@article{KlotzWestnerStrahringer, author = {Klotz, Stefan and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Critical Success Factors of Business-managed IT: It Takes Two to Tango}, series = {Information Systems Management}, volume = {39}, journal = {Information Systems Management}, number = {3}, publisher = {Taylor\&Francis}, doi = {10.1080/10580530.2021.1938300}, pages = {220 -- 240}, abstract = {This paper identifies critical success factors of Business-managed IT based on case study results. Four groups of critical success factors emerge: (1) general approach to Business-managed IT/Business-managed IT strategy, (2) Business-managed IT project prerequisites/Business-managed IT team, (3) Business-managed IT project execution and outcome, and (4) information technology management for Business-managed IT. The results suggest that bilateral responsibility between the business unit and the IT organization is the most favorable governance option for Business-managed IT.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{vonBaryWestnerStrahringer, author = {von Bary, Benedikt and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {IT-Backsourcing}, series = {HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik}, volume = {57}, journal = {HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik}, number = {4}, publisher = {Springer}, doi = {10.1365/s40702-020-00591-1}, pages = {849 -- 865}, abstract = {IT-Backsourcing bezeichnet die Re-Integration vormals outgesourcter IT-Services zur{\"u}ck zum auslagernden Unternehmen. Die vorliegende Studie stellt die Ergebnisse einer Umfrage unter IT-Managern zu Einflussfaktoren von IT-Backsourcing-Entscheidungen vor. Es l{\"a}sst sich feststellen, dass IT-Backsourcing von Unternehmen in unterschiedlichen Branchen und f{\"u}r eine Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen IT-Services, wie z. B. Applikationsentwicklung oder Infrastruktur-Leistungen, durchgef{\"u}hrt wird. Hauptgr{\"u}nde f{\"u}r die Entscheidung f{\"u}r ein IT-Backsourcing sind mangelnde Qualit{\"a}t, hohe Kosten sowie eine schlechte Beziehung zum IT-Dienstleister. Die Ergebnisse der Umfrage zeigen, dass diejenigen Unternehmen, die sich f{\"u}r ein Backsourcing entschieden haben, nach der Entscheidung insgesamt zufriedener waren als diejenigen, die in einer Outsourcing-Beziehung geblieben sind. Zudem werden verschiedene Handlungsempfehlungen f{\"u}r IT-Manager aufgezeigt. Zur Ausarbeitung einer zukunftsorientieren IT-Sourcing-Strategie empfiehlt es sich, eine service-spezifische Sourcing-Strategie zu verfolgen und entsprechend spezialisierte Dienstleister einzusetzen. Im Falle einer Entscheidung f{\"u}r ein IT-Backsourcing sollten verschiedene Erfolgsfaktoren beachtetet werden, wie z. B. eine fr{\"u}hzeitige Neubesetzung von Schl{\"u}sselstellen sowie ein l{\"u}ckenloser Wissenstransfer.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {de} } @article{WeikmannLaubmeierHerrmann, author = {Weikmann, Benjamin and Laubmeier, Franz and Herrmann, Frank}, title = {Erweiterung des Workflow-Moduls des ERP-Systems FactWork um M{\"o}glichkeiten zur Benutzerinteraktion}, series = {Anwendungen und Konzepte der Wirtschaftsinformatik}, journal = {Anwendungen und Konzepte der Wirtschaftsinformatik}, number = {7}, publisher = {AKWI}, doi = {10.26034/lu.akwi.2018.3212}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-1858}, pages = {19 -- 31}, abstract = {Durch Workflow-Systeme computergest{\"u}tzt abgewickelte Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse ben{\"o}tigen neben den Aktivit{\"a}ten, die sie komplett automatisiert ausf{\"u}hren k{\"o}nnen, von Zeit zu Zeit Feedback durch einen oder mehrere Benutzer. Dazu muss es geeignete Formen der Kommunikation und Interaktion der Workflow-Engine mit dem Benutzer geben. Der folgende Artikel beschreibt die Erweiterung des bestehenden Workflow-Moduls eines Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)-Systems, welches um solche F{\"a}higkeiten erg{\"a}nzt wird.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {de} } @article{StrahringerWestnerBary, author = {Strahringer, Susanne and Westner, Markus and Bary, Benedikt von}, title = {IT-Backsourcing}, series = {Das Wirtschaftsstudium : wisu}, journal = {Das Wirtschaftsstudium : wisu}, number = {6}, publisher = {Lange ; Mohr}, address = {D{\"u}sseldorf ; T{\"u}bingen}, pages = {702 -- 706}, abstract = {The importance of information systems (IS) for companies has grown rapidly over the recent years. For example, companies from various industries are focusing their efforts to digitize business models, to adopt agile forms of collaboration, and to leverage automation of routine tasks. This forces companies to review their IS sourcing strategies and to potentially consider alternatives for current outsourcing contracts. One potential option could be to backsource IS services currently performed by external vendors. Based on empirical observations, previous academics defined it as the repatriation of all assets, activities, and skills needed to perform IS services back in-house, which had been outsourced previously to one or multiple vendors. The distinctive characteristic of backsourcing is the change in ownership back to the mother organization. This distinguishes the term backsourcing from similar terms, e.g., backshoring, reshoring, or relocating, which rather focus on the change in location of the service delivery. At the initial sourcing decision, the strategy to outsource an IS service was considered most promising. However, certain developments both inside the company, but also on a broader industry level