- Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo
Gaustadalléen 23 B
N-0373 OsloNorway - +4797658061
Bendik Bygstad
University of Oslo, Department of Informatics, Faculty Member
- I am interested in the relationship between technology and organisation. My current research areas are: - Digitalisa... moreI am interested in the relationship between technology and organisation.
My current research areas are:
- Digitalisation of organisations
- E-health in hospitals
- Case study methodology
I am also interested in critical realism, both as a philosophy and as a research approach.
Education: I hold a PhD in Computer Science from Aalborg University. My Master was in Sociology from the University of Oslo. I have also studied informatics and art history.
Spare time and holidays are spent on yacht sailing.
I am interested in Bob Dylan and Dante. I also play squash and drink beer.
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Qualitative research approaches are now well established in information systems research, and are given equal weight as quantitative research in research methods courses in graduate programs. Similar, the heated paradigm debate seems to... more
Qualitative research approaches are now well established in information systems research, and are given equal weight as quantitative research in research methods courses in graduate programs. Similar, the heated paradigm debate seems to largely have cooled off, with interpretivist research now being accepted as an alternative to positivism and other paradigms. However, from the authors’ experience with teaching qualitative methods and reviewing qualitative research work, we see a growing tendency among both students and more experienced researchers to view qualitative and interpretive research as synonyms. We argue that this to some extent is due to a lack of precision in how the interpretivist paradigm is introduced in method textbooks and resources, where the rhetoric is sometimes conflated so as to indicate that all research focusing on the social and contextual aspects of technology use is by default interpretivist. On this background, our mission with this paper is to highlight...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
To what extent can software ‘travel’ to organizations and countries for which it was not designed for, and how important are local contexts for a successful design and implementation of generic software? Information systems researchers... more
To what extent can software ‘travel’ to organizations and countries for which it was not designed for, and how important are local contexts for a successful design and implementation of generic software? Information systems researchers have differing views on this, some emphasizing the strengths of the generic and others the importance of contextual aspects. Contributing to this debate, Pollock and Williams have coined the term generification in order to describe how large vendors succeed in globalizing software packages through management by community, content and social authority. In this paper, we explore an approach that we call open generification, which extends Pollock and Williams' work in the sense that we acknowledge the need for and the feasibility of generic software, but propose an alternative model for the governance of it. Open generification is not about managing the community of users attached to a software package by homogenization or segmentation but aims at addressing the diverse needs of the community the software is expected to serve. Our empirical basis is a longitudinal study of the development of an open‐source health information system software (District Health Information software version 2), which is being used in more than 47 countries. Its success is attributed to a continuous interplay between generic and specific software and continuous cycles of embedding (implementing the global in the local context) and disembedding (taking local innovations into the global). We identify and discuss the contingent mechanisms of this interplay.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Critical realism has emerged as an alternative to positivist and interpretive research during the past decade. Yet, the number of empirical studies based on this perspective has so far been limited. This indicates a need for a more... more
Critical realism has emerged as an alternative to positivist and interpretive research during the past decade. Yet, the number of empirical studies based on this perspective has so far been limited. This indicates a need for a more explicit method for critical realist data analysis. To address this, we extend former research on critical realist methodology by presenting a framework for identifying and understanding causal structures in critical realist studies, termed mechanisms. The framework consists of steps involved in identifying ...
Research Interests:
Recent information systems research calls for interaction between the researcher and the informants in interpretive case study research. In line with Van de Ven's call for engaged scholarship, we Investigate how to involve the... more
Recent information systems research calls for interaction between the researcher and the informants in interpretive case study research. In line with Van de Ven's call for engaged scholarship, we Investigate how to involve the informants in case studies, not only for the collection of facts, but also in the co-construction and interpretation of the case narrative. The paper builds on a longitudinal case study, in which we explored an approach of extensive informant involvement. Using the ladder of analytical abstraction as our analytical tool, we discuss how an extended involvement of informants may enrich the Interpretive process In case study research, and increase the relevance of the findings. We discuss how and under what conditions this form of involvement may take place, and potential challenges of this approach.
