(^S^%^
Center for Information Systems Research
Massachusetts
Institute of
Alfred P. Sloan School of
Technology
Management
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139
617 253-1000
THE ROLE OF
INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH
CENTERS
Gary W. Dickson
John
F.
Rockart
October 1980
CISR No. 62
Sloan WP No. 1158-80
This paper was written for presentation at the Conference on
Information Systems, December 1980, Philadelphia, sponsored
by SMIS in cooperation with SIGBDP, TIMS, and more than a
dozen universities.
1_^
The Need
There is little doubt of
research
information
the
in
need
the
Management
for
systems field today.
School-based
The field is very
young academically, needing clarification, strengthening, or refinement
of almost all of its so recently established frameworks,
techniques.
also, however,
is
It
rapidly changing field.
a
academic viewpoint, therefore, it demands constant
complete
often,
and,
redesign
of
concepts
often
the
From an
revision
updating,
tenuous
and
knowledge we
currently have.
Significantly, from
research
increased
in
the
viewpoint
of
the
field
also
is
claiming
information systems function today is
share
corporate
of
financial and managerial.
success
increasingly
will
believe
hinge
that
however,
that
is
must
we
understand
the
Traditionally, academic research has developed using
In
assistants,
sometimes
one,
an individual researcher
both
bottom-line
use of information
opportunities and problems which will develop with the new
different forms.
larger
resources,
corporate
effective
upon
The
and
Whether or not this is true is far from certain.
technology.
certain,
Many
larger
a
manager,
desirable.
very
organizational
non-profit
and
practicing
the
is
V,Jhat
managerial
technology.
two
sharply
(often with graduate
a
faculty colleague or two) pursues
a
research topic of his own choosing.
His primary source of support is
a
and
Federal grant or
work
is
done
a
with
single corporation's benefaction.
within
the
laboratory
or
office
Very
often
walls of academia.
Although this model takes many diverse shapes, it can be viewed in
purest
form
(for purposes of contrast) primarily as
1
nM-0 2(o^-
the
a
its
single person's
I
intellect, applied in
o
single
problem,
very evident role for the individual
research
encouraged and supported by
Although there is
model
field
systems
information systems groups of
--
factors are (1)
a
today, three major factors
The three major
research center.
need for interaction with practitioners in the field,
a
and
research,
MIS faculty.
effective
out
the need for the advantages of large scale to carry
(2)
management
by
quite different research organizational
systems
information
the
a
establishment
currently favor the growing incidence of
model
to
single sponsor.
a
information
the
in
a
setting,
laboratory
the need for visibility of the work performed by the
(5)
These three factors favoring the creation of center-based
We will return
research will be introduced briefly here.
them
to
in
more detail at the end of this article
centers
One major reason for the development of research
the
of
nature
systems field itself.
information
It
in
field on
the
a
the
is very new and
very fast moving and information systems faculty members are
and very limited in research time.
is
very
few
Thus assistance from those involved
day-to-day basis can be extremely helpful in aiding
academics to define the right problem(s) to research, to understand the
problem(s) in some depth, to gain access to
with
research
systems
research
best
sites
minimum of effort, and to evaluate the impact and usefulness
the
of the
the
results.
practitioners
is
In
short,
necessary
interaction
with
information
and
work
many of the
to
today.
significant research issues in the field
areas
where
major
This
is
especially
research issues are relatively hidden --
true
in
e.g.,
issues involving the interaction
and people.
find
of
technology,
organizations,
Second, many research problerris require the advantages of scale
require
Many
types.
several
different
computer
technology, operations research,
obtain
satisfactory
a
for
And,
cases.
do
to
increasing
an
multiple disciplines (e.g.,
and
behavioral
skills)
number
research
adequate
of
problems,
to
Multiple
research prospective on the problem.
field research sites are required
of
many
in
scale
large
resources (both human and financial) are required to actually carry out
an effective program of research.
today
Finally, there is an increased need
faculty
systems
information systems research capability and
make
to
informatiton
the
for
External
results visible both externally and within their own school.
visibility
necessary since the explosive growth of the information
is
systems field has created the desire to fund research on
people
many
person with
individual
in
a
many
problem
faculty
organizations.
and/or
funding
It
is difficult,
capability
In
search
to
addition,
through
the
center
also,
center-based
provides
equally
of
A
contact
not only for
visibility
important,
a
a
out
members who might be interested in the problem.
research capability, but
product
of
however, for
center, however, provides increased visibility and therefore
point.
part
the
the
research
seminars, working papers series, and so
forth.
