Knowledge Acquisition in Information System Development: A Case Study of System Developers in an International Bank

• Author: Glenn Charles Parry,Gareth R.T. White,Aneka Puckering
• Published date: 01 January 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2048
• Date: 01 January 2016

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Strat. Change 25: 81–95 (2016)

Published online in Wiley Online Library

(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/jsc.2048

Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Strategic Change: Briengs in Entrepreneurial Finance

Strategic Change

DOI: 10.1002/jsc.2048

Knowledge Acquisition in Information System

Development: A Case Study of System Developers

inan International Bank1

Gareth R.T. White

University of South Wales, UK

Glenn Charles Parry

University of the West of England, UK

Aneka Puckering

University of the West of England, UK

System developers quickly acquire knowledge of the benets and limitations of

system development approaches and this knowledge enables them to adopt or

adapt methodologies according to the scope and scale of projects.

Information systems continue to be a source of competitive advantage (Chaey

and White, 2010; Chen and Tsou, 2007; Zhang and Lado, 2001), yet their devel-

opment has long been known to be problematic. Information system development

(ISD) is often a highly complex and time‐consuming task, and the literature

portrays a rather uncertain picture of its management and whether information

system development methodologies (ISDMs) do in fact contribute to project

success (Grant and Ngwenyama, 2003). Initially plagued by the lack of formalized

methods (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2008, 2003), the profusion of highly structured

approaches has still not prevented development projects from ending in failure

(Siau and Tan, 2005; Standish Group, 2010; Winklhofer, 2002; Yeo, 2002).

Developers face many diculties, including failing to adopt an appropriate

approach (Iivari et al., 2000; Siau and Tan, 2005; Winklhofer, 2002; Yeo, 2002).

In addition to this, the lack of exibility aorded by some approaches, as well as

combinations of budget and schedule overruns, failure to meet user requirements,

and the inuence of other organizational changes, can all have a deleterious eect

on the planned development (Siau and Tan, 2005; Winklhofer, 2002; Yeo, 2002).

e social and human aspects of ISD have seen a growth in interest, including

the information behavior of system users (Fidel and Pejtersen, 2004), ISD leader-

ship (Faraj and Sambamurthy, 2006), the eect of reward systems on project

1 JEL classication codes: D83, M15.

The acquisition of knowledge by

information system development

has received comparatively little

academic attention.

Developers are found to acquire

knowledge more rapidly than

could be expected.

The choice of methodology has

implications for an organization’s

knowledge strategy as well as its

information system development.