Research Interests: Computer Science, Information Science, Information Technology, Management Information Systems, Information Management, and 15 moreCase Study Research, Health Information Systems, Case Studies, Business Information Systems, Accounting Information Systems, Information, Computer and Information Technology, Information Systems Management, Business Model, Information Management System, Information Systems Technology, Computer Information Systems, Jit, Geographic Information Systems, and Information System
Research Interests:
This paper proposes a simple terminology for understanding and dealing with two current phenomena; we suggest calling them heavyweight and lightweight IT. Heavy-weight IT denotes the well-established knowledge regime of large systems,... more
This paper proposes a simple terminology for understanding and dealing with two current phenomena; we suggest calling them heavyweight and lightweight IT. Heavy-weight IT denotes the well-established knowledge regime of large systems, developing ever more sophisticated solutions through advanced integration. Lightweight IT is suggested as a term for the new knowledge regime of mobile apps, sensors and bring-your-own-device, also called consumerisation and Internet-of-Things. The key aspect of lightweight IT is not only the cheaper and more available technology compared with heavyweight IT, but the fact that its deployment is frequently done by users or vendors, bypassing the IT departments. Our theoretical lens is generativity, the idea that complex phenomena arise from interactions among basic elements. In the context of IT, generativity helps to explain the creative potential of flexible digital technology for knowledgeable professionals and users. The research questions are: how ...
Research Interests:
Abstract. This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of information systems (IS) project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an... more
Abstract. This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of information systems (IS) project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an increasingly integrated information infrastructure in corporate and governmen-tal organizations. Expanding the perspective of traditional project management research, we draw extensively on central insights from IS research. Building on socio-technical IS research and software engineering research, we suggest four generic patterns of integration: big bang, stakeholder integration, technical inte-gration and socio-technical integration. We analyse and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern. The four patterns are ideal types. To explore the forces and challenges in these patterns, three longitudinal case studies were conducted. In particular we investigate the management challenges for each pattern. We find that the patterns are conte...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This material is brought to you by the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in ICIS 2008 Proceedings by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic... more
This material is brought to you by the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in ICIS 2008 Proceedings by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). For more information, ...
Research Interests:
Critical realism has attracted increasing attention as an alternative to positivist and interpretive research for explaining contemporary phenomena. There are now several sources for information systems' (IS) scholars providing guidance... more
Critical realism has attracted increasing attention as an alternative to positivist and interpretive research for explaining contemporary phenomena. There are now several sources for information systems' (IS) scholars providing guidance on conducting critical realist studies. However, the most challenging step of a critical realist data analysis, the identification of causal mechanisms, is still insufficiently described. Identifying mechanisms is challenging. Drawing on the concept of affordances as an analytical construct offers the researcher a tool to identify and analyse mechanisms. We present a step-wise framework for identifying structural components of a mechanism, how these components interact to produce an outcome and contextual influences on this outcome. We illustrate the application of the framework through an example of the identification of IS innovation mechanisms in a case study in the airline industry. In doing so, we argue that the approach offers a methodological tool for identifying generative mechanisms, helping the researcher in conducting a more precise data analysis in empirical research.
Research Interests:
Contemporary organisations experience an increasing pressure to change. This requires organisational agility, ie the ability to sense and respond continuously to changes in the environment. To support this unprecedented challenge,... more
Contemporary organisations experience an increasing pressure to change. This requires organisational agility, ie the ability to sense and respond continuously to changes in the environment. To support this unprecedented challenge, Enterprise Architecture has been proposed as an architectural and organisational foundation. This is a rather grand promise. In this exploratory study we discuss the usefulness of the approach, building on the framework of Ross et. al. Our research question is, to what degree can medium sized ...
