© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Validating Work System Principles for Use in Systems...

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved

Validating Work System Principles for Use in Systems

Analysis and Design

Steven Alter Ryan [email protected] [email protected]

Presentation at ICIS 2010

Dec. 14, 2010

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Outline

• Overview of work system method• Need for work system principles• Proposed principles• Validation of principles• Discussion

– Method for validating principles?– WS principles vs. IS principles ?– Usefulness of principles?– Next steps?


Examples of Work Systems (from papers by MBA students at Georgia State Univ. )

Calculating rates for insurance renewals

Managing software development projects

Acquiring clients at a professional service firm

Receiving materials at a large warehouse

Approving real estate loan applications

Planning and dispatching trucking services

Performing pre-employment background checks

Performing financial planning for wealthy individuals

Scheduling and tracking health service appointments

Operating an engineering call center

Purchasing advertising services

Determining salary increases

Collecting and reporting sales data for a wholesaler

Planning for outages in key real time information systems

Invoicing for construction work


Definition of Work

The application of resources such as people, equipment, time, effort, and money to generate products and services for internal or external customers


Definition of Work System

A system in which human participants and/or machines perform work using information, technology, and other resources to produce products and/or services for internal or external customers


Work System Framework


• Work system• Service system• Information system• Project• Supply chain• Use of e-commerce web site

One Lens Fits Almost All


Work System Life Cycle Model

Initiation

Implementation Development

Operation & Maintenance


• System and Problem– Define work system based on problem– Summarize “as is” using work system snapshot

• Analysis and Possibilities– Drill down using work system elements and

alignment within the work system• Recommendation and Justification

– Summarize “to be” using work system snapshot– Drill down to understand impact of changes– Various questions related to recommendation and

justification

Basics of Work System Method


Need for Work System Principles

• Identifying problems and issues with current work systems

• Visualizing directions for improvements• Evaluating proposed improvements


Quiz• After three decades of IS research, what

basic principles should govern the operation of systems in organizations? – (Systems in operation, not system

development) • Is it possible for valid principles to be

mutually contradictory?• Explain why work system principles belong

in systems analysis textbooks.


Sources of Work System Principles

• (2002) Initial set of principles, one for each work system element

• (2004) Add revised versions of Cherns (1976) sociotechnical principles

• (2004) Add several more based on feedback from MBA and Executive MBA classes


Work System Principles (1-12)

#1: Please the customers. #2: Balance priorities of different customers. #3: Match process flexibility with product variability. #4: Perform the work efficiently. #5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment. #6: Control variances (problems) at their source.

#7: Monitor the quality and timing of both inputs and outputs. #8: Boundaries between process steps should facilitate control. #9: Match the work practices with the participants. #10: Serve the participants. #11: Align participant incentives with system goals. #12: Maintain clear roles and responsibilities


Work System Principles (13-24)

#13: Provide information where it will affect action. #14: Protect information from inappropriate use.#15: Use appropriate technology. #16: Minimize effort consumed by technology. #17: Take full advantage of infrastructure. #18: Maintain compatibility and coordination with other work systems

#19: Minimize unnecessary conflicts with the external environment. #20: Support the firm’s strategy #21: Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback.#22: Minimize unnecessary risks. #23: Maintain balance between work system elements. #24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow.


Validate Work System Principles

• Six small cohorts of Executive MBA students between 2005 - 2009– 101 usable responses

• Correctness score (1-7)– “Most work systems in my organization

should conform”• Conformance score (1-7)

– “Most work systems in my organization actually do conform.”


