A Comparative Study on the Implementation Inhibitors and Facilitators of Management Information Systems and Integrated Decision Support Systems: A Perception of IT Practitioners in Mexico

Abstract

A comparative study of inhibitors and facilitators for implementing management information systems (MIS) and integrated decision support systems (integrated DSS) is reported. Knowing implementation inhibitors and facilitators for a specific IT system is useful for IT practitioners to prepare and use implementation checklists and guidelines when they are confronted with such tasks. In the international literature, several studies have reported implementation critical success factors for a single component of integrated DSS. However, studies on specific inhibitors and facilitators for integrated DSS implementation are still scarce. Consequently, there is very limited and incomplete knowledge about them for DSS implementations. This research addresses this knowledge gap by using collected data from IT practitioners located in medium and large organizations in the central region of an emergent economy (Mexico country), and compares the findings with implementation inhibitors and facilitators for MIS reported in the international literature. Relevant and particular findings suggest critical differences that should be considered for implementing integrated DSS and not treating them as MIS in similar regions of emergent economies. Their utilization in regions of well-developed economies is encouraged to be further studied through a cross-country study.

Keywords:

• implementation inhibitors and facilitators
• integrated DSS implementation
• MIS implementation
• comparative studies
• Kendall's coefficient of concordance
• Kendall's tau_c
• Wilcoxon test of matched pairs

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the IT practitioners (MSc participants in this study), as well as the group of international DSS experts consulted for the face validation of survey instruments, and the research sponsor: Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, México.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Manuel Mora is a full-time Professor of Information Systems in the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (UAA), Mexico, since 1994. Dr. Mora holds a B.Sc. in Computer Systems Engineering (1984) and a M.Sc. in Computer Science (1989) from Monterrey Tech (ITESM), and an Eng.D. in Systems Engineering (2003) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has published around 60 research papers in international top conferences, books and/or journals. Dr. Mora has co-edited two books on DMSS, serves in editorial review boards for several international journals in DMSS and ITSM themes, and is an ACM Senior Member and a Level I Mexican Researcher. His current main research interests are: design of IT service systems, design and evaluation of DMSS, and advanced methodologies for designing service-oriented software systems.

Dr. Fen Wang is an Associate Professor in the Information Technology & Administrative Management department at Central Washington University. She holds a B.Sc. in MIS, a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Dr. Fen Wang has over ten years of professional and research experience in information technology management. Her teaching and research focuses on project management, intelligent decision support technologies, and database management technologies. Dr. Fen Wang has published over thirty papers and has consulted for a variety of public and private organizations on IT management and applications.

Professor Ovsei Gelman is a senior researcher and Chief of Information Support Systems in Organizations group at the Center of Applied Sciences and Technology Development (CCADET) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He holds a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Tbilisi, Georgia. During the last 37 years he has contributed to the advance of the Systems Science and Engineering, as well as the Interdisciplinary Research in Mexico through the publication of approximately 250 research papers and books in national and international journals and conference proceedings, the participation as a Professor and Doctoral Tutor in the Systems Engineering Area of the Engineering Graduate Program at UNAM, and through consulting activities for governmental and private organizations in Mexico.