To what extent can software 'travel' to organizations and countries for which it was not designed for, and how important are local contexts for a successful design and implementation of generic software? Information systems researchers... more
To what extent can software 'travel' to organizations and countries for which it was not designed for, and how important are local contexts for a successful design and implementation of generic software? Information systems researchers have differing views on this, some emphasizing the strengths of the generic and others the importance of contextual aspects. Contributing to this debate, Pollock and Williams have coined the term generification in order to describe how large vendors succeed in globalizing software packages through management by community , content and social authority. In this paper, we explore an approach that we call open generification, which extends Pollock and Williams' work in the sense that we acknowledge the need for and the feasibility of generic software, but propose an alternative model for the governance of it. Open generification is not about managing the community of users attached to a software package by homogeniza-tion or segmentation but aims at addressing the diverse needs of the community the software is expected to serve. Our empirical basis is a longitudinal study of the development of an open-source health information system software (District Health Information software version 2), which is being used in more than 47 countries. Its success is attributed to a continuous interplay between generic and specific software and continuous cycles of embedding (implementing the global in the local context) and disembedding (taking local innovations into the global). We identify and discuss the contingent mechanisms of this interplay.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of information systems (IS) project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an... more
Abstract This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of information systems (IS) project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an increasingly integrated information infrastructure in corporate and governmental organizations. Expanding the perspective of traditional project management research, we draw extensively on central insights from IS research.
Abstract This article explores a strategy of mutual adaptation between the information system and the business process, facilitated by the iterative and incremental mechanisms of modern SW engineering frameworks. The concept of mutual... more
Abstract This article explores a strategy of mutual adaptation between the information system and the business process, facilitated by the iterative and incremental mechanisms of modern SW engineering frameworks. The concept of mutual adaptation implies that the real innovation of an information systems project is not the software, but the working solution after implementation. Too little is known about this phenomenon: What are the dynamics of mutual adaptation? To what extent is it possible to control?
Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between software development methods and business innovation. Two hypotheses were tested; one that assumes that IT-based business innovation can be planned and managed as a part of a... more
Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between software development methods and business innovation. Two hypotheses were tested; one that assumes that IT-based business innovation can be planned and managed as a part of a top-down strategy, and one that assumes that innovation is basically emergent and unmanageable. A pilot survey was done in the Norwegian software industry, using a web-based questionnaire. 123 companies responded, from a total population of 610.
Abstrakt Today increasing shares of mobile phones are so-called “smart phones”. They come equipped with touchbased screens, enabling the user to interact in an easier and efficient way, compared to standard buttons. However, such screens... more
Abstrakt Today increasing shares of mobile phones are so-called “smart phones”. They come equipped with touchbased screens, enabling the user to interact in an easier and efficient way, compared to standard buttons. However, such screens require visual navigation, apparently ruling out access for the visually impaired. In this paper we ask, how can touch-based phones be extended to be applicable for the visually impaired? Two possible technologies are screen-readers and haptics (tactile feedback).
Abstract In this paper we start out presenting some challenges associated with implementing infrastructures for ICT-enhanced learning in higher education. Drawing on concepts from information infrastructure theory and actor-network... more
Abstract In this paper we start out presenting some challenges associated with implementing infrastructures for ICT-enhanced learning in higher education. Drawing on concepts from information infrastructure theory and actor-network theory, we propose a generic architecture consisting of three layers and conceptualized as a network of technical and social actors. We then present two cases of implementing infrastructures for ICT-enhanced learning, one from a large university and one from a distributed IT college.
Abstract The Semantic Web initiative holds large promises for the future. There is, however, a considerable gap in semantic Web research between the contributions in the technological field and the research done in the organizational... more
Abstract The Semantic Web initiative holds large promises for the future. There is, however, a considerable gap in semantic Web research between the contributions in the technological field and the research done in the organizational field. This paper examines, from a socio-technical point of view the impact of Semantic Web technology on the strategic, organizational and technological levels.
This paper investigates the relationship between broadband and service innovation in an e-government context. We ask, what characterises successful broadband-based service innovation projects in the public sector? The research approach is... more
This paper investigates the relationship between broadband and service innovation in an e-government context. We ask, what characterises successful broadband-based service innovation projects in the public sector? The research approach is a quantitative survey in a large public broadband diffusion initiative in Norway. The paper offers three conclusions. First, broadband-based service innovation is seen as a two-step process; first a technologically oriented project, followed by an organisational implementation.