Results: Average Correctness = 5.94

1-1.99 2-2.99 3-3.99 4-4.99 5-5.99 6-6.99 70

10

20

30

40

50

60

Average 7-Point Likert

Co

un

t


Results: Average Conformance = 4.25

1-1.99 2-2.99 3-3.99 4-4.99 5-5.99 6-6.99 70

10

20

30

40

50

60

Average 7-Point Likert

Co

un

t


Statistical Results

Work system principle Correct Conform Diff. T

#1: Please the customers. 6.3 4.5 1.8 11.6*#2: Balance priorities of different customers. 5.6 4.2 1.5 9.7*

#3: Match process flexibility with product variability. 5.5 4.1 1.5 9.5*

#4: Perform the work efficiently. 6.3 4.2 2.1 14.3*

#5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment. 5.3 4.1 1.2 6.7*

#6: Control problems at their source. 6.0 3.9 2.0 11.1*

#7: Monitor the quality of both inputs and outputs. 6.1 3.9 2.2 14.2*

#8: Boundaries between process steps should facilitate control. 5.5 4.3 1.2 7.0*

#9: Match the work practices with the participants. 5.9 4.3 1.6 9.7*

#10: Serve the participants. 5.8 4.2 1.6 9.3*#11: Align participant incentives with system goals. 5.9 3.6 2.3 13.1*


#12: Operate with clear roles and responsibilities 6.0 4.5 1.5 9.0*

#13: Provide information where it will affect action. 6.2 4.2 1.9 12.6*

#14: Protect information from inappropriate use. 6.1 5.0 1.1 6.2*

#15: Use cost/effective technology 5.9 4.4 1.5 7.9*#16: Minimize effort consumed by technology. 5.3 3.8 1.5 8.6*

#17: Take full advantage of infrastructure. 5.9 4.0 1.8 9.7*

#18: Minimize unnecessary conflict with the external environment 5.7 4.2 1.5 10.4*

#19: Support the firm’s strategy 6.2 4.5 1.6 10.9*#20: Maintain compatibility and coordination with other work systems. 6.1 4.1 2.0 12.3*

#21: Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback 6.0 3.9 2.2 12.9*

#22: Minimize unnecessary risks. 5.9 4.6 1.3 8.2*#23: Maintain balance between work system elements. 5.5 4.1 1.5 10.3*

#24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow. 6.3 4.1 2.2 13.9*

AVERAGE 5.9 4.2 1.7 -

Note: * p < 0.001 for a two tailed paired test

Work system principle Correct Conform Diff T


Correctness: Highest and lowest Score

Work system principle Highest Lowest#1: Please the customers. 6.3

#4: Perform the work efficiently. 6.3

#13: Provide information where it will affect action. 6.2

#19: Support the firm’s strategy 6.2

#24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow. 6.3

#3: Match process flexibility with product variability.

5.5

#5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment.

5.3

#16: Minimize effort consumed by technology.

5.3

#23: Maintain balance between work system elements.

5.5


Conformance: Highest and lowest

Work system principle Highest Lowest

#1: Please the customers. 4.5 #12: Operate with clear roles and responsibilities

4.5

#14: Protect information from inappropriate use. 5.0

#19: Support the firm’s strategy 4.5 #22: Minimize unnecessary risks. 4.6 #6: Control problems at their source. 3.9#7: Monitor the quality of both inputs and outputs.

3.9

#11: Align participant incentives with system goals.

3.6

#16: Minimize effort consumed by technology.

3.8

#21:Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback

3.9


Work Principles GapsWork system principles with highest gaps Raw Diff. Score Stand. Diff.

Scores#4: Perform the work efficiently. 2.1 1.18

#7: Monitor the quality of both inputs and outputs. 2.2 1.46

#11: Align participant incentives with system goals. 2.3 1.66

#21: Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback. 2.2 1.35

#24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow. 2.2 1.35

Work system principles with lowest gaps Raw Diff. Score Stand. Diff. Scores

#5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment. 1.3 -1.27

#8: Boundaries between process steps should facilitate control. 1.1 -1.69

#14: Protect information from inappropriate use. 1.0 -1.97


Conclusions and Future Research• Additional validation

– (need to replicate in Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Angor Wat , and Bali.)

• Evaluate link to organizational success• Incorporate into systems analysis and

design• Test in the practice of systems analysis

and design• Can we tie performance outcomes to

normative principles?


Larger Questions

• Work system principles vs. information system principles

• Alternative principles not included• Optimal number of principles• Criteria for good principles• Potential applications of principles

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