Eric Monteiro, Professor, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology and Univ. of Oslo: Challenges for information systems research in organizations

We have for some years struggled with finding ways to make sense of the processes of development, introduction and use of information systems in organizations. Problematic issues include: where to draw the boundaries between the technical and the non-technical (and accordingly the boundary between the professions?); in what sense does it make sense to talk about the "management" of such processes; what about the cases where the users do not really care about the information system; the way more general managerial, economical and rhetorical trends translate into the local.

Ole Hanseth, Associate Professor, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo: From Control to Drift. The Dynamics of Corporate IT Infrastructures

Globalization is widely acknowledged to be an important contemporary phenomenon. Globalization and technology are mutually reinforcing drivers of change. The role of IT as a key factor to bring about this change is often thought of as an opportunity to enhance control and coordination, while opening access to new global markets and businesses. Barlett and Ghoshal (1998) claim that firms operating in these global markets will be at a serious strategic disadvantage if they are unable firmly to control their worldwide operations and manage them in a globally coordinated manner. According to their model corporations are focusing on closer coordination of increasingly more complex and global processes. At the same time, we are aware that all globalization is creating an increasingly changeable, dynamic, and unpredictable world. These issues are in contradiction. Models for tight control and coordination presume stability. Such models require the different elements in the processes to be coordinated – the cogwheels in the machine – to be known and well specified. In a global system they need to be standardized. As the complexity of the 'machine' grows, the more time it takes to change it. And a global 'machine' made up of standardized components requires stability.

The seminar will present the results form a study of IT infrastructures in 6 global organizations and the challenges they were confronted with – which were all related to the contradiction mentioned – in their stuggles in controlling and managing their IT infrastructures.

Välkommna!
Per-Olof Ågren