This paper investigates the relationship between software development methodologies and usability. The point of departure is the assumption that two important disciplines in software development, one of software development methods (SDMs)... more
This paper investigates the relationship between software development methodologies and usability. The point of departure is the assumption that two important disciplines in software development, one of software development methods (SDMs) and one of usability work, are not integrated in industrial software projects. Building on previous research we investigate two questions;(1) Will software companies generally acknowledge the importance of usability, but not prioritise it in industrial projects?
Abstract Contemporary organisations experience an increasing pressure to change. This requires organisational agility, ie the ability to sense and respond continuously to changes in the environment. To support this unprecedented... more
Abstract Contemporary organisations experience an increasing pressure to change. This requires organisational agility, ie the ability to sense and respond continuously to changes in the environment. To support this unprecedented challenge, Enterprise Architecture has been proposed as an architectural and organisational foundation. This is a rather grand promise. In this exploratory study we discuss the usefulness of the approach, building on the framework of Ross et. al.
Abstract The paper introduces the Bayswater Hotel Syndrome as a metaphor to describe a situation with an impressive façade but a rather messy backyard. Based on the IS success and failure literature and evidence from a longitudinal case... more
Abstract The paper introduces the Bayswater Hotel Syndrome as a metaphor to describe a situation with an impressive façade but a rather messy backyard. Based on the IS success and failure literature and evidence from a longitudinal case study, this paper has two propositions.
Abstract This article explores the concept of member validation and its potential role in the process of constructing case descriptions and interpretations in qualitative research. Although generally approved as a required step in... more
Abstract This article explores the concept of member validation and its potential role in the process of constructing case descriptions and interpretations in qualitative research. Although generally approved as a required step in qualitative inquiry, the format, conduct, and purpose of this vary significantly according to different research perspectives.
Abstract Most IS projects today are not greenfield projects, but relate heavily to existing information infrastructures and business processes. How should the development process integrate with the business process? This is a crucial... more
Abstract Most IS projects today are not greenfield projects, but relate heavily to existing information infrastructures and business processes. How should the development process integrate with the business process? This is a crucial question, because a project that does not integrate with the business processes is a failure, even if the software which is produced is well designed and programmed. The software engineering community has embraced iterative process frameworks, like the rational unified process.
Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between ICT architectures and project risk, in the context of the development of large inter-organizational systems. Although previous research has identified ICT architecture as a project... more
Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between ICT architectures and project risk, in the context of the development of large inter-organizational systems. Although previous research has identified ICT architecture as a project risk, the focus has been on technical issues. Expanding this perspective, we investigate how technical architectures have bearings on the organization of projects, which may, to a large extent, determine the outcome of large information infrastructure initiatives.
Software-based information systems must be developed and implemented as a part of business change. This is a major challenge, since business change and the development of software-based information systems usually are performed in... more
Software-based information systems must be developed and implemented as a part of business change. This is a major challenge, since business change and the development of software-based information systems usually are performed in separate processes. Thus, there is a need to understand and manage the relationship between these two kinds of processes. In this paper we draw on a longitudinal case study.
Abstract In this paper we investigate the relationship between ICT infrastructure and innovation. In recent years the concept of the enterprise service bus has been introduced as an ICT architecture that supports strong integration of... more
Abstract In this paper we investigate the relationship between ICT infrastructure and innovation. In recent years the concept of the enterprise service bus has been introduced as an ICT architecture that supports strong integration of distributed components and services, but at the same time allows for adding or subtracting business partners at short notice. What are the organizational issues and challenges of this approach?
This paper investigates innovation in information infrastructures. The research question is, how can an information infrastructure provide generative mechanisms for innovation of ICT-based services? Building on a critical realist... more
This paper investigates innovation in information infrastructures. The research question is, how can an information infrastructure provide generative mechanisms for innovation of ICT-based services? Building on a critical realist approach, the empirical evidence was a case study within an international airline, aiming to diversify its services. From the analysis it is proposed that there are two self-reinforcing mechanisms in information infrastructures. The first is the innovation mechanism, resulting in a new service.