As
important as external visibility is, internal visibility within
the school of management
important
for
and
the
university
the MIS faculty today.
perhaps
is
Working in
a
more
field which has no
long traditions or established guidelines for research, the
the
even
impact
of
research output of the information systems group can easily not be
recognized.
Although it certainly
does
not
assist
with
regard
to
I
as to the academic
questions
a
visible
center can provide
respectability of the research performed,
evidence
to
colleagues
other
of
the
of acceptance of information systems research by the sponsor
magnitude
their
community through both their funding and
of
use
research
the
results.
The establishment of
personnel,
for
interdisciplinary
research center with its
sponsors, continuing contact with industry, and
multiple
track record
a
developing
research
useful
results
is
response to all three of these major environmental factors.
opposed
to
the "individual researcher" model,
a
a
useful
a
Thus -- as
second major academic
research paradigm (that of the "research center") is clearly gaining in
schools
favor with information systems groups in
of
management
now.
article is aimed at drawing attention to the vastly increased use
This
of centers as a focus for research in the information systems field and
documenting the reasons for this growth.
center
mechanism
and
cons
using the two oldest and best established multi-project centers,
at
Minnesota
and
MIT as examples.
as
complete
a
)
we
have
tried
to
We have
on the- side of over-explanation to
be of some possible assistance to those
center
years,
picture as possible of these centers.
tried to err (and undoubtedly, have
those
Having "been through the wars" as
directors of these two centers for several
present
the
for
systems research will be explored,
information
for
The pros
thinking
of
starting
a
new
II.
Diffe r ent Type s of
nters
this paper, we focus on multi-sponsor,
In
There
Ce
are
a
or operating
to name
(e.g.,
a
few,
the University of Colorado, Wharton,
UCLA).
appears
And it
that
this
those motivating the creation
sections.
are more regional
of
CISR
and
MISRC
Some of these centers have
in
a
noted
as
nature.
center located today in schools of management.
a
the
in
national scope, some
There is, however, one other type of information systems
center
number
Most have been, or will be, founded for reasons similar to
grow.
following
centers.
growing number of this type of center today either nascent
University of Houston, NYU,
will
mul ti-pr-o ject
research
This is the "dedicated"
which, while it may have multiple sponsors, is aimed at working
particular research problem.
represent
a
complex,
and
While these centers are important, they
more traditional academic organization, are
are
better
understood.
We
discuss
somewhat
in this
less
article,
therefore, multi-project centers.
In
the two sections that follow,
each of us outlines
and current status of the center with which he is associated,
categories
history
the
the major
of research being carried on by each center, their funding,
and the services each center offers to to its sponsors.
key point to
A
note is that, although the two centers were- founded for essentially the
same reasons (these noted in Section
different.
MISRC,
oriented toward
sponsorship.
heavily
scale
providing
CISR,
oriented
following
I
of the
paper)
they
are
quite
the thrust of its parent university,
research
and
service
its
to
is
regional
again relating to its parent-university's focus, is
toward
research
and
education
at
a
more national
1 1
Management Information Systems Research Center
.
Brief History:
faculty
the
at
Administration.
In
1965,
University
Gary Dickson joined Gordon Davis
botht
They
Minnesota's
of
College
considerable
had
on
the
Business
of
background
in
organizational computing given the limited business use of computers at
Davis had worked as
time.
that
at Minnesota had authored
Dickson
a
textbook
electronic
on
group which applied the large scale
management problems.
to
consultant for louche Ross and while
data
scientific
Upon completion of the Ph.D. degree
obtained while working at Boeing)
,
and
its business curriculum (the school had
It was not
the
its own
that
long before these two persons
University
of
Minnesota
a
saw
work
with
their
school
had
computer
already
industry
computer
into
opportunity
an
to
pioneer in teaching and research
"Their
established
teaching business computing, and their location in
featuring
to
Univac SS80).
involving the organizational use of computers.
fact
(which was
because, in contrast to many other business schools at that
time, the Minnesota school had already incorporated the
make
computer
Dickson chose to join the University
of Minnesota faculty largely because of the opportunity
Davis
processing.
several years of experience at the Boeing Company whom he
had
helped form
a
a
large
a
backgrounds,
a
the
track record in
metropolitan
area
number
of
corporate
headquarters all influenced the idea that the University
of
Minnesota
a
should assume
use
.
a
and
a
leadership role in the study of organizational computer
influence
Another
recognition of
resources
need
a
committed
the university
starting
in
to
teaching
stemming
effort in this area was the
major
a
from
the
of
level
organizational
computing coupled with general agreement that
and
research
programs
badly
were
lagging
industrial practice.