may lead to a re-evaluation of the situation and thus to an adjustment of the original sourcing strategy. Over the last years, there has been a strong increase in cloud-based services and a shift towards the deployment of standardized, almost "industrialized" applications as services. Before, large companies leveraged their size in realizing economies of scale within their sourcing volumes. The raise of cloud computing as well as standardization of service delivery decreased those benefits and led towards a decline in large outsourcing contracts across a variety of services and a growth of multi-sourcing of individual IS services from the respective "best-in-breed" vendors for shorter time periods. Besides sourcing the best vendor for each service, companies that implement multi-sourcing strategies additionally aim for cost benefits due to an increased competition between vendors, and an increase in agility and adaptability. At the same time, a move towards multi-sourcing strategies with shorter contract durations leads to an increase in so-called "second generation sourcing decisions", namely whether to continue outsourcing a respective service or to bring the service back in-house. Given the developments within the IS environment, this research projects aims at understanding why IS services are backsourced and which factors influence a company's decision to backsource an IS service.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{StrasserWestner, author = {Strasser, Artur and Westner, Markus}, title = {Knowledge Transfer in IS Offshoring}, series = {Proceedings of the 19th Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS 2015) Singapore, July 5-9}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 19th Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS 2015) Singapore, July 5-9}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-835}, pages = {1 -- 15}, abstract = {IS offshoring research regarding knowledge transfer processes, roles involved, as well as influencing factors is characterized by its diverse and heterogeneous nature. Covering the last fifteen years of IS offshoring research, this paper provides a consolidated view of the field of study. It presents a generic knowledge transfer process consisting of four stages and five milestones. These stages are characterized and evaluated according to their relevance for knowledge transfer, the types of knowledge transferred, the main activities and methods for transfer and testing, as well as the goals pursued. Furthermore, we aggregate the diverse literature findings relating to individuals who facilitate knowledge transfer processes into a general role. We label this role "offshore coordinator" and present its core tasks and necessary skills. In addition, we identify and cluster core factors that influence success or failure of knowledge transfer. In summary, our study answers calls to discontinue with empirically derived definitions in favor of theory-based conceptualization of the IS offshoring research field with respect to knowledge transfer processes, roles, and success factors. Future studies can build on these results and examine questions with respect to particular characteristics of knowledge transfer processes and their influencing success and failure factors.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BaryWestnerStrahringer, author = {Bary, Benedikt von and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Do researchers investigate what practitioners deem relevant?}, series = {Proceedings of the 20th IEEE International Conference on Business Informatics (IEEE CBI 2018): Vienna, Austria, 11-14 July}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 20th IEEE International Conference on Business Informatics (IEEE CBI 2018): Vienna, Austria, 11-14 July}, doi = {10.1109/CBI.2018.00014}, pages = {40 -- 49}, abstract = {There is a common understanding amongst academics that information systems (IS) research sometimes has limited relevance for practitioners. This can be explained by the fact that research lags behind the fast moving IS environment, has limited practical applicability and is hard to access. We have focused on the research area of IS backsourcing, and analyzed practitioner literature to increase our understanding of topics of interest for practitioners, to determine a potential gap between academic and practitioner literature, and to identify future research directions in this field. We observed that most publications are either news or background articles, focusing on describing backsourcing cases. Additionally, we identified four recurring themes, namely reasons for backsourcing, presentation of survey results, discussion of industry trends, and backsourcing success stories. The main reasons identified to trigger backsourcing decisions are cost savings, quality improvements, and increasing control and flexibility. By comparing our findings with academic literature on IS backsourcing, we conclude that generally both literature types cover similar topics. However, researchers have a more formulative or interpretive focus than the often descriptive practitioner literature. Academic literature also examines a broader range of topics, while practitioner literature has a narrower focus. Additionally, we observe one difference regarding applied terminology: while researchers employ the term backsourcing, practitioners mostly use back in-house or insourcing. Our paper contributes to facilitating the exchange between academics and practitioners, presents topics to consider when aiming to increase practical relevance and provides researchers with concrete directions for future research within the field of IS backsourcing.