In the 1990s several new software engineering frameworks were introduced, among them Rational Unified Process (RUP)(Jacobson et al. 1999), OPEN (Henderson-Sellers and Unhelkar 2000), Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF)(Microsoft 2001),... more
In the 1990s several new software engineering frameworks were introduced, among them Rational Unified Process (RUP)(Jacobson et al. 1999), OPEN (Henderson-Sellers and Unhelkar 2000), Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF)(Microsoft 2001), and Catalysis (D'Souza and Wills 2002). A significant feature of these is that the software product is developed incrementally, through a series of iterations.
Abstrakt I denne studien undersøker vi hvilke utfordringer IT-arkitekter møter i sitt praktiske arbeid, og hvilke underliggende problemer vi kan identifisere. Bakgrunnen er at de fleste større organisasjoner er i ferd med å innføre ulike... more
Abstrakt I denne studien undersøker vi hvilke utfordringer IT-arkitekter møter i sitt praktiske arbeid, og hvilke underliggende problemer vi kan identifisere. Bakgrunnen er at de fleste større organisasjoner er i ferd med å innføre ulike rammeverk for IT-arkitektur. Disse initiativene er drevet av både sterkere krav fra forretningssiden om større fleksibilitet og endringsevne, samt et behov for å rydde opp i systemporteføljene.
Abstract The development of national broadband infrastructures has been recognized as an important part of the vision of the information society, as well as of the modernization of the public sector. This paper investigates the... more
Abstract The development of national broadband infrastructures has been recognized as an important part of the vision of the information society, as well as of the modernization of the public sector. This paper investigates the relationship between broadband dissemination and service innovation in the public sector. We ask, what characterizes successful broadband based service innovation projects in the public sector? The research approach is a quantitative survey in a large public broadband diffusion initiative in Norway.
Abstract Many companies have large expectations to the use of CRM systems, expecting to harvest benefits from dialogue marketing and internal knowledge synergies. How should these systems be implemented? And how easy do the benefits come?... more
Abstract Many companies have large expectations to the use of CRM systems, expecting to harvest benefits from dialogue marketing and internal knowledge synergies. How should these systems be implemented? And how easy do the benefits come? The high failure rate of CRM projects illustrates the gap between our intentions and outcomes. Interpreting a longitudinal case study and the research literature, we find two options to improve our practice.
IKT-basert innovasjon i offentlig sektor. En håndbok basert på erfaringer fra Høykom-programmet 1999–2008 Denne boken beskriver hvordan offentlig sektor kan tilby nye og gode tjenester gjennom IKT-basert innovasjon. Forfatterne... more
IKT-basert innovasjon i offentlig sektor. En håndbok basert på erfaringer fra Høykom-programmet 1999–2008
Denne boken beskriver hvordan offentlig sektor kan tilby nye og gode tjenester gjennom IKT-basert innovasjon. Forfatterne beskriver prosessen og erfaringene fra regjeringens Høykom-program som ble gjennomført i årene 1999–2008. Høykom-programmet støttet statlige og kommunale prosjekter hvor ny informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi ble tatt i bruk for å skape innovative tjenester og mer effektiv samhandling.
Boken vil være av stor interesse for de som i praksis ønsker å utvikle nye offentlige tjenester. Deler av boken er skrevet som en håndbok og beskriver konkret hvilke suksesskriterier og utfordringer man bør ta hensyn til for å skape vellykkede innovasjonsprosesser i offentlig sektor. Den største utfordringen ved IKT-basert tjenesteinnovasjon i offentlig sektor er ikke å få teknologien til å virke, men å få aktørene til å akseptere den nye arbeidsdelingen som teknologien gjør mulig. Dette krever et innovasjonsteoretisk perspektiv som fanger opp offentlig sektors særpreg og utfordringer. Forfatterne presenterer en rekke eksempler og caser innen helsesektoren, skole og utdanning, kommunal forvaltning, statsetater og utbygging av fysisk infrastruktur.
Gjermund Lanestedt er selvstendig konsulent og arbeider hovedsakelig med det offentlige som målgruppe – innen områdene e-forvaltning og prosjektledelse. Han ledet Høykoms sekretariat i perioden 2000–2005, og var sentral i utviklingen og gjennomføringen av programmet.
