MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

Management Information System

Management Information System

Q1: Differentiating Structured Systems Design from traditional systems design.

Ans:

Structured Systems Design (SSD) has been described by du Plessis as one of the most significant means of fostering knowledge management in the twenty-first century. Moreover, Fontaine and Millen found that SSDs can considerably enhance the exchange of expertise, information, collaboration and resources within organizations. Wenger and Snyder listed six ways SSDs can improve organizations - through rapid problem solving, professional skill development, best practice promotion, retaining talent and by guiding strategy. Since the nineties awareness in both academia and the corporate sector of the value of communities of practice has increased. During the past decade in particular, there has been a substantial increase in the number of publications on communities of practice. The appeal of SSDs is such that they have been assessed for their utility in a diverse range of contexts, for instance, in nursing, at Rolls-Royce, for school leaders in Singapore, in the Norwegian electronics industry, in the Dutch police force, among many others.

Defining a community of practice is a precarious exercise as the ambiguity of the term has meant that various definitions of SSDs can be found throughout the literature. Furthermore, the definition has changed over time. According to Andrew, it was Lave and Wenger who provided the original explanation of a SSD. They described it as a style of learning that incorporates components of active participation, identity and situation. Wenger's commonly cited definition describes three characteristics central to the existence of SSDs - mutual engagement in a shared practice, the creation of a common repertoire, and the negotiation of a joint enterprise. (Laudon & Laudonm, 2010)

Despite a growing interest in SSDs, it is still not apparent to what extent a SSD can be created purposefully through “design” whether from scratch or through harnessing nascent SSDs. Meeuwesen and Berends described four SSDs that were intentionally created in the manufacturing division of Rolls Royce, yet they contend it was unknown if they were going to progress beyond the establishment phase. McDermott provided eight suggestions for sustaining management-created SSDs, but it remains unclear how these suggestions could be used to establish new SSDs or invigorate latent ones. Hart and Wolff's study on community-university partnerships reported that a SSD had started to form between academics and community members after the two groups had collaborated on a book-writing project. But it was unclear if formation of the SSD was deliberate. Smith and McKeen, building on the work of Wenger and Snyder, claimed there were three general areas in which organisations can provide support to SSDs - technical infrastructure, management, and culture. But it is uncertain how these areas, particularly the latter two, could be reconfigured to be more supportive of SSDs. As Coakes and Clarke assert, there is little agreement on how organizations can purposefully design SSDs. This paper goes some way towards addressing the question of purposeful design as it aimed to understand the factors constraining and enabling the implementation of a specific type of SSD ...