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{WestnerStrahringer, author = {Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Evaluation criteria for selecting offshoring candidates}, series = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, volume = {19}, journal = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, number = {4}, pages = {16 -- 34}, abstract = {The identification of suitable applications or projects is a main initial step in any software development or maintenance related IS offshoring arrangement. This paper examines evaluation criteria and their importance for selecting application or project candidates for offshoring. Based on a literature analysis and interviews with 47 experts from 36 different German companies describing 64 case examples, we find that in contrast to the literature, "size", "codification", and "language" are perceived as important selection criteria by experts. Case examples additionally show that "business specificity" seems to be a main reason for application or project failures, that "business criticality" appears to be less important than suggested by the literature, and that adequate "size" might be a necessary prerequisite, but seems not to be a sufficient criterion for an application's or project's suitability for offshoring. These differences in comparison to findings from the literature may be explained by cultural and language differences.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{WestnerStrahringer, author = {Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {The current state of IS offshoring in Germany}, series = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, volume = {21}, journal = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, number = {1}, pages = {49 -- 70}, abstract = {This paper empirically examines the current state of the IS offshoring phenomenon in Germany regarding project characteristics and success patterns. Relying on a sample of 304 projects conducted at various industry sectors and companies, results show that IS offshoring primarily occurs in sectors Telecommunications and IT at large corporations. Cost reduction is the main reason for going offshore and offshore projects are executed as part of a larger program at companies. Noticeably, most projects are delivered from India. Additionally, neither captive offshoring nor offshore outsourcing dominates as a de-livery option. Comparing different project subgroups regarding project success, the results reveal that projects delivered by an internal or partially owned service provider are more successful. Other project characteristics such as a project's embedded-ness in a larger offshoring program, a project's size, or a project's offshoring degree in terms of relatively offshored labor hours show few significant differences. The paper addresses the paucity of empirical research on the current state of the IS offshoring phenomenon in Germany.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{WestnerStrahringer, author = {Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Determinants of success in IS offshoring projects}, series = {Information \& Management}, volume = {47}, journal = {Information \& Management}, number = {5-6}, pages = {291 -- 299}, abstract = {High labor cost in western countries allows cost savings by companies engaging in IS offshoring. However, studies worldwide indicate that a large number of companies that engaged in IS offshoring are not satisfied with the outcome. Our study examined the determinants of IS offshore project success: We developed a model and empirically tested it with data collected from 304 experts who reported on projects offshored from Germany to a wide range of near and distant countries. The model posited a direct effect of offshoring expertise and trust in offshore service provider (OSP) on success, as well as an indirect effect mediated by project suitability, knowledge transfer, and liaison quality. An analysis using partial least squares (PLSs) provided significant support for almost all these relationships. However, it showed that offshoring expertise played a minor role in explaining success and the mediating constructs. Trust in OSP had a small direct effect on success and a medium to large effect on the mediating constructs. Project suitability, knowledge transfer, and liaison quality all had small direct effects on success.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{KobusWestnerStrahringer, author = {Kobus, J{\"o}rn and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Einf{\"u}hrung von Lean Management in IT-Organisationen}, series = {HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik}, volume = {53}, journal = {HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik}, number = {6}, pages = {879 -- 893}, abstract = {In der Produktion gilt „Lean Management" als einer der de-facto Standardmanagementans{\"a}tze. Lean Management in IT-Organisationen (Lean IT) ist dahingegen in der Praxis weniger verbreitet und in der Wissenschaft kaum erforscht. Dieser Beitrag aggregiert und erweitert die Ergebnisse mehrerer Forschungsarbeiten. Dabei werden vorrangig zwei Aspekte diskutiert: (1) Ein m{\"o}gliches Einf{\"u}hrungsmodell f{\"u}r Lean IT. Dieses verkn{\"u}pft f{\"u}nf Rollen (Sponsor, Programmleiter, Navigator, Linienf{\"u}hrungskraft und Linienexperte) mit vier Phasen (Vorbereitung, Analyse, Gestaltung und Implementierung). (2) Besondere Herausforderungen f{\"u}r Linienf{\"u}hrungskr{\"a}fte, die aufgrund der „bottom up"-Ausrichtung bei Lean-IT-Einf{\"u}hrungen stark gefordert werden. Neben einer klaren Vision f{\"u}r die Organisationseinheit und dem Verst{\"a}ndnis, an welcher Stelle Lean IT die Organisationseinheit konkret unterst{\"u}tzen kann, ben{\"o}tigen sie Offenheit, Ver{\"a}nderungswillen und die Bereitschaft Verantwortung an Mitarbeiter zu delegieren. Außerdem sollten sie {\"u}ber ein ausreichendes Zeitbudget f{\"u}r die Einf{\"u}hrung verf{\"u}gen, um ihrer gestaltenden und qualit{\"a}tssichernden Funktion nachkommen zu k{\"o}nnen.