Rethinking Project Escalation: An Institutional Perspective on the Persistence of Failing Large-Scale Information System Projects

2022 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Berente, Nicholas; Salge, Carolina Alves de Lima; Mallampalli, Venkata K.P.; Park, Ken

Abstract: Project escalation involves the continued, persistent commitment to a failing pr ... Expand

Abstract: Project escalation involves the continued, persistent commitment to a failing project. Through a qualitative meta-analysis of 15 published cases of large information systems (IS) projects in escalation situations, we develop an institutional perspective on IS projects in escalation situations. This perspective describes how project persistence emerges from a plurality of legitimizing institutional logics that decision-makers draw upon at different project stages to maintain and reduce their commitment to the project. Logics related to the project's approval are not the same logics that guide decisions throughout the project. For example, while we find that innovation and economic logics of return on investment are salient before approval, economic costs tend to be more salient after approval, along with technical impositions and managerial concerns. We further find that managerial logics are particularly salient in reducing commitment to projects, and we detail the differences and point out contextual triggers of external scrutiny and leadership changes that can contribute to reduced commitment to a project and eventual de-escalation. Collapse

Topics: IT project innovation management project management decision making digital transformation

Methods: meta analysis case study theory development constant comparative analysis single case study

Theories: escalation theory

A paradoxical perspective on technology renewal in digital transformation

2021 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 56

Authors: Wimelius, Henrik; Mathiassen, Lars; Holmström, Jonny; Keil, Mark

Abstract: To realize their strategic goals and maintain a competitive advantage in the dig ... Expand

Abstract: To realize their strategic goals and maintain a competitive advantage in the digital era, organizations must periodically renew their digital platforms and infrastructures. However, knowledge about such technology renewal is scattered across diverse research streams, so insights into the process are both limited and fragmented. In this article, we consolidate insights from previous research to conceptualize technology renewal as an inherently paradoxical digital transformation process that requires organizations to simultaneously remove their technological foundation and build on the practices that depend on it to implement a new technological foundation. Previous research suggests that technology renewal initiatives are driven by three paradoxical tensions: (a) established vs renewed technology usage, (b) deliberate vs emergent renewal practices and (c) inner vs outer renewal contexts. We apply this framing to a longitudinal case study in which we analyse and explain how an organization's responses to manifestations of these tensions eventually led to a vicious cycle of continued investments into two overlapping and largely incompatible digital platforms over a 9-year period. Based on these conceptual and empirical insights, we theorize technology renewal as a paradoxical, and increasingly critical, digital transformation process that forces managers to make decisions in complex and ambiguous choice situations. Collapse

Topics: digital platform digital transformation electronic mail organizational change information management

Methods: qualitative interview theory development survey case study longitudinal research

Theories: escalation theory structuration theory institutional theory

An investigation into the impact of information behaviour on information failure: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power disaster

2015 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 2

Authors: Thatcher, Andrew; Vasconcelos, Ana C.; Ellis, David

Abstract: a b s t r a c tResearch into information failure has often focussed on deficien ... Expand

Abstract: a b s t r a c tResearch into information failure has often focussed on deficiencies in information systems and research into information behaviour has often placed emphasis on the individual and his/her interactions, with some work focusing on organisational information behaviours and their contribution to information failures. Using the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power disaster as a case study this paper examines the impact of information behaviours on information failure, taking into account Affective Load Theory, Face Threat Theory and Escalation Theory. Content/Discourse analysis was carried out on four major reports on the Fukushima disaster, employing the constant comparison method of analysis to develop and explore categories representing different views of the actors involved. The findings revealed that an escalation of commitment to a 'myth of nuclear safety' occurred over the lifetime of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This escalation ingrained information avoiding and ignoring behaviours in the Japanese nuclear industry, from the electric companies themselves to the local population living near nuclear power plants, allowing safety standards to fall, leaving Fukushima Daiichi vulnerable to threats such as earthquakes and tsunamis. A framework was developed explaining how escalating commitment interacts with information behaviour exhibited by the key actors in the situation.It is concluded that information avoiding behaviours were a major factor in the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. These, influenced by barriers created by an escalation of commitment to the 'myth of nuclear safety', resulted in a catastrophic information failure. Collapse

