Dynamics of Institutional Mechanisms in Enterprise-wide Information Systems Architecture
Type
fundamental research project
Start Date
01 June 2016
End Date
31 May 2019
Status
completed
Keywords
enterprise-wide information systems architecture
enterprise architecture
institutional theory
archetype theory
mixed methods
Description
Information systems (IS) architecture is an effort to make local, short-term IS investment decisions in line with enterprise-wide, long-term objectives. Even though existing theories on IS architecture dominantly promote a centralized decision making structure, this project takes a distinctive approach and spotlights the phenomenon of “effective collaboration” (no matter which structure is adopted). The latter examines how dynamically effective collaboration emerges over time in a longitudinal dyadic interplay among institutional mechanisms.

Due to existing merely deterministic and prescriptive approaches to IS architecture, this project sheds light on a need for a distinctive theorization that accounts for an “effective collaboration” among different local units. The phenomenon of effective collaboration aims to balance divergent, short-time local requirements to produce holistic, long-term solutions; a process which is contextual, emergent, and probabilistic in nature. To this end and through a mixed methods research design, this study examines effective collaboration from two distinctive, but inter-related perspectives. The first part of the project employs a static approach to explain which institutional factors determine the adoption of effective collaboration in enterprise-wide IS architecture (guided by institutional theory). The second part of the project, in turn, exploits a dynamic approach to explain how effective collaboration in enterprise-wide IS architecture emerges over time (guided by archetype theory). Finally, this project combines both static and dynamic explanations to triangulate the generated theory on effective collaboration in enterprise-wide IS architecture.

This project goes beyond existing conceptualizations of enterprise-wide IS architecture and uncovers its new aspects. Beyond the existing deterministic prescriptions, this study conceptualizes enterprise-wide IS architecture as an emergent process through which organizations continuously strive for achieving effective collaboration. As the proposed research project investigates one of the key priorities of IS managers, the results will be communicated with Swiss practitioners, in the structure of our existing regular gatherings with practitioners, and will be used to improve the database of case studies and eventually improve curriculum and pedagogical strategies in the relevant courses at the University of St. Gallen.
Leader contributor(s)
Member contributor(s)
Funder(s)
Range
Institute/School
Range (De)
Institut/School
Division(s)
Eprints ID
247310
Reference Number
100018_165607

