Redesigning Computer-Supported Work Processes with Dual Information Systems: The Work Process Benchmarking Service

Abstract

The conceptual design of most computer-based information systems reflects a dualism of technology. During the development phase, part of the work-domain related knowledge is formalized and encoded in the software, making it difficult for users to reflect on and use this knowledge. This design/use-dualism contributes to the deterioration of the interpretive flexibility of information systems. We propose an information systems architecture called Dual Information Systems (DIS) that helps bridge the design/use dualism by providing organizations with a set of services that enable and reinforce both effective, institutionalized working and the questioning and (re)construction of computer-supported work routines. DIS have a four-layered conceptual structure: (1) people draw on the business layer to work and learn; (2) people use the breakdown layer to handle unexpected breakdowns; (3) self-organizing project teams use the project layer to create innovative work and IS (re)designs; and (4) the knowledge sharing server stores these redesigns and makes them organizationally available to facilitate working and learning as well as subsequent redesign efforts. In this paper, we first outline the theoretical background, conceptual design, and generic services of DIS. Next, we elaborate on the work process benchmarking service of DIS, which supports project teams in analyzing and redesigning computer-supported work through lateral sharing of knowledge of work processes between business units. Finally, we demonstrate the benchmarking service with the help of the ReDIS prototype.KEY WORDS AND PHRASES: Dual Information Systems, interpretive flexibility, Knowledge Creation Nets, organizational creation of knowledge, organizational interfaces, work process benchmarking, work process enactment and redesign, work process modeling ______________________________________________________________________________ Information technology can be seen as constructed by human agency and as institutionalized in structure [46]. Orlikowski [46] calls this "the duality of technology." Duality implies that organizations can use information technology as a source of working and learning if agents 1 can use and modify the technology whenever it is necessary to redesign computer-supported work practices, and if the technology can be institutionalized as a legitimate component of the organizational working and learning environment.Unfortunately, many organizations today suffer from dualistic, institutionalized computerbased information systems (IS) that hide the constructed nature of IS from agents [33]. They (1) * Timo Käkölä is responsible for the theoretical development of this paper. Both authors contributed equally to Section "The ReDIS Prototype and its use in Redesigning Work Processes". Kalle Koota programmed the ReDIS prototype. 1 We use the word "agent" to refer to people whose work is computer supported. We want to avoid the term "user" since that term connotes that information systems could be used and studied independently of ot...

Dual Information Systems: Supporting Organizational Working and Learning by Making Organizational Memory Transparent

“…For these reasons, we focus on the business and breakdown layers of DIS (bDIS). Käkölä and Koota [26] discuss the project layer and the knowledge sharing server of DIS.…”

“…A project team can then be assembled to reconstruct computer-supported work practices and learning services to help eliminate in advance similar breakdowns. The project layer of DIS supports work redesign [26].…”

“…Käkölä and Koota [26] describe the project layer and knowledge sharing server of ReDIS. The case organization and the work processes described in subsection 4.1 are fictitious, but the ideas stem partly from the IBM Credit Corporation case [51].…”

“…Third, it provides a full-fledged hyperknowledge environment with the services envisioned in the conceptual design of the business and breakdown layers (section 3.4); agents can navigate, run different types of queries, and internalize redundant, real-time information about the business unit, its work processes and performance, and ECAS. Fourth, it provides access to the project layer of ReDIS [26].…”

“…Work redesign project teams use them and many other measurements to continuously improve the credit process and to periodically redesign it [26].…”