Methods: qualitative content analysis constant comparative analysis case study

Theories: escalation theory

Reviving the IT in the IS

2012 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 15

Authors: Baskerville, Richard

Abstract: The European Journal of Information Systems provides a distinctive European pers ... Expand

Abstract: The European Journal of Information Systems provides a distinctive European perspective on the theory and practice of information systems for a global audience. We encourage first rate research articles by academics, but also case studies and reflective articles by practitioners. We provide a critical view on technology, development, implementation, strategy, management and policy. Collapse

Topics: information system use privacy personalization usability perceived usefulness

Methods: case study meta analysis interpretative method longitudinal research literature sample

Theories: escalation theory

Understanding overbidding behavior in C2C auctions: an escalation theory perspective

2012 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 10

Authors: Park, Sang Cheol; Keil, Mark; Kim, Jong UK; Bock, Gee-Woo

Abstract: With millions of online auctions per day, sites such as eBay have revolutionized ... Expand

Abstract: With millions of online auctions per day, sites such as eBay have revolutionized how consumers buy and sell goods. Despite the benefits associated with online consumer-to-consumer (C2C) auctions, there can be drawbacks. Consumers who purchase goods in online auctions may get caught up in auction fever, causing them to engage in overbidding, and sometimes leading to what has been referred to as the winner's curse. While several theoretical explanations have been proposed to explain overbidding behavior (OB), there has been little empirical work in this area. Drawing on escalation theory, this study develops and tests a model of the OB exhibited by individuals in online auction settings. Our model posits that certain escalation drivers such as sunk cost (SC), the completion effect (CE), and self-justification affect an individual's willingness to continue bidding (WCB) which, in turn, influences OB. Survey data collected from 250 online auction participants were used to test the model using partial least squares analysis. SC and CE were found to have significant impacts on OB that were either partially or fully mediated by WCB. We also found that competition intensity moderates the relationship between willingness to continue and OB such that when competition is more intense, the relationship becomes even stronger. The implications of these findings for both research and practice are discussed. Collapse

Topics: online auction marketing management real-time bidding accounting technology adoption

Methods: survey partial least squares regression data transformation factor analysis regression analysis method

Theories: escalation theory self justification theory prospect theory cognitive dissonance theory

A Rural Tale: A Cautionary Allegory for IS Researchers

2008 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Newman, Mike

Abstract: We present a fragment of text which describes the introduction of a water delive ... Expand

Abstract: We present a fragment of text which describes the introduction of a water delivery system to a rural village that is comprehensively rejected by a group of women. We use the story allegorically, examining the contributions from different research traditions to make sense of the rural tale and apply the lessons to the study of Information Systems. We briefly examine how hermeneutics, management change theories, a more critical approach and information systems studies can individually help us to make sense of the text. This shows that no one research tradition gives any more than a partial view of the events in the text but that some are more insightful than others. We discuss the findings including a sideways look at several IS issues (such as the complexity of success and failure, and escalation of commitment). Collapse

Topics: systems development IT project unintended consequence accounting social influence

Methods: linguistic analysis

Theories: theory of change escalation theory management theory

Escalation and De-escalation of Commitment to Information Systems Projects: Insights from an Approach-Avoidance Process Model

2006 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Pan, Gary; Pan, Shan

Abstract: We view escalation and de-escalation of commitment as processes involving recurr ... Expand

Abstract: We view escalation and de-escalation of commitment as processes involving recurring instances of approach-avoidance conflict. This paper outlines an approach-avoidance process model for describing and analyzing escalation and de-escalation of commitment in information systems projects. In the model, the sequential mapping of project events is integrated with a model of approach-avoidance conflict that identifies periods of gradual evolution at two separate levels of social analysis (project and work) that are punctuated by sudden, revolutionary periods of rapid change. By conceiving the processes of commitment escalation and de-escalation as sequences of events involving approach-avoidance conflicts, researchers may develop a deeper understanding of how and why projects escalate and de-escalate. Practitioners can also utilize the model in postmortem analyses of projects which have faced escalation to diagnose the issues surrounding the escalation and devise useful de-escalation strategies for future project development. The model is developed and illustrated with a case study that exhibits both project escalation and de-escalation conditions. Collapse

