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Abstract:
As organizations grow increasingly dependent on their technology development capabilities, effective management of technology development projects has become a crucial capability.

Although a variety of perspectives—control, leadership and management championship, and institutional linkages—have been invoked to explain technology development performance, a theoretical explanation for the mechanisms through which these relationships materialize has neither been articulated nor empirically tested. The objective of this paper is to build on an emerging knowledge-based perspective to develop and test an explanatory model for the influence of interunit linkages on technology development performance.

knowledge integration, technology development

Abstract:
This study addresses the theoretically-neglected interplay between organizational information technology (IT) architecture and IT governance structure in shaping IT alignment. We theoretically develop the idea that IT architecture modularity helps sustain IT alignment by increasing IT agility, and that decentralization of IT governance strengthens this relationship. IT architecture therefore complements IT governance structure. Tests of the proposed mediated-moderation model using data from 223 organizations support these ideas. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

Modularity, information technology architecture, governance, mediated-moderation, alignment, IT strategy, IT agility

Abstract:
This study addresses the theoretically under explored question of how fit between project governance configurations, and the knowledge of specialized information technology (IT) and client departments influences information systems development (ISD) performance. It conceptualizes project governance configuration using two classes of project decisions rights-decision control rights and decision management rights. The paper then develops a middle-range theory of how governance-knowledge fit shapes ISD performance by influencing the effective exercise of these decision rights during the development process. Further, the two dimensions of ISD performance - efficiency and effectiveness - are shaped by different classes of project decision rights. Data from 89 projects in 89 firms strongly support the proposed ideas. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

Systems development, project governance, decision rights, governance-knowledge fit, middle-range theory, software project management

Abstract:
Knowledge-intensive outsourcing alliances present a tension between sharing enough private knowledge to successfully accomplish alliance goals and simultaneously safeguarding it against misappropriation. This paper explores the perspective that modularity complements outsourcee ignorance. Put another way, increasing modularity lowers the need for interfirm knowledge sharing. Analyzes of data on 209 alliances between US firms and software services firms in Russia, Ireland, and India provide strong support for this idea. Our theoretical elaboration and empirical testing of the complementarities between modularity and outsourcee ignorance has significant implications for strategy theory, which are also discussed.

Outsourcing, software, ignorance, alliances, peripheral knowledge, modularity

Abstract:
This study addresses the theoretically-neglected question of when and why specialized IT and line functions should possess expertise in each others' domains. Such "peripheral knowledge" contradicts the premise of departmental specialization yet is widely observed. We develop the idea that IT and client departments' peripheral knowledge enhances project performance when it possesses "fit" with project novelty, and it does so by accelerating design convergence. Tests using data from 159 projects in 159 organizations support these ideas. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

systems development, project novelty, novelty-knowledge fit, design convergence, iteration, project management

Abstract:
As outsourcing evolves into a competitive necessity, managers must increasingly contend with the decision about which software development projects to outsource. Although a variety of theories have been invoked to study the initial outsourcing decision, much of this work has relied in isolation on one theoretical perspective. Therefore, the relative importance ascribed by managers to the factors from these theories is poorly understood. The majority of this work also masks interesting insights into outsourcing decisions by focusing on the information technology (IT) function rather than individual projects as the unit of analysis, where many of these decisions occur. In contrast, prior research at the project level has focused on predicting development performance in the post-outsourcing-decision phases of projects. The objective of this study is to examine the relative importance that IT managers ascribe to various factors from three complementary theories - transaction cost economics, agency theory, and knowledge-based theory - as they simultaneously consider them in their project outsourcing decisions. A secondary objective is to assess the cross-cultural robustness (United States versus Japan in this study) of such models in predicting project-level IT outsourcing decisions. We develop and test a multitheoretic model using data on 1,008 project-level decisions collected from 33 Japanese and 53 U.S. managers. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the relative importance that managers ascribe to the factors from these three theories, their complementarities and occasional contradictions, and offer new insights into the differences among U.S. and Japanese IT managers. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

agency theory, conjoint study, IT sourcing, Japanese software, knowledge-based theory, knowledge management, outsourcing, subcontracting, transaction cost economics, vendor selection

