MIS Problems and Failures: A Socio-Technical Perspective, Part II: The Application of Socio-Technical Theory

Abstract

Many of the problems arjd failures of Management Information Systems (MIS) and Management Science/Operations Research (MS/OR) projects have been attributed to organizational behavioral problems. The millions of dollars organizations spend on MIS and MS/OR development are of little benefit because systems continue to fail. Steps can be taken to understand and solve these behavioral probiems. This article argues that in most oases these behavioral problems are the result of inadequate designs. These bad designs are attributed to the way MIS systems designers view organizations, their members, and the function of an MIS within them. I.e., systems designers' frames of reference. These frames of reference cause faulty design choices and failures to perceive better design alternatives. Seven conditions are discussed which reflect current systems designers' points of view. The discussion of these conditions demonstrates the need to refrawe MIS design methodology within the Socio-Technicai Systems (STS) design approach and change systems designers' perspectives. The STS approach is introduced as a realistic view of organizations and a way to change them. This article is the first of two to appear in consecutive issues of the MIS Quarterly. The purpose of this first article is to demonstrate the need for the srs approaj:h. The second will present the basic concepts and principles of the STS methodology and how it can be utilized in the design of an MIS.

Digital Omotenashi: Toward a Smart Tourism Design Systems

“…In this paper, the Socio-Technical Systems (STS) theory [11,12] is invited as a theoretical foundation. From the literature review, the social aspects are essential in determining the tourists' sustainable values [23].…”

“…Instead, many of the tourism systems have been developed in a way that makes tourists skip the interaction with other stakeholders, such as full-automated service systems [34] or information kiosks [35]. In this regard, STS perspective suggests a smart tourism design opportunity that enables the joint-optimization of various subsystems, such as social subsystems, technical subsystems, and environmental subsystems [11,12,36]. With the objective of finding balanced values for all of those systems, there can be an increasing possibility of having efficient STD applications that support more synergetic values from stakeholders and the interconnected subsystems [37,38]; such objective is a primary goal of smart tourism systems.…”

IT controls in the public cloud: Success factors for allocation of roles and responsibilities

“…However, this model was found to focus more on the role of IT in organisational transformation rather than on role allocation. Since cloud migration affects both technology and people, the sociotechnical theory of Bostrom and Heinen (1977) was considered. Closer examination revealed that it concentrates only on providing guidelines from a system design approach.…”

Future Work and Enterprise Systems

“…The rapid acceleration of technological diffusion confronts BISE researchers, who usually study technological innovations from the perspective of socio-technical systems (Bostrom and Heinen 1977). Work systems are conceptualized as an interplay of tasks, technologies, and people (vom Brocke and Rosemann 2014), systems ''in which human participants and/or machines perform work (processes and activities) using information, technology, and other resources to produce specific products/services for specific internal and/or external customers'' (Alter 2013, p. 75).…”