surrounding the nature of,...
Contingency Fit, Institutional Fit, and Firm Performance: A Metafit Approach to Organization–Environment Relationships

In this paper, we attempt to reconcile contingency and institutional fit approaches concerning the organization–environment relationship. Whereas prior scholarly research has examined both theories and compared their impacts on organizational fit and ...

Comments

Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image Journal of Management Information Systems

Journal of Management Information Systems Volume 10, Issue 4

Special issue: Information technology and organization design

March 1994

203 pages

ISSN:0742-1222

Issue’s Table of Contents

Publisher

M. E. Sharpe, Inc.

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 March 1994

Author Tags

Qualifiers

Article

Contributors

Other Metrics

View Article Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

4
Total Citations
View Citations
39
Total Downloads

Downloads (Last 12 months)0
Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0

Reflects downloads up to 28 Dec 2024

Other Metrics

View Author Metrics

Citations

Cited By

Hussein RKarim NMohamed NAhlan A(2017)The Influence of Organizational Factors on Information Systems Success in E‐Government Agencies in MalaysiaThe Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries10.1002/j.1681-4835.2007.tb00195.x29:1(1-17)Online publication date: 5-Dec-2017
Nilsen HSein MTanniru MWeisband S(2004)What is really important in supporting end-users?Proceedings of the 2004 SIGMIS conference on Computer personnel research: Careers, culture, and ethics in a networked environment10.1145/982372.982383(48-54)Online publication date: 22-Apr-2004
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/982372.982383
Menachemi NBurke DAyers D(2004)Factors Affecting the Adoption of Telemedicine—A Multiple Adopter PerspectiveJournal of Medical Systems10.1023/B:JOMS.0000044964.49821.df28:6(617-632)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2004
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1023/B%3AJOMS.0000044964.49821.df
Sacco JHackler D(2002)Analyzing the evolution of end user information technology performanceAnnals of cases on information technology10.5555/644570.644585(195-208)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2002
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/644570.644585

View Options

View options

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

View Issue’s Table of Contents