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 19
  • Publication
    Introducing a Coordination Perspective to Enterprise Architecture Management Research
    (IEEE Computer Society, 2017-10-10)
    Brosius, Maximilian
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    ;
    Haki, Kazem
    ;
    Hallé, Sylvain
    ;
    Dijkman, Remco
    ;
    Lapalme, James
    Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is a prominent discipline for purposefully guiding the complex, co-evolutionary business-IT relationships in organizations. Means to realize such guidance are, among others, mechanisms to coordinate heterogeneous and potentially conflicting stakeholder concerns. Yet, organizations face challenges to successfully leverage their EAM initiatives, often as a result of coordination mechanisms that only reach specific stakeholders or selected contexts. In the paper at hand, we aim at introducing coordination as a research lens for analyzing and designing EAM approaches. To this end, we substantiate the abstract notion of coordination through its underlying formal and informal mechanisms, which are implemented by artifacts, as well as through artifact modalities in an analysis framework. For illustrative purposes, we apply the developed analysis framework to The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF). We find informal mechanisms (lateral relations, communication, and socialization) comparably underrepresented, which limits not only coordination effects but may also limit the success of the overall EAM approach. Our findings call for an extended and more comprehensive perspective on coordination in EAM, motivating the complementarity of informal mechanisms as an avenue for future research.
    Type: conference paper
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/101890
  • Publication
    Type: conference paper
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/101005
  • Publication
    Type: conference paper
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/101713
  • Publication
    Dynamics of Control Mechanisms in Enterprise Architecture Management: A Sensemaking Perspective
    ( 2018-12-13)
    Schilling, Raphael
    ;
    Haki, Kazem
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    Enterprise architecture management (EAM) has long been considered a governance means to impose enterprise-wide objectives to local information systems development projects. This perspective on EAM inevitably brings about formal control mechanisms with the aim of enforcing enterprise-wide objectives in a top-down fashion. This study takes a complementary perspective by investigating the portfolio of control mechanisms with and beyond formal control mechanisms. We examine control portfolios and their dynamics over time. We employ control theory to capture the portfolio of control mechanisms, and an organizational sensemaking perspective, to capture its dynamics. The longitudinal analysis of a financial service company over a decade reveals that EAM’s portfolio of control mechanisms emerges in an ongoing sensemaking process. In this process, various stakeholders continuously interpret cues in their environment and take actions in response to these cues. Further, we demonstrate that control portfolios are constantly (re)configured, through different combinations of formal and informal mechanisms.
    Type: conference paper
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/99768
  • Publication
    Theories to Understand the Dynamic Nature of Enterprise Architecture
    (IEE Computer Society, 2018-10-16)
    Schilling, Raphael
    Understanding and dealing with the dynamic nature of Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a key challenge in successfully guiding its long-term evolution. While a considerable number of publications offer prescriptive knowledge on the design of Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM), explanations and descriptions of the dynamic nature of EA are rare. This is surprising, as an improved understanding on the dynamic nature of EA could enhance the tools and guidelines used in EAM. This paper aims at systematically identifying, discussing and comparing theories that have been applied to better to understand, explain and deal with the dynamic nature of EA. Based on a literature review, five distinct theories are identified and analyzed through a framework covering the main aspects of dynamics in EA. The resulting overview may support academics in identifying suitable theoretical lenses and motivates for a multi-theoretical perspective on the dynamic nature of EA.
    Type: conference paper
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/99939
  • Publication
    Designing an Artifact for Informal Control in Enterprise Architecture Management
    ( 2019-12-16)
    Schilling, Raphael
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    ;
    Winter, Robert orcid-logo
    Aligning local business and technology initiatives with enterprise-wide objectives remains a challenge for many organizations. To this end, Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) imposes formal control mechanisms such as architecture plans and principles aimed at leveraging enterprise-wide standards and harnessing information systems (IS) complexity. Addressing recent calls to complement EAM control portfolios with informal control mechanisms, this study reports on the design, implementation and adoption of an Enterprise Architecture Label at a large multinational engineering company. Based on recent research on nudging, we deliberately designed the choice architecture of local decision makers. The Enterprise Architecture Label aims to influence the decision-making process, so that IS design alternatives that are preferable from an enterprise-wide perspective appear to be more attractive. Following an Action Design Research approach, the paper highlights the process of defining the underlying measurement system, designing an appropriate presentation, and the learnings and theory implications made throughout this process.
    Type: conference paper
    URL: https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2019/design_science/design_science/4/
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/97939
  • Publication
    A Learning Perspective on Enterprise Architecture Management
    (Association for Information Systems, 2016-12-11)
    Brosius, Maximilian
    ;
    Haki, Kazem
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    ;
    Winter, Robert orcid-logo
    Enterprise architecture management (EAM) has long been propagated in research and practice as an approach for keeping local information systems projects in line with enterprise-wide, long-term objectives. EAM literature predominantly promotes strictly governed and centralized coordination mechanisms to achieve the promised alignment contributions. Notwithstanding the increasing maturity levels in practice, organizations still struggle with the successful establishment of EAM, mainly due to the inherent challenges of a firmly centralized approach in complex organizational settings. This study opts for cooperative learning as a theoretical lens to afford a distinctive, non-centralized conceptualization of EAM. We empirically demonstrate EAM as a stage-wise learning process in which knowledge acquisition and cooperative interactions among individuals contribute to project performance on the local level. Projects that benefit from this particular learning process, in turn, are found to significantly leverage enterprise-wide performance.
    Type: conference paper
    URL: http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2016/ISStrategy/Presentations/7/
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/103606
  • Publication
    A Case Study of Stakeholder Concerns on EAM
    (IEEE Computer Society, 2017-10-10)
    Hacks, Simon
    ;
    Brosius, Maximilian
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    ;
    Hallé, Sylvain
    ;
    Dijkman, Remco
    ;
    Lapalme, James
    As a result of growing complexities in business processes, information systems, and the technical infrastructure, a key challenge for enterprise architecture management (EAM) is to guide stakeholders from different hierarchical levels with heterogeneous concerns. EA deliverables, such as models or frameworks, are often highly comprehensive and standardized. However, these can hardly be applied without greater adaption. Although the literature selectively covers approaches for tailoring EA deliverables closer to the concerns of affected stakeholders, these approaches are often vague or not very differentiated. In the paper at hand, we aim at introducing a stakeholder perspective to EAM research that considers stakeholder concerns on EAM across hierarchical levels. To this end, we conduct a case study: Our results show homogenous concerns among stakeholders on EA deliverables. In turn, we found different concerns on the role of EAM in applying these deliverables, dependent on the hierarchical level of stakeholders. These findings stress the necessity for a more differentiated understanding of stakeholder concerns on EAM. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for an exemplary EAM approach.
    Type: conference paper
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/101892
  • Publication
    Introducing Archetype Theory to Information Systems Research: A Literature Review and Call for Future Research
    (Association for Information Systems, 2017-02-12)
    Schilling, Raphael
    ;
    Haki, Kazem
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    ;
    Leimeister, Jan Marco
    ;
    Brenner, Walter
    Studying organizational configurations on the one hand and the dynamics of organizational change on the other hand are dominant topics of interest in the information systems (IS) discipline. Studies in each of these research streams take advantage of various well-established theoretical lenses from reference disciplines such as management science. In this study, we take a closer look at archetype theory, which combines these two research streams and which eventually provides a dynamic perspective on organizational configurations. Through a literature review, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of archetype theory (i.e., its constitutive constructs and assumptions) as well as on its application in studying dynamics of configurations. In introducing archetype theory to IS research, we discuss the explanatory power of the respective theory for investigating IS phenomena as well as the methodological and theoretical implications of employing the theory in IS research.
    Type: conference paper
    URL: https://www.wi2017.ch/images/tagungsband_wi_2017.pdf
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/102637
  • Publication
    Design Science Research in Business Innovation
    (Springer Gabler, 2016)
    Winter, Robert orcid-logo
    ;
    Aier, Stephan orcid-logo
    ;
    Hoffmann, Christian Pieter
    ;
    Lennerts, Silke
    ;
    Schmitz, Christian
    ;
    Stölzle, Wolfgang
    ;
    Uebernickel, Falk
    Business innovation research either aims at describing and understanding business innovation phenomena, or at changing a present world it into a better or preferred one. This article discusses the later approach, which has the goal to contribute new theories for design and action. Such design theories comprise useful business innovation artifacts such as products and services, business processes, or business models. In this article we advocate the opportunities that design-oriented business innovation research offers to researchers and to practice, we provide an overview on the relations of design-oriented business innovation research to other research paradigms in business research, we summarize and link to state-of-the-art guidance for conducting design-oriented business innovation research, and we present exemplars of design-oriented business innovation research and discuss their positioning in the field of design-oriented research.
    Type: book section
    URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-07167-7_25
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-07167-7_25
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/105585