An investigation into the underlying causes of information systems failure and success: case of a national clinical system in Ireland

This thesis investigates the underlying causes of failures / successes in disruptive information systems (IS). The literature reveals that IS failure rates are high despite available knowledge and guidelines on how to implement an IS successfully. However, such knowledge is varied, and there is no agreement on the causes of such a phenomenon. A paradox exists within IS, in that some succeed, and others fail even when best practices are employed in both cases. The objective of this research is to investigate the underlying mechanisms, perceptions and behaviours pertaining to IS failure and success in order to increase the understanding of this phenomenon and to make suggestions to improve system adoption thereby increasing the chances of IS success. Four key Research Questions are posed in order to operationalise this Objective. Initially, the context or situational circumstances in which an IS can be implemented are discussed. The knowledge contextualised by people is then assessed in terms of how it influences their appraisal and adaptation behaviours towards an IS. The second question focuses on how people assess an IS when they first encounter it. This assessment is said to affect how they behave subsequently, towards the IS. The third question investigates peoples’ adaptation behaviours towards IS and assesses how they cope with such a new initiative. The last question explores the outcomes of the IS and is said to relate to the previous constructs of context, assessments and behaviours. The emotional responses of people are assessed throughout Research Questions two, three and four, given the human emphasis in this Research. The theoretical lens used in this Research is Interpretivist in nature with a Critical Realist perspective. It emphasises the social process by which IS are implemented. The approach taken to investigating the social dimensions of IS is therefore qualitative, recognising the need to complement other more qualitative methods of enquiry. The theoretical model used for investigation is the Coping Model of User Adaptation (CMUA). This model is based on the theories of coping and adaptation. It was extended by this Research to incorporate the constructs of context and emotions. While an interpretative approach to its work has been adapted, it has also sought to establish causal mechanisms that lie behind the phenomena of IS failure / success. The Research has identified emerging properties beyond CMUA. In this sense, the work tends more towards a critical realism viewpoint. The focus of this research is on individuals’ responses to the introduction of an IS in a particular setting and how these relate to its failure or success. A case study approach was chosen therefore, as a means to gaining an in-depth understanding of the social dynamics in an individual setting. The case in question involved the recent implementation of a largescale disruptive IS in a large hospital. The findings of this research are summarised in the following points: • Context is an important consideration in implementing an IS and can have both supportive and negative effects on appraisals, behaviours and outcomes. • Human assessments of IS are not dichotomous. Rather it is a matter of degree of perception of failure or success and such perceptions can vary over time. Furthermore, informed assessments of IS are a function of the level of knowledge and relevant experience of individuals. • The real value of investigating adaptation behaviours lies not in assessments at a point in time, but in the identification of underlying mechanisms that influence such behaviour over the life-cycle of an IS. • Stated benefits of disruptive IS are not fully realised in the short term. Benefits of such systems are medium to long term goals. Expectations that they can be delivered at the point of go-live of the IS are misleading. However, once the IS stabilises, a critical juncture emerges where decisions emerge as to whether efforts will continue to maximise the full benefits of the IS, to be satisfied with what has been achieved up to that point or perhaps in extremis, to abandon the initiative. This research has made contributions to Methodology by developing a Research Protocol that is based on CMUA but provides for extensions and emerging properties that resulted from learning during the research process. The contribution to practice from this Research is encapsulated in the idea that the implementation of a disruptive IS is a collaborative effort, between IS specialists and people involved in its use. IS have a strong technical element but they also involve people and other social dimensions which can prove to be the ultimate determinant of their success of failure