Abstract:
While the normative logic for forming technology outsourcing alliances is that such alliances allow outsourcing firms to specialize deeper in their domain of core competence without being distracted by non-core activities, recent empirical studies have reported the puzzling phenomenon of some firms continuing to invest in R&D in domains that are fully outsourced to specialized alliance partners. An underlying - and widely made - assertion that can potentially reconcile this contradiction is that "peripheral" knowledge (specialized knowledge in the domain of outsourced activities) complements control in technology outsourcing alliances. However, this assertion is untested; and empirically testing it is the objective of this research note.

Using data from 59 software services outsourcing alliances, we show that such peripheral knowledge and alliance control are imperfect complements: Peripheral knowledge complements outcomes-based formal control but not process-based control. Thus, outsourcing firms might sometimes need knowledge outside their core domain because such knowledge facilitates effective alliance governance. Our theoretical elaboration and empirical testing of the assumed complementarities between peripheral knowledge and control in technology outsourcing alliances has significant implications for strategy theory and practice, which are also discussed.

Peripheral Knowledge, knowledge management, outsourcing, control theory

Abstract:
This paper describes how peer to peer architectures are used to design digital knowledge networks that facilitate spontenous aggregation of expertise across the edges of dispersed corporate networks.

p2p, peer to peer, knowledge networks, knowledge integration, self organizing networks

Abstract:
This paper develops a framework for rapidly assessing software project risk. The relative importance of six risk drivers is also assessed from the perspective of MIS managers. The study is based on empirical data from MIS managers in sixty companies.

Software project risk, risk management, project management, information systems development

Abstract:
The paper examines the role of knowledge integration in developing innovative Internet software applications. Data from 42 e-business projects is used to develop a framework for coping with unexpected contingencies in the software development process.

software development, team architecture, knowledge management, project management, knowledge integration

Abstract:
Virtual teams are becoming a preferred mechanism for harnessing, integrating, and applying knowledge that is distributed across organizations and in pockets of collaborative networks. In this article we recognize that knowledge application, among the three phases of knowledge management, has received little research attention. Paradoxically, this phase contributes most to value creation. Extending communication theory, we identify four challenges to knowledge integration in virtual team environments: constraints on transactive memory, insufficient mutual understanding, failure in sharing and retaining contextual knowledge, and inflexibility of organizational ties. We then propose knowledge management system (KMS) approaches to meet these challenges. Finally, we identify promising avenues for future research in this area.

knowledge integration, knowledge networks, theory of weak ties, transactive memory

Abstract:
This paper explores the linkages between knowledge integration strategy and the modes of innovation in architecturally destructive e-business settings. Knowledge management (KM) is linked to the concepts of component and architectural knowledge in complex, global e-business networks. Understanding the structural impact of incremental, radical, architectural, and modular innovations at the business model- and systems-level on knowledge configurations can better guide KM strategy formulation. By delineating these linkages, this paper concludes with implications for managers of globalized teams and highlights open areas for future research.

Internet, e-business, knowledge integration, architectural innovation, knowledge management

Abstract:
The Internet has led to the widespread trade of digital information products. These products exhibit unusual properties such as high fixed costs and near-zero marginal costs. They need to be developed on compressed time frames by spatially and temporally distributed teams, have short lifecycles, and high perishability. This paper addresses the challenges that information product development (IPD) teams face. Drawing on the knowledge intensive nature of IPD tasks, we identify potential solutions to these problems that can be provided by a knowledge management system. We discuss a prototype Knowledge Management System (KMS) that supports linking of artifacts to processes, flexible interaction and hypermedia services, distribution annotation and authoring as well as providing visibility to artifacts as they change over time. Using a case from the publishing industry, we illustrate how contextualized decision paths/traces provide a rich base of formal and informal knowledge that supports IPD teams.

