Journal of Systems and Information Technology

Standing, Craig; Benson, Steve

2002 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260280000766

The traditional realm of information systems has been the management of data and information. For the past few years information systems researchers and practitioners have been increasingly concerned with the management of knowledge. Knowledge management, however is not the sole concern of the information systems community but is also the concern of management and accounting researchers. According to much of the literature on knowledge management a conducive organisational culture is a prerequisite for the effective management of knowledge. In particular, organisations which emphasise the role and importance of the individual, often in a competitive arena, are less likely to foster sharing of knowledge. Much attention in the information systems community has been focused on the types of organisational knowledge and the usefulness of information technology in managing it. This paper rather than addressing these themes examines the context for knowledge management. The issue of appropriate organisational cultures for effective knowledge management is the main theme. A study of a university is used to examine the influence of organisational culture and climate on proposed knowledge management initiatives. The University in the study is operating in a climate of rationalisation, corporatisation and marketisation these characteristics having a profound influence on the organisational culture. The staff felt that the competitive environment, the lack of trust and the formality of many business practices would work against knowledge sharing. It is argued that in the future that most corporate cultures will transform to better accommodate a number of features that combine to form a view of the new organisation. The effective management of knowledge is just one of the requirements of this new organisational form. Unfortunately, until organisations as a whole begin to transform many IT driven knowledge management practices will flounder on the rocks of outdated management practices and organisational culture.

Eljabiri, Osama; Crowell, Davis; Deek, Fadi P.

2002 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260280000767

A field study was conducted to determine organizational readiness for implementing Ebusiness solutions by utilizing drivers suggested in the business process reengineering literature. Based on a literature review, we theorized a schematic framework to reflect the anticipated relationships between the independent variables of technology team capabilities, nature and scope of legacy business applications, hightech resources, valuechain, management expertise, supply chain management and enterprise resource management, and the dependant variable of EBusiness readiness. A survey collection method comprised of a 29item questionnaire was used. The study was carried out with a sample population from employees in various departments of a large, multinational pharmaceutical company. Data analysis of project hypotheses showed that 47.7 of the variance of EBusiness readiness was explained by the five independent variables, and that management expertise had the most significant influence. Recommendations directed at the senior management and EBusiness Teams include the importance of having an EBusiness team to manage new technology, and the need to create synergy between the organizational functions and departments. Though this analytical field study was conducted in a framework of one case study, results can be used to establish a foundation for a comprehensive study across business firms.