Premium
Task‐Structure Relationship of Information Systems Development Subunit: A Congruence Perspective *
Author(s) -
Umanath Narayan S.,
Kim K. Kyu
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5915.1992.tb00421.x
Subject(s) - congruence (geometry) , task (project management) , context (archaeology) , bivariate analysis , protein subunit , organizational structure , association (psychology) , perspective (graphical) , knowledge management , computer science , psychology , social psychology , biology , artificial intelligence , management , economics , machine learning , genetics , paleontology , gene , psychotherapist
Several studies have examined the influence of organizational context (e.g., organization size, environment, strategy) on information systems (IS) performance/success. But very few studies have examined IS structure, and those studies have focused on a particular element of IS structure (e.g., decentralization). Thus, the multidimensional structural configuration of IS as an organizational subunit has escaped research attention. Further, the nature of the task to be performed by the IS subunit as a contextual factor has been virtually ignored in the IS research literature. In this paper, we first develop a congruence model for the task‐structure relationship in an information systems development (ISD) subunit setting. Then we test this model as a multivariate relationship followed by subordinate bivariate analyses. Analysis of data from 41 hospitals’ ISD subunits reveals that a congruence relationship between task context and the structure of an ISD subunit is present. Our findings also show that an exclusive association exists between uncertainty in the task environment and the decision‐making structure. Likewise, the association between equivocality of task content and the control structure of the ISD subunit is also exclusive. Implications of these findings for decision makers and researchers are discussed.