An interview study of 'continuous' implementations of information technology

Abstract

Modern workplaces are continuously affected by frequent implementations of information technology. Managing the technology's implementation can have an important moderating function between implementation characteristics and demands as well as effects for the companies and their employees. The development of an interview guide for evaluating technology implementations and their management and a first empirical application of the instrument are presented here. Developed incrementally, the interview guide consists of 139 questions on implementation characteristics, implementation management, and effects. Results of interviews with 59 managers of implementation projects are presented. The implementation projects fulfilled the following criteria: no first-time introduction of information technology, at least 10 employees affected and at least one day of training per employee. Most of the implementations investigated were characterized by increases in qualification demands, changes in work structures, and increases in working time with the new technology. Large implementations characterized by a management using few management tools showed high negative effects for the company (e.g., over-budget), whereas large implementations characterized by few participation indicators showed high negative effects for the employees (e.g., complaints). The interview-guide proved usable for the description of important characteristics of continuous implementations of information technology.