Bendik Bygstad er førsteamanuensis ved Norges informasjonsteknologiske høgskole (NITH). Han forsker på innovasjon, og satt i Programstyret for Høykom i årene 2005–2007.
Denne boken beskriver hvordan offentlig sektor kan tilby nye og gode tjenester gjennom IKT-basert innovasjon. Forfatterne beskriver prosessen og erfaringene fra regjeringens Høykom-program som ble gjennomført i årene 1999–2008. Høykom-programmet støttet statlige og kommunale prosjekter hvor ny informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi ble tatt i bruk for å skape innovative tjenester og mer effektiv samhandling.
Boken vil være av stor interesse for de som i praksis ønsker å utvikle nye offentlige tjenester. Deler av boken er skrevet som en håndbok og beskriver konkret hvilke suksesskriterier og utfordringer man bør ta hensyn til for å skape vellykkede innovasjonsprosesser i offentlig sektor. Den største utfordringen ved IKT-basert tjenesteinnovasjon i offentlig sektor er ikke å få teknologien til å virke, men å få aktørene til å akseptere den nye arbeidsdelingen som teknologien gjør mulig. Dette krever et innovasjonsteoretisk perspektiv som fanger opp offentlig sektors særpreg og utfordringer. Forfatterne presenterer en rekke eksempler og caser innen helsesektoren, skole og utdanning, kommunal forvaltning, statsetater og utbygging av fysisk infrastruktur.
Gjermund Lanestedt er selvstendig konsulent og arbeider hovedsakelig med det offentlige som målgruppe – innen områdene e-forvaltning og prosjektledelse. Han ledet Høykoms sekretariat i perioden 2000–2005, og var sentral i utviklingen og gjennomføringen av programmet.
Bendik Bygstad er førsteamanuensis ved Norges informasjonsteknologiske høgskole (NITH). Han forsker på innovasjon, og satt i Programstyret for Høykom i årene 2005–2007.
Today increasing shares of mobile phones are so-called “smart phones”. They come equipped with touchbased screens, enabling the user to interact in an easier and efficient way, compared to standard buttons. However, such screens require... more
Today increasing shares of mobile phones are so-called “smart phones”. They come equipped with touchbased
screens, enabling the user to interact in an easier and efficient way, compared to standard buttons.
However, such screens require visual navigation, apparently ruling out access for the visually impaired. In
this paper we ask, how can touch-based phones be extended to be applicable for the visually impaired? Two
possible technologies are screen-readers and haptics (tactile feedback). In this paper we suggest a solution
based on a combination of voice and haptics. Design research was chosen as the methodology for the project.
Design research highlights the importance of developing a solution over the course of several iterations, and
to perform product evaluation using external participants. The research contribution is an Android based
prototype that demonstrates the new user interface, allowing the visually impaired to seamlessly interact with
a smart-phone. Operation relies on voice and haptic feedback, where the user receives information when
tapping or dragging the finger across the screen. The proposed solution is unique in several ways, it keeps
gestures to a minimum, it does not rely on physical keys, and it takes the technologies of screen readers and
haptics one step further.
screens, enabling the user to interact in an easier and efficient way, compared to standard buttons.
However, such screens require visual navigation, apparently ruling out access for the visually impaired. In
this paper we ask, how can touch-based phones be extended to be applicable for the visually impaired? Two
possible technologies are screen-readers and haptics (tactile feedback). In this paper we suggest a solution
based on a combination of voice and haptics. Design research was chosen as the methodology for the project.
Design research highlights the importance of developing a solution over the course of several iterations, and
to perform product evaluation using external participants. The research contribution is an Android based
prototype that demonstrates the new user interface, allowing the visually impaired to seamlessly interact with
a smart-phone. Operation relies on voice and haptic feedback, where the user receives information when
tapping or dragging the finger across the screen. The proposed solution is unique in several ways, it keeps
gestures to a minimum, it does not rely on physical keys, and it takes the technologies of screen readers and
haptics one step further.