Information product development, Knowledge management system, Publishing industry, Knowledge integration, digital products, evolution, product lifecycle

Abstract:
The World Wide Web provides a ubiquitous medium for seamlessly integrating distributed applications, formats and content, making it well-suited for enterprise knowledge management. In this article, we discuss a framework for characterizing knowledge management technology. We identify the desirable attributes of a knowledge management system and describe how Web-centric approaches can support these requirements. We also review related research in enterprise knowledge management.

knowledge integration, knowledge platforms, knowledge management, enterprise integration, web platforms, software brokers

Abstract:
The author examines two key aspects of CRM: knowledge and relationship capital. He echoes the advice of Tamminga and O'Halloran that a successful CRM initiative is one in which the vendor knows more about the customer than the customer knows about himself, a concept Tiwana refers to as digital capital. If exploited successfully, digital capital can help create customer lock-in, by which Tiwana means that "the financial and nonfinancial costs of [customers'] switching to another business are high enough to dissuade them from switching." He argues that one of the strongest forms of lock-in is based on customer loyalty, which companies create through a combination of knowledge, anticipation of future customer requirements, and superior communication. To properly exploit this knowledge, Tiwana suggests a knowledge-enabled CRM framework, whose key dimensions consist of (1) the business environment, (2) the strategic context of the CRM initiative, (3) the company's overall e-business strategy, and (4) enabling technology.

Customer Relationship Management, knowledge management

Abstract:
Knowledge centric activities of developing new products and services are becoming the primary source of sustainable competitive advantage in an era characterized by short product life cycles, dynamic markets and complex processes. We view new product development (NPD) as a knowledge-intensive activity. Based on a case study in the consumer electronics industry, we identify problems associated with knowledge management (KM) in the context of NPD by cross-functional collaborative teams. We map these problems to broad Information Technology enabled solutions and subsequently translate these into specific system characteristics and requirements. A prototype system that meets these requirements developed to capture and manage tacit and explicit process knowledge is further discussed. The functionalities of the system include functions for representing context with informal components, easy access to process knowledge, assumption surfacing, review of past knowledge, and management of dependencies. We demonstrate the validity our proposed solutions using scenarios drawn from our case study.

Knowledge management, Collaborative product development, Organizational memory, Organizational learning, New product development, Knowledge management systems, Decision support systems, Process knowledge, Design rationale

Abstract:
This article discusses a ten step framework for implementing a knowledge management strategy that is aligned with the idiosyncrasies of a given organizational context. Case-based exemplars are used to illustrate each major point.

Knowledge management strategy, Knowledge management

Abstract:
The author identifies critical research issues of the interdependencies between the effectiveness of using the World Wide Web as a channel of interactive marketing and factors posed by the limitations of the media, both qualitative and technological. He proposes a model to explain the flow of a transaction in this hypermedia CME and isolates the critical paths in this flow and thier possible effects on the given transaction and isolates the effects to taking alternate routes across those critical paths for a marketer.

Interactive marketing, electronic commerce, digital commerce, direct marketing, Web retail, media limitations

Abstract:
Although various software development coordination tools are widely used in practice, no field study has comprehensively assessed the robustness and nature of their impact on the software development process. This paper reports the results of a large-scale field study involving 209 projects in 209 international software development organizations in India, Russia, and Ireland for 209 different American customer organizations. The participating software development organizations were members of the three largest global consortia of software development organizations. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of six key types of development coordination tools on defect reduction, development rework reduction, and cost containment. The quantitative phase of the study was preceded by in-depth interviews in 19 software development organizations.