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {de} } @article{StrasserWestner, author = {Strasser, Artur and Westner, Markus}, title = {Information systems offshoring}, series = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, volume = {26}, journal = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, number = {2}, pages = {70 -- 142}, abstract = {An increasing amount of IS offshoring research has been published during the last four years. This paper presents a comprehensive view of the field of study from a managerial point of view. It provides a consolidated view of the field of study between 2010 and 2013 based on a manual search comprising 69 selected journals and 9 conferences, as well as a search using 6 journal databases. The literature review ensures continuity of research by connecting to a comprehensive literature analysis covering the years 1999 to 2009. This way it consolidates and critically reflects the state of the research of the last 14 years. Overall, we compiled 95 relevant publications originating from leading IS journals and IS conference proceedings. The results indicate that IS offshoring research is largely non-theory based, using almost entirely empirical data and interpretive research methods and -to a smaller extent -positivist research designs. The ISO research of the last 14 years focuses on the implementation stages "how" and "outcome" while the pre-implementation-stages "why", "what", and "which" are comparatively sparsely researched. Future studies should apply a more theory-driven approach with a greater attention on pre-implementation aspects of information systems offshoring. In addition, future research should investigate the special nature of near- and onshoring, captive offshoring as well asagile (project) management techniques suitable for ISO.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{KobusWestnerStrahringer, author = {Kobus, J{\"o}rn and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Change management lessons learned for Lean IT implementations}, series = {International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management}, volume = {5}, journal = {International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management}, number = {1}, pages = {47 -- 60}, abstract = {Lean Management is a standard production mode that has been familiar to production organizations for several decades. To date, however, academic literature has presented surprisingly little information about the application of Lean Management in Information Technology (IT) organizations, or what is called Lean IT. Drawing upon an empirical qualitative case study of the IT departments of two multinational companies, in this paper we identify change management lessons learned for Lean IT implementations, as well as seven characteristics of a corresponding change management approach. As an extension of our work, researchers should validate and expand our initial findings, preferably in a quantitative setting.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{BaryWestner, author = {Bary, Benedikt von and Westner, Markus}, title = {Information Systems Backsourcing}, series = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, volume = {29}, journal = {Journal of Information Technology Management}, number = {1}, publisher = {University of Tehran}, pages = {62 -- 78}, abstract = {Information systems backsourcing describes the transferof previously outsourced activities, assets, or personnel back to the originating companyto regain ownership and control. While there is much research on information systems outsourcing, the topic of backsourcing information systemsis still an emerging research area. Therefore, ourpaper aims to explore and synthesizethe existing literature on information systemsbacksourcing, since there is no exhaustiveliteraturereview of the state of the research to our knowledge available yet. In this paper, wecreate a framework to structure the existing research along the overallbacksourcing process. We identifydifferent motivators, such asexpectation gaps, orinternal and external organizational changes, leading towards a backsourcing decision, and factors positively or negatively influencing this decision. Additionally, we derive implementation success factors based on the existing literature to guide companies through the backsourcing process.We also differentiate the term backsourcing from related, sometimes synonymously used terms, by emphasizing the change of ownership back to the company of originas the main criterion.Additionally, we discuss opportunities for future research in the field of information systems backsourcing.