Article ID: | iaor200970848 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 20 |
Issue: | 3 |
Start Page Number: | 400 |
End Page Number: | 419 |
Publication Date: | Sep 2009 |
Journal: | Information Systems Research |
Authors: | Harris Michael L, Collins Rosann Webb, Hevner Alan R |
Keywords: | control processes |
When should software development teams have the flexibility to modify their directions and how do we balance that flexibility with controls essential to produce acceptable outcomes? We use dynamic capabilities theory and an extension of control theory to understand these questions. This work is examined in a case study. Our results demonstrate that flexibility may be needed when the starting conditions are uncertain and that effective control in these situations requires use of traditional controls plus a new type of control we term emergent outcome control.