Key Issues in IS Management in Norway: An Empirical Study Based on Q Methodology

Information systems IS departments face many challenges in today's rapidly changing environment. One approach to understanding these challenges is to survey IS managers to elicit what they consider are key issues. Studies of key IS management issues have been conducted for some years in many nations and regions. However, most of these surveys lack a theoretical basis for the selection of key issues. Furthermore, most studies have used a single-round or a multi-round Delphi method. This paper provides an overview of research approaches to key issues studies combined with key issues results from previous research. The paper presents methodological issues and choices for a survey on key issues in IS management which was conducted in Norway. A three step procedure for key issues selection is introduced, and a Q-sort analysis is adopted. The paper presents results from the Q-sort survey and analysis. The highest ranked key issue in Norway, according to the survey, is concerned with improving links between information systems strategy and business strategy.

[1]  Steven R. Brown.  A Primer on Q Methodology , 1993, Operant Subjectivity.

[2]  Pien Wang,et al.  Information systems management issues in the Republic of China for the 1990s , 1994, Inf. Manag..

[3]  Albert S. Dexter,et al.  Key information technology issues in Estonia , 1993, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[4]  Trevor T. Moores,et al.  Key issues in the management of information systems: A Hong Kong perspective , 1996, Inf. Manag..

[5]  John C. Henderson,et al.  Strategic Alignment: Leveraging Information Technology for Transforming Organizations , 1999, IBM Syst. J..

[6]  Jerry N. Luftman.  Competing in the Information Age: Strategic Alignment in Practice , 1996 .

[7]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Extending the Analysis of Key Issues in Information Technology Management , 1995, ICIS.

[8]  Stephen C. Hayne,et al.  A comparative analysis of information systems issues facing Canadian business , 1996, Proceedings of HICSS-29: 29th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[9]  Louis C. K. Ma,et al.  Critical issues of IS management in Hong Kong: a cultural comparison , 1993 .

[10]  J. Ward,et al.  Strategic Planning for Information Systems , 1990 .

[11]  Richard A. Krueger,et al.  Focus groups : a practical guide for applied research / by Richard A. Krueger , 1989 .

[12]  M. A. Badri,et al.  Critical issues in information systems management: An international perspective , 1992 .

[13]  Syed Arshad Usman,et al.  Key issues in management of information systems in the Australian environment , 1997 .

[14]  Fred Niederman,et al.  Information Systems Management Issues for the 1990s , 1991, MIS Q..

[15]  W. Stephenson.  The study of behavior : Q-technique and its methodology , 1955 .

[16]  John N. Warfield,et al.  Complexity and Cognitive Equilibrium: Experimental Results and Their Implications , 1991 .

[17]  Gerald F. Smith.  CLASSIFYING MANAGERIAL PROBLEMS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF DEFINITIONAL CONTENT* , 1995 .

[18]  James C. Wetherbe,et al.  Key Issues in Information Systems Management: 1994-95 SIM Delphi Results , 1996, MIS Q..

[19]  Kenneth C. Laudon,et al.  Management Information Systems: New Approaches to Organization and Technology , 1997 .

[20]  Vijay K. Khandelwal,et al.  Critical success factors (CSFs) and the growth of IT in selected geographic regions , 1999, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. 1999. HICSS-32. Abstracts and CD-ROM of Full Papers.

[21]  John C. Henderson,et al.  Continuous strategic alignment: Exploiting information technology capabilities for competitive success , 1993 .

[22]  James C. Wetherbe,et al.  Key issues in information systems management , 1987 .

[23]  Robert D. Galliers,et al.  Coping with information technology? How British executives perceive the key information systems management issues in the mid-1990s , 1994, J. Inf. Technol..

[24]  Cheng-Kiang Farn,et al.  A comparison of information management issues in the United States of America and the Republic of China , 1990, Inf. Manag..

[25]  Martin D. Goslar,et al.  Identification of Key International Information Systems Issues in U.S.-Based Multinational Corporations , 1991, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[26]  Jane E. Klobas,et al.  User Developed Applications and Information Systems Success: A Test of DeLone and McLean's Model , 2003, Inf. Resour. Manag. J..

[27]  William L. Fuerst,et al.  Information systems management issues in Central America: a multinational and comparative study , 1997, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[28]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Key Issues in Information Systems Management: An International Perspective , 1997, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[29]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Adding Value to Key Issues Research Through Q-Sorts and Interpretive Structured Modeling , 1999, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[30]  Stuart L. Hart,et al.  Managing Complexity Through Consensus Mapping: Technology for the Structuring of Group Decisions , 1985 .

[31]  Steven R. Brown.  Political Subjectivity: Applications of Q Methodology in Political Science. , 1980 .

[32]  J. D. White,et al.  Issues in Public Management Information Systems , 1995 .

[33]  Julie E. Kendall,et al.  Metaphors and Methodologies: Living Beyond the Systems Machine , 1993, MIS Q..