The results demonstrate that the influence of various development coordination tools varies depending on whether is project is routine, conceptually novel, involves novel development processes, or simultaneously involves both types of novelties. Collectively, they have important implications for choosing an optimal mix of coordination tools for different types of projects. Implications for practice are also discussed.

Software development, empirical study, defect reduction, knowledge management, development tools, software process improvement, project management, coordination, outsourcing, project control & modeling

Abstract:
Functionality risk is defined as the risk that a completed system will not meet its users' needs. Understanding functionality risk is central to successful information systems development (ISD), yet much of the research in this area has focused on identification of risk factors and development of conceptual frameworks. Little is known about how various functionality risk factors collectively influence managers' perceptions about the risk that a project will fail. As organizations become increasingly reliant on software, it is evermore important to understand functionality risk in ISD.

In this study, we develop an integrative model of functionality risk to explain the relative importance of six salient functionality risk factors that have been consistently identified in the prior ISD literature as being important: (1) related technical knowledge, (2) customer involvement, (3) requirements volatility, (4) development methodology fit, (5) formal project management practices, and (6) project complexity. The model is tested empirically with 60 highly experienced MIS Directors in sixty organizations. In addition to providing empirical support for the proposed model, the relative importance of each of the key functionality risk factors is empirically assessed. Development methodology fit, customer involvement, and use of formal project management practices emerged as the top three functionality risk factors. Additional finer-grained analyses show that high methodology fit lowers several other sources of risk. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Software project risk, functionality risk, project management, information systems development, information integration theory, implementation failure, knowledge integration, knowledge transformation, conjoint

Abstract:
While a large body of research exists on the development and implementation of software, organizations are increasingly acquiring enterprise software packages (e.g., ERP systems) instead of custom developing their own software applications. To be competitive in the marketplace, software package development firms must manage the three-pronged tradeoff between cost, quality, functionality. Surprisingly, prior research has made little attempt to investigate the characteristics of packaged software that influence MIS managers' willingness to recommend purchase. As a result, both the criteria by which MIS managers evaluate prospective packaged systems and the attributes that lead to commercially competitive ERP software products are poorly understood. This paper examines this understudied issue through a conjoint study.

We focus on enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, which are among the largest and most complex packaged systems that are purchased by organizations. In a conjoint study, 1,008 evaluation decisions based on hypothetical ERP software package profiles were completed by managers in 126 organizations. The study represents the first empirical investigation of the relative importance that managers ascribe to various factors that are believed to be important in evaluating packaged software.

The results provide important insights for both organizations that acquire such systems and those that develop them. The results show that functionality, reliability, cost, ease-of-use, and ease-of-customization are judged to be important criteria, while ease-of-implementation and vendor reputation were not found to be significant. Functionality and reliability were found to be the most heavily weighted factors. We conclude the paper with a detailed discussion of the results and their implications for software acquisition and development practice.

Software selection, packaged software development, ERP systems, attributes, software design tradeoffs, and enterprise systems, conjoint, field study

Abstract:
This paper addresses the understudied issue of how individually-held expertise in information systems development (ISD) teams results in creativity at the team level during the development process. We develop the idea that team creativity results primarily from integration of individually-held expertise of team members at the team level. We further propose the quality of intra-team relationships and knowledge complementarities that align the work of individual team members at the project level influence creativity primarily through the process of expertise integration. We use data from a field study of 142 participants in 42 ISD projects to test the proposed model.

The paper makes three new contributions to the IS literature. The key contribution of the paper lies in developing an expertise integration view of team creativity. We demonstrate the centrality of integrating individually-held tacit and explicit knowledge about the problem domain and the technology at the team level in achieving team creativity. The use of a process-focused conceptualization of team creativity is especially noteworthy here. The second contribution of the paper lies in conceptually developing and operationalizing the concept of expertise integration, a mechanism by which individually-held knowledge is integratively applied at the project level.