Topics: IT project electronic procurement procurement information system procurement management system development method

Methods: business process modeling qualitative interview case study personal interview

Theories: punctuated equilibrium theory escalation theory

Theorizing in information systems research: A reflexive analysis of the adaptation of theory in information systems research

2006 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 66

Authors: Truex, Duane; Holmström, Jonny; Keil, Mark

Abstract: In this paper we consider what it means to be an informed IS researcher by focus ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper we consider what it means to be an informed IS researcher by focusing attention on theory adaptation in IS research. The basic question we seek to address is: ‘When one borrows theory from another discipline, what are the issues that one must consider?’ After examining the role of theory in IS research, we focus on escalation theory applied to IS projects as an example. In doing so, we seek to generate increased awareness of the issues that one might consider when adapting theories from other domains to research in our field. This increased awareness may then translate to a more informed use of theories in IS. Following a self-reflexive tale of how and why escalation theory was adopted to IS research, we offer four recommendations for theory adaptation: (1) consider the fit between selected theory and phenomenon of interest, (2) consider the theory's historical context, (3) consider how the theory impacts the choice of research method, and (4) consider the contribution of theorizing to cumulative theory. Collapse

Topics: IT project project management knowledge representation reference discipline IS discipline

Methods: theory development business process modeling ontological modelling literature study experiment

Theories: escalation theory actor network theory

The Performance Paradox: An Examination of Goal Setting and Escalation Theories

2005 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Kasi, Vijay

Abstract: This research examines the phenomenon of escalation of commitment to a failing c ... Expand

Abstract: This research examines the phenomenon of escalation of commitment to a failing course of action in IT projects. The research in the domain of escalation has been to identify the antecedents to the escalation behavior that individuals are known to exhibit in escalation situations. The escalation theory advocates that when individual commit more resources (in terms of effort, time and money) in escalation situations deepens the already existing problems (more is not always better). On the other hand, we have goal setting theory which discusses a number of attributes and antecedents for individuals to increase their effort, direct their attention and persist their actions. Goal setting assumes that more effort is better and it would increase the task performance of an individual (more is better). In this research, web based role playing scenario with real IT project managers is expected to be used as the research methodology. This research is expected to contribute by integrating goal setting theory with escalation theory, which has never been done before. This research contributes to escalation by identifying antecedents and attributes of escalation of commitment based on goal setting and contributes to the goal setting theory by showing that under some contexts such as escalation situations, goal setting leads to undesired consequences. Collapse

Topics: IT project

Theories: goal setting theory escalation theory

IT Project Escalation: Translation Outcomes as Antecedents to the Four Factors of Escalation Theory

2005 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Scott, Christopher L

Abstract: Recent IT project escalation research has seen a multi-method approach to unders ... Expand

Abstract: Recent IT project escalation research has seen a multi-method approach to understanding what causes escalation in IT projects. Specifically, Mähring, et al. (2004) examined the DIA Computerized Baggage Handling System failure using both the traditional four factor escalation theory model and Actor-Network Theory’s (ANT) translation stage. Mähring, et al.’s findings suggested that both theoretical approaches provide complementary, albeit mutually exclusive methods for examining IT project escalation. This paper proposes an integrated view of the two theoretical approaches by examining the relationships between the four elements of Actor-Network Theory’s translation stage and the four factors (project, psychological, social, and organizational) of the traditional escalation theory model. This paper reports on research-inprogress to develop an instrument to measure the outcomes of the problematization, interessement, enrollment, and mobilization stages. Discussion of the utility of such an instrument and hypothesized relationships between the translation stages and four factors will be discussed. Collapse

Methods: theory development survey design

Theories: escalation theory actor network theory