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{KlotzKopperWestneretal., author = {Klotz, Stefan and Kopper, Andreas and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Causing factors, outcomes, and governance of Shadow IT and business-managed IT}, series = {International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management}, volume = {7}, journal = {International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management}, number = {1}, issn = {2182-7796}, doi = {10.12821/ijispm070102}, pages = {15 -- 43}, abstract = {Shadow IT and Business-managed IT describe the autonomous deployment/procurement or management of Information Technology (IT) instances, i.e., software, hardware, or IT services, by business entities. For Shadow IT, this happens covertly, i.e., without alignment with the IT organization; for Business-managed IT this happens overtly, i.e., in alignment with the IT organization or in a split responsibility model. We conduct a systematic literature review and structure the identified research themes in a framework of causing factors, outcomes, and governance. As causing factors, we identify enablers, motivators, and missing barriers. Outcomes can be benefits as well as risks/shortcomings of Shadow IT and Business-managed IT. Concerning governance, we distinguish two subcategories: general governance for Shadow IT and Business-managed IT and instance governance for overt Business-managed IT. Thus, a specific set of governance approaches exists for Business-managed IT that cannot be applied to Shadow IT due to its covert nature. Hence, we extend the existing conceptual understanding and allocate research themes to Shadow IT, Business-managed IT, or both concepts and particularly distinguish the governance of the two concepts. Besides, we find that governance themes have been the primary research focus since 2016, whereas older publications (until 2015) focused on causing factors.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{StrasserWestnerStrahringer, author = {Strasser, Artur and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Knowledge transfer in IS offshoring}, series = {Journal of Systems and Information Technology}, volume = {21}, journal = {Journal of Systems and Information Technology}, number = {1}, issn = {1328-7265}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-294}, pages = {36 -- 62}, abstract = {Purpose This paper aims to investigate the main tasks, necessary skills, and the implementation of the offshore coordinator's role to facilitate knowledge transfer in information systems (IS) offshoring. Design/methodology/approach This empirical exploratory study uses the classical Delphi method that includes one qualitative and two quantitative rounds to collect data on IS experts' perceptions to seek a consensus among them. Findings The participants agreed, with strong consensus, for a set of 16 tasks and 15 skills. The tasks focused primarily on relationship management and facilitating knowledge transfer on different levels. The set of skills consists of approximately 25 per cent "hard" skills, e.g. professional language skills and project management skills, and approximately 75 per cent "soft" skills, e.g. interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to deal with conflict. Two factors mainly influence implementing the offshore coordinator role: project size and the number of projects to be supported simultaneously. Practical implications The findings provide indications of how to define and fulfill this crucial role in practice to facilitate the knowledge transfer process in a positive way. Originality/value Similarities in previous research findings are aggregated to examine the intermediate role in detail from a consolidated perspective. This results in the first comprehensive set of critical tasks and skills assigned to the competency dimensions of the universal competency framework, demonstrating which and how many competency dimensions are critical.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} } @article{BaryWestnerStrahringer, author = {Bary, Benedikt von and Westner, Markus and Strahringer, Susanne}, title = {Adding experts' perceptions to complement existing research on information systems backsourcing}, series = {International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management}, volume = {6}, journal = {International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management}, number = {4}, publisher = {SciKA}, issn = {2182-7788}, doi = {10.12821/ijispm060402}, pages = {17 -- 35}, abstract = {This paper extends the existing literature on information systems (IS) backsourcing by the perception of practitioners. For this purpose, we conducted a series of qualitative, semistructured interviews with IS sourcing experts. The interview questions focused on the participants' perceptions and experiences with the topic, on identifying reasons for and against IS backsourcing, and on revealing relevant trends pertinent to IS backsourcing. We then compared those findings with two previously conducted comprehensive literature reviews on academic and practitioner literature on IS backsourcing. By following this approach, we contribute to the existing research by verifying previous findings, for example, the most important reasons why companies decide in favor of IS backsourcing. Additionally, we were able to enhance previous contributions as we highlight the significance of differentiating between the scope of IS backsourcing by looking at the underlying services which are potentially backsourced. Further, we identified the importance of managers' personal preferences as an additional reason for IS backsourcing, for example, based on personal experiences or a perceived need for change. Based on our findings, we created a comprehensive overview of all aspects connected to the IS backsourcing process and derived opportunities for further research to contribute to the IS backsourcing research agenda.}, subject = {Betriebliches Informationssystem}, language = {en} }