Although the importance of knowledge in the ISD process is widely recognized in prior research, this is the first study to develop the concept in a operationally meaningful way. The third key contribution lies in showing that the compositional and relational attributes of ISD project teams—diverse specialized knowledge in a team, the quality of intra-team working relationships, and members' cross-domain absorptive capacity—do not engender creativity by themselves; they do so primarily because they enhance integration of individual knowledge at the project level. We offer empirical evidence for such full mediation. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed in the paper.

IS innovation, information systems development, creativity, expertise integration, knowledge management, knowledge transfer, knowledge integration, software development, absorptive capacity

Abstract:
Managers charged with assessing investment opportunities for information technologies such as e-business projects face considerable uncertainty in their decision-making processes. Contemporary theories of the firm and the normative prescriptions thereof emphasize the potential for such investments to augment firm-level knowledge and relational capabilities. However, prior research has not examined the relative emphases that managers place on the knowledge and relational capability-augmenting characteristics of the e-business investments. In this paper, we develop a model to assess whether managerial evaluations of e-business investment opportunities are consistent with these normative and theoretical prescriptions.

A test of the model using survey data on 485 project assessments by e-business managers suggests that managerial assessment and choice are guided by the criteria suggested by the knowledge and relational theories in evaluating potential e-business initiatives. Our results demonstrate that the ability of firms to exploit their intangible assets through such investments explicitly enter managerial calculus and provide new insights into the relative importance ascribed to these factors. The overarching insight is that managers ascribe relatively more weight to knowledge-based considerations than to relational considerations.

e-business systems, knowledge-based theory, relational theory, conjoint design, emerging technologies, decision making, Internet software, project management

Abstract:
The growing popularity of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software has dramatically changed the way companies acquire enterprise applications, yet buying and deploying COTS software is not without risk. Given that the risks of failure are real, it is important for buyers to carefully consider the criteria used to evaluate COTS software prior to purchase. Likewise, COTS software vendors need to understand how COTS software buyers evaluate their software and what they perceive to be the drivers of COTS application value. Surprisingly, little is known about the attributes of enterprise COTS software that buyers value most, forcing most development firms to rely on educated guesses when developing such systems.

In this research, we analyzed how 126 management information systems (MIS) managers evaluate key attributes of COTS software, shedding light on the characteristics of enterprise COTS software that customers value most and that vendors must focus on. Specifically, functionality and reliability emerged as the most important factors affecting the perceived value of a COTS package. Interestingly, neither vendor reputation nor ease-of-implementation was found to be significant in terms of shaping managers' perceived value of COTS packages. These findings have important implications and we introduce an enterprise COTS software analyzer that should be useful to both buyers and suppliers of COTS software.

COTS, decision models, enterprise software, application value, enterprise systems, packaged software, IT value

Abstract:
The black-box model of software development outsourcing is prevalent and usually works well. The assumption embedded in this approach is that the vendor can successfully solve a client organization's business problem without either organization having to deeply understand each others' domains. This article reports on a field study of 209 global projects where we explored the limits of the black-box and potential solutions to those limits. The key finding of the study is the black-box approach usually works well in routine projects but fails in projects involving novelty. In the latter types of projects, careful deviations from the black-box model are necessary depending on the type of novelty in the project. In conceptually novel projects, it is more important for the vendor to deeply understand the client's business. Projects involving novel development processes require that the client possess deeper technical expertise that is ordinarily assumed in the black-box approach. A congruence framework for assessing client-vendor fit in practice is also developed based on the findings. Some insights into the effectiveness of capability maturity, intense architecture design effort, and development coordination tools are also presented.

Knowledge management, software outsourcing, black-box, knowledge integration, process improvement, congruence framework, project management

Abstract:
Being both facile and efficient are essential in contemporary enterprise systems that rely on distributed information across inter-firm boundaries. The need to achieve operational efficiency, while accommodating a continuous morphing of alliances and network arrangements, is a key challenge in the modern enterprise and market. Inter-firm interdependence and unpredictable market shifts heighten the need to establish an architecture and governance arrangement that permits needed adaptation. Fully integrated firms have increasingly morphed into networks of collaborators. The demand for efficient and effective inter-firm coordination is no longer a desired condition, but essential for competitive position. Historically, the cost of this efficiency has been loss of flexibility, yet volatile markets reward efficiency and flexibility. Market trends demand an ability to improvise in the marketplace ­ converge execution with planning ­ while being simultaneously efficient. In this paper, we explore this improvisation-efficiency challenge. The architecture and governance issues that are considered seek the strengths of both effects. Efficiency need not come at a high cost in attaining the ability to be adaptive and spontaneous. We explore the key considerations of both network architecture and governance structures that characterize improvisational networks. Trade communities and trading partners establish a discipline of processes and decision rights that serve the community of collaborators.

Improvisation, networks, inter-firm, spontaneous, self-organizing, supply chains, modularity

Abstract:
Although organizations have applied a variety of practices and tools to address information systems development (ISD) performance problems, most of these approaches have focused on controlling and improving predictability of the development process. There is growing recognition that ISD is a knowledge-intensive process that requires the integration of specialized stakeholder knowledge. We develop the perspective that integration of this specialized knowledge across knowledge boundaries in the ISD process drives ISD performance. We theorize that formal and informal organizational integrative practices influence ISD performance, because they facilitate the development of boundary objects that effectively span knowledge boundaries. Results from a field study of 110 firms provide considerable support for the proposed model.

The paper makes three novel contributions to the technology management literature. First, it demonstrates that integrating knowledge across knowledge boundaries through boundary objects improves ISD performance. Second, it shows how formal and informal organizational integrative practices enhance the integration of specialized knowledge within and across organizational subunits. Third, it shows that the positive influence of formal and informal organizational integrative practices on ISD performance is partially mediated by knowledge integration. For engineering and technology managers, the results highlight the centrality of knowledge integration for the management of technology development. Collectively, these findings offer a novel knowledge integration-based perspective that complements prior research on systems development and new product development.

Knowledge management, knowledge integration, information systems development, boundary objects, process improvement, software development, knowledge boundaries, project management

Abstract:
Software project escalation has been shown to be a widespread phenomenon. With few exceptions, prior research has portrayed escalation as an irrational decision-making process whereby additional resources are plowed into a failing project. In this article, we examine the possibility that in some cases managers escalate their commitment not because they are acting irrationally, but rather, as a rational response to real options that may be embedded in a project.

A project embeds real options when managers have the opportunity but not the obligation to adjust the future direction of the project in response to external or internal events. Examples include deferring the project, switching the project to serve a different purpose, changing the scale of the project, implementing it in stages, abandoning the project, or using the project as a platform for future growth opportunities. Although real options can represent a substantial portion of a project's value, they rarely enter into a project's formal justification process in the traditional quantitative discounted cash flow-based project valuation techniques.

Using experimental data collected from managers in 123 firms, we demonstrate that managers recognize and value the presence of real options. We also assess the relative importance that managers ascribe to each type of real option, showing that growth options are more highly valued than operational options. Finally, we demonstrate that the influence of the options on project continuation decisions is largely mediated by the perceived value that they add. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

Real options, escalation, rational escalation, rational decision making, project management, innovation management, empirical, field study, investment decisions, information systems development, IT strategy, regression

Abstract:
Using the foundational lens of social exchange theory and communities of practice, proposes a three-layer Web-based architecture to facilitate knowledge integration in digital communities. Reviews the limitations of past collaborative filtering mechanisms and presents a prototype and the underlying mathematical model for the knowledge networking on the Web (KNOWeb) architecture. Further illustrates how real-time active feedback and valuation mechanisms reinforce social exchange in such communities.

community relations, Internet, knowledge management, social exchange, knowledge networks

Abstract:
In an increasingly dynamic business environment characterized by fast cycle times, shifting markets and unstable technology, a business organization's survival hinges on its ability to align IT capabilities with business goals. To facilitate the successful introduction of new IT applications, issues of project risk must be addressed, and the expectations of multiple stakeholders must be managed appropriately. To the extent that users and developers may harbour different perceptions regarding project risk, areas of conflict may arise. By understanding the differences in how users and project managers perceive the risks, insights can be gained that may help to ensure the successful delivery of systems. Prior research has focused on the project manager's perspective of IT project risk. This paper explores the issue of IT project risk from the user perspective and compares it with risk perceptions of project managers. A Delphi study reveals that these two stakeholder groups have different perceptions of risk factors. Through comparison with a previous study on project manager risk perceptions, zones of concordance and discordance that must be reconciled are identified.

Delphi study, IT project risk, user perceptions

Abstract:
As engineering firms, R&D groups, and technical organizations recognize the centrality of their engineers' expertise to their performance, they are widely investing in knowledge management (KM) initiatives. Contemporary KM initiatives increasingly include expertise-sharing networks that help answer questions about who knows what. These systems allow organizations to locate and leverage the specialized engineering and technical expertise that is held in the minds of dispersed individuals. However, stories of such expertise-sharing networks that languish from under-use and abandonment abound and the issue of continuance has received very little attention in prior research. In this study, we explore this understudied issue. We develop a model of expertise-sharing network system continuance through a four-year observational study of 418 users of two such systems and then empirically test it using multi-period data collected from 122 users of four such systems. The concept of irretrievable investments was used to guide theoretical development in the initial observational phase of the study.

The study makes several unique theoretical contributions. First, it develops a model that illustrates how irretrievable post-adoption investments (sunk costs) by individual users of expertise-network systems increase continuance. We empirically show that the model explains approximately half of the total variance in continuance intention. This model advances continuance beyond the traditional expectation-satisfaction model of initial adoption to more advanced post-adoption stages of use and theoretically incorporates the network-specificity aspect of post-adoption investments in explaining continuance. Specifically, we show that individual users': (1) reputation among peer users of a system increases continuance; (2) system-mediated relationships with other users of the system increase continuance; and (3) investments in personalization of a system initially diminish continuance. Another notable contribution is the development and validation of several new measures for expertise-sharing network constructs.

Expertise networks, information systems continuance, knowledge management, knowledge networks, peer to peer, reputation, sunk cost

Abstract:
Much of any organization's experience and expertise remains underused and underexploited simply because it resides not in databases, repositories, or manuals but in the minds of its employees. Attempting to harness such distributed expertise, organizations have begun implementing collaborative knowledge networks - peer-to-peer digital networks connecting individuals with relevant expertise to their peers who need it. Unfortunately, however, successful knowledge networks represent the occasional island dotting a sea of failures. While many organizations are eager adopters of knowledge network systems, individual users frequently abandon them, leaving a trail of milliondollar paperweights. To be self-sustaining, knowledge networks must be sticky,though stickiness is an elusive design objective.

peer to peer, collaborative knowledge networks, knowledge networks, stickiness, relationship capital, reputation, personalization

Abstract:
Real options can be a powerful tool for quantifying the value of strategic and operational flexibility associated with uncertain IT investments. However, they also constitute a new way of thinking about how projects can be organized and managed to maximize upside potential while minimizing downside risk. Explains how practitioners can incorporate options thinking into contemporary IT project management. Options thinking means recognizing real options and how they add value. Just as important is managing projects so that the option value that exists in theory is realized in practice. Several real-world examples illustrate how the value of embedded real options can be realized through active project management. There are pitfalls associated with each option, as well as benefits and limitations of different approaches to valuing options. Organizations must decide whether to undertake the challenges of adopting options thinking as a project management philosophy.

Real options, escalation, project management, risk