Davis and
Dickson
systems" would involve:
recognized
(1)
defining
that
a
obtaining proper computing resources;
to
teach
courses
identified;
program
in
"information
series of courses (curriculum);
(2)
the
a
(4)
(3)
finding qualified people
obtaining students;
getting "real world" input so that the program was
not
and
another
(5)
ivory
tower, theoretical program which would be of little immediate impact in
improving practice.
1966 through
a
plan for
a
1967 were spent in a planning mode out of which
complete program in "management information systems".
came
The
major components were:
'1.
A
program of
(M.S.
and
1^
courses in MIS focused at
the
graduate
level
Ph.D).
2.
Acquisition of computing resorces which could be used
for
MIS
teaching and research but which would be compatible with the
University's centralized (CDC) computing system.
3.
Integration of the local business community in teaching
curriculum development as well as in applied research.
k.
Formation of a "research center" to house staff and faculty, to
facilitate MIS research,
and
link to
the
"practitioner
to
community"
5.
Haising of funds to
computing resources.
support
students,
staff,
faculty,
and
and
It
(expert
was clear that many of the resources that were required
knowledge, funds)
Therefore,
a
were
strategy
to
business
the
in
community.
was developed based upon forming
between the Minneapol is-St
of Minnesota
found
be
to
create
partnership
a
Paul business community and the University
.
"center
a
excellence"
of
management
in
information systems.
Davis, Dickson, and Paul Grambsch,
College's
the
Dean
visited firms headquartered near or in the Minneapol is-St
time,
metropolitan area and asked that they become "Associates"
Research Center.
1.
that
at
Paul
.
the
of
MIS
The arguments for joining were several:
a
better
it
better
lo create a local "center of excellence" and to have
business school
2.
To generally help the local university and to
and more resposive to business needs.
5.
graduates
to:
To benefit sponsors directly by getting access
and training
research outputs,
program,
from the teaching
programs
k.
To be able to have a direct hand in influencing the
taken by a university program.
By
this time,
faculty
and
students.
appropriate
an
Plans
1967,
a
computing
directions
series of courses had been approved
also
by
the
published which was designed to attract
announcement
were
make
regarding
underway
equipment.
listed above, convinced eighteen
These
firms
of
the
plus
steps,
the
acquisition
of
the arguraents
approximately
thirty
contacted to join the MISRC Associates Program.
Each Associate agreed to commit $10,000
period
to
start
the
MIS program.
a
year
At the time,
for
8
three-year
several of the firms
obtained the money from their "charitable" funds, whereas
the funds from line item budgets.
a
others
took
The MISRC was formed
program
began accepting students.
MIS
in
1968 which was the same year the
in
academic
The first three years were
concentrated on getting the teaching program developed and in improving
the quality of instructional material.
computer systems in the U.S.
programs.
CDC
A
3200
terminals
on the CDC
computer.
At this
"distributed"
was utilized in the teaching and research
was
background/foreground mode.
One of the first
linked to the University's CDC 6600 in
This allowed use of research/teaching
a
CRT
5200 while batch jobs were being sent to the main
time, the University
did
not
have
timesharing
a
Approximately $^00,000 of the funds raised were devoted to the
system.
computer acquisition.
The remainder of the funds went to support
staff,
support
for
stipends.
of
graduate
students,
a
small
and
Student enrollment in the MIS program
civil
faculty summer
for
was
service
good
first
the
year and became even stronger as the program became better known.
After about two years of operation, it became apparent
needed
to be done to strengthen
the business community and
objective,
the
more
the MISRC in terms of interaction with
in doing research.
To
achieve
former
the
person was hired that we met at the Founding Conference of
Society for Management Information Systems which was hosted by the
MISRC.
full
a
that
Given the job of Assistant Director,
Robert
M.
Henry
time on solidifying the relationship with MISRC sponsors.
good job was performed that after three years of service,
Associate firms
(
3M Company)
Such
a
of
the
industry
was
hired him away from us.
Ihe important concept of an Assistant Director from
continued
one
worked
for the following six
years.
In
these cases, personnel were
given leave from Associate firms (Honeywell, General Mills)
to
serve in
As of
this position.
staff since
Ms.
1973,
Naomi Estes, who had been on the MISRC
became the full time Assistant Director.
'i969,
Having solidified the relationship with
community by about
research
the next major push was to expand the center's
1972,
Contracts
activity.
business
sponsoring
the
from
the
Office of Naval Research in
association with the "Minnesota Experiments" and from The Department of
Commerce to support research on the development of
of
energy information system are examples
involved
projects
major
Other
working
prototype regional
a
projects.
research
funded
Associate firms on MIS
with
personnel skills and on project success and failure determinents
The period between
Since
MISRC.
1968 and
the
1976
1976 represented
stage
startup
a
.
for
operation has been "mature" and the programs
The Center
have undergone relatively little change.
can
said
to
College
of
be
have stabalized as is described below.
The Director of the MISRC reports to the Dean of
Business
in teaching load
MISRC
consists
(funded by the College).
of
staff.
In
an
office
addition,
positions, one of which is
a
The full
half-time reduction
time staff
of
the
Director responsible primarily for
Assistant
the
Associate relationships,
clerical
The Director receives
Administration.
the
supervisor,
there
related
to
are
two
supplying
and
a
graduate
two-person
assistant
computer
technical
support and the other works on the Associate Program with the Assistant
Director.
Since
which is staffed by
1977 the Center has housed the MIS Quarterl y office,
a
coordinator/secretary and
The MISRC is physically located
building
in
a
part-time
the basement of
the
adjacent to the business administration building.
large single person offices, five smaller single person
10
secretary.
classroom
It
has two
offices,
four
offices,
multi-person
large
and
projects.
No
Several of the
associated
assistants
offices are occupied by graduate
research
conference room.
a
various
with
regular faculty are housed in MISRC, but it is
common to find visiting faculty in the Center from periods of weeks
a
to
year or more.
There is
a
strong relationship between the MISRC and the College's
Department
Management Sciences
reports),
but many faculty from outside the Department and the College
seven
time
full
Masters, and ten Ph.
Finally,
from
D.
students
that
typically
are
point
organizational
an
of
the approx iirately twenty-five MIS
faculty,
MIS
home
The Department is the
may be associated with MISRC projects.
the
program
academic
MIS
the
(where
residence.
in
of viev;, there is
steering
a
committee composed of Associate personnel and faculty members, which is
--
exist
program committee,
a
committees
Three other standing
advisory to the MISRC Director.
a
also
a
research
is
support
curriculum committee, and
commmittee
Funding
provided
by
:
Associate
firms.
section, MISRC Associates pay
center.
funding
The major source of
Originally,
a
of
year] y
fee
to
it was $10,000 per year
Since then we have been on
a
MISRC
was pointed out in the historical
As
the second three years of operation,
the
support
for
it was $8,000,
flat $5,000 per year.
research
the
three years.
$7,000,
During
and $6,000.
Ihere are currently
sixteen Associate organizations.
Another source of funds for base support has been the
Business
Administration.
director's salary
each year.
(
for
In
addition
1/2 time),
to
covering
about $10,000 of
College
faculty
the
support
of
is
given
source
third
the
are
Specific contracts and grants
funds.
of
These sources cover the projects costs, plus contribute to covering the
salary costs of the clerical staff.
Ihe MIS Quarterly also brings in revenue,
printing
costs,
costs,
mailing
and
coordinator plus the secretary,
grows,
circulation
operation.
break-even
a
hoped that the journal will be
is
it
the cost of the production
and
is
it
typesetting
after
but
As
source of
a
income for MISRC.
Director,
Assistant
the
seen,
As can be
a
Associate
provides
funding
and
a
basic
Thus,
.
funding for the MISRC annually amounts to approximately
just
an
a
operational
of
level
research projects must be self- funding
All
for
clerical staff, the variable cost of operating
program for the Associate firms,
support.
firm
total,
in
$300,000
with
about half the total being base support provided by the Associate
firms and our college.
Research Portfolio: For about the first ten years of
operation,
a
was diverse.
MISRC
's
substantial amount of research has been performed, but it
The best way of summarizing MISRC research is by research
method in contrast to the area in which
This
the
condition
is due
the
research
was
performed.
largely to two factors -- faculty interests and
availability of funding.
The "Minnesota Experiments"
for example,
represent
a
series of ten
experimental studies on the interaction of individual, situational, and
information systems characteristics as
Several
studies
organizations.
were
also
conducted
Examples are:
12
they
by
impact
doing
decision
field
making.
research
in
-
Factors associated with MIS project success and failure.
-
The relationship between organizational characteristics and
structure of the information systems function.
-
What makes
-
Skill requirements for KIS positions.
-
Socio-technical approaches tot MIS implementation.
-
Job
-
Analysis of the MIS life cycle.
a
the
"successful" systems analyst.
satisfaction,
support
organizational
structure, and technological
Another area of substantial concentration was technical in nature,
data
data base and
of
testing
a
base
management
systems.
development
and
decision support system for use in the physical design of
large data bases is an example of this type of
personnel
The
have
involved
been
MISRC
Finally,
work.
applications such as prototyping
in
regional energy information system and specifying
information
a
systems
requirements for higher educational institutions.
These projects
directly
associated
have
with
involved
the
faculty
MIS
education
involved persons from other areas in the college
The
"multi-disciplinary"
approach
has
graduate
and
program
and
the
students
but have also
university.
been of particular use on the
larger pro j ects
Beginning in
areas
that
in
a
1979,
the MISRC began to sharpen its focus as to
which work will be conducted.
sharper image would be useful.
Director,
James
C.
Wetherbe,
As
the
The Associate firms suggested
a
result, the incoming
MISRC
has recently completed interacting with
Associate firm personnel and faculty on this issue.
The result is that
three areas of special concern have been selected for concentration
the future.
These are:
13
in
-
Management
planning
of
MIS,
regarding
especially
personnel
MIS
and
.
-
Systems Development with
issues
a
behavioral
focus on productivity and
.
-
Data base, especially design issues.
During
the
coming year and continuing in the future, major activities
will be conducted by the MISRC in each of the above areas.
that
by
felt
is
It
conducting larger projects with better focus, we will sharpen
the Center's image and at the same time be responsive to the desires of
our sponsoring organizations.
Sponsor Interaction
strategy
of
close
Service:
and
interaction
with
The
a
MISRC
adopted
has
relatively
small
number of
proximate organizations all headquartered in the Minneapol is-St
area.
the
Paul
,
Two "outstate" firms were part of the original associates group
but dropped out partly because being 100 miles away was too far for the
program
type of interaction which makes the
work.
becoming
For
an
"Associate" one receives the following package of benefits:
- An
Associates Program:
academic
year.
Approximately ten events
These
events
usually
are
feature speakers from
outside the area that are recognized experts on
MISRC provides the events free to
Associate
for any meals which may be involved.
-m
each
held
a
subject.
personnel
The
except
Special
personnel
Associate
of
The MISRC forms and coordinates
Interest Groups:
having
interests, e.g., site
common
sccuritiy, MIS planning, distributed systems.
a
charter and makes
interaction
year-end report.
a
interchange
and
groups
Each group
sets
significant amount of
A
takes place between personnel of
firms having common problems.
Each MBA student is required to take
MBA Mini Consulting:
consulting course.
supervision on
both
and
2,000 hours of tetam time free
every
charge.
of
The output is
The firm receives about
oral report.
an
makes
MISRC
The
to coordinate Associate firm needs and
effort
mini
faculty
under
specific problem for ten weeks.
a
written
a
Teams of four students work
a
interests
with available student teams.
Access to
placement
Graduates:
MISRC
The
attempts
do
to
of MBA MIS Specialists in Associate firms.
collection, dissemination, and referral service
Working Paper Series:
v;orking
papers
special
a
A
resume
available.
is
Associate firms receive copies of
All
produced
by
personnel.
MISRC
all
More than one
hundred such papers have been published since the Center began.
Information Request Service:
answer Associate
reference
requests
firm
written
to
The MISRC maintains
for
material
a
firm
frequently provided.
person
is
key faculty
are also available on
a
member
limited basis to
board" for Associate problems/plans.
15
"hot line" to
Typically
information.
is
identification of
a
although
provided,
or
another
Associate
The MIS faculty members
act
as
a
"sounding
.Discount Kates:
the
.
college's
Management traxnxng is provided in
Educational
Development
Center.
MIS
through
For courses
personnel receive discounted
designated as MIS, Associate fxrm
they wish to send.
rates for as many people as
help determine
can
The Associate firms
influence on Programs:
and research program.
direction taken in both the teaching
the
through
in these areas and
Through representation on cor.n.itees
Center activities can be
Steering Comraittