Integrated information environment or matrix of control? The contradictory implications of information technology

Orlikowski, Wanda J.

doi:10.1016/0959-8022(91)90011-3

Cited by 356 publications

(245 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

229

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The results confirm the assumption that in today's heterogeneous organizational environment a combination of various control mechanisms is necessary (Meiselman 2007;Orlikowski 1991). Especially auditors and consultants confirm that there are different GRC IS application contexts.…”

Section: It Enables Organizational Controlssupporting

confidence: 77%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding the Role of Information Technology for Organizational Control Design: Risk Control as New Control Mechanism

Wiesche¹,

Schermann²,

Krcmar³

2011

Governance and Sustainability in Information Systems. Managing the Transfer and Diffusion of IT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Organizational control is one of the fundamental functions of management. Although controls come along with performance constraints, organizations rely on control mechanisms to direct attention, motivate, and encourage organizational members to act according to organizational goals and objectives. Managers build their decision on control design on the degree of knowledge about the value creation process and the predictability of the outcome. In this paper, we enhance a popular theoretical framework for organizational control design by enclosing IT-enabled controls. We explore the framework empirically in a multiple case study on Governance, Risk management, and Compliance information systems (GRC IS), a popular new trend in organizational control design. Our findings provide evidence that IT-enabled controls enable a new control mechanism, risk control, for situations with perfect knowledge about the transformation process and high ability to measure output. As research implication, we recommend an extension of organizational control theory to incorporate the effects of information technology on control design. As practical implication, we provide decision support for the selection of GRC controls, depending on situational factors and the expected value proposition. In sum, this research enhances the body of knowledge on organizational control design with a risk-based perspective.

show abstract

Section: It Enables Organizational Controlssupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Using IT enables the principal to gather and evaluating high amounts of data efficiently (Orlikowski 1991). Focus can be laid on either value creation related tasks or not value creation related behavior.…”

Section: Effects Of It On Organizational Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Role of Information Technology for Organizational Control Design: Risk Control as New Control Mechanism

Wiesche¹,

Schermann²,

Krcmar³

2011

Governance and Sustainability in Information Systems. Managing the Transfer and Diffusion of IT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…5 This larger study examined the social process of developing, implementing, and using process technology in a software production environment. Various aspects of the findings have been discussed elsewhere: the implications of CASE tools for IS personnel (Orlikowski, 1988b); the changes in social relations and locus of power on project teams associated with use of CASE tools (Orlikowski, 1989); the chance in organizational control mechanisms associated with use of CASE tools (Orlikowski, 1991); and the structuring nature of interactions among CASE tools, systems development work, key players, and the organizational context (Orlikowski, 1992).…”

Section: Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development

Orlikowski¹

2002

Qualitative Research in Information Systems

Self Cite

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study into two organizations' experiences with the adoption and use of CASE tools over time. Using a grounded theory research approach, the study characterizes the organizations' experiences in terms of processes of incremental or radical organizational change. These findings are used to develop a theoretical framework for conceptualizing the organizational issues around the adoption and use of these tools--issues that have been largely missing from contemporary discussions of CASE tools. The paper thus has important implications for research and practice. Specifically, the framework and findings suggest that in order to account for the experiences and outcomes associated with CASE tools, researchers should consider the social context of systems development, the intentions and actions of key players, and the implementation process followed by the organization. Similarly, the paper suggests that practitioners will be better able to manage their organizations' experiences with CASE tools, if they understand that such implementations involve a process of organizational change over time, and not merely the installation of a new technology.ii

show abstract

“…The fact that the social aspects of work and the limitations of technological systems are ignored in the design of information systems leads to systems that are themselves limited and counterproductive (Orlikowski, 1991).…”

Section: Business Processes and Workplace Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practices, Processes, and Systems Design: Why Consultants Need to be “Everyday Ethnographers”

David¹,

Newell²

2016

RSR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Enterprise systems (ES) are intended to tie together the various functions of an organization through the integration of information flows, data management, organizational processes, and workplace activities. Compared to legacy systems, which can be siloed in disparate parts of the organization, enterprise systems are meant to be used across the entire ' enterprise' . The biggest benefits of these systems include businesses achieving greater standardization of work, data management, and having an information system that makes for better decision making and greater responsiveness to changing conditions. As they constitute a fundamental shift in how work is done, ES can be inherently disruptive as the technological landscape of an organization is transformed through the installation of a new information system. This also makes them prone to failure, as the installation of the system is often met with large delays, user resistance, and a failure to integrate with existing work practices. In this paper, we contrast reengineering approaches (i.e. the restructure of work) with implementations in which the technology is fitted more to existing work practices, to achieve more incremental and less disruptive change. We argue that while consultants strongly promote a reengineering-led ES implementation, their adopted methodology for understanding existing business processes is such that they are able to grasp only an idealized view of these processes, often very different from actual practice in any specific context. We propose instead that consultants adopt a practice-based, ethno-methodological approach, essentially becoming everyday ethnographers, who can better inform these business, organizational, and managerial decisions.

show abstract

Integrated information environment or matrix of control? The contradictory implications of information technology

Cited by 356 publications

References 26 publications

Understanding the Role of Information Technology for Organizational Control Design: Risk Control as New Control Mechanism

Understanding the Role of Information Technology for Organizational Control Design: Risk Control as New Control Mechanism

CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development

Practices, Processes, and Systems Design: Why Consultants Need to be “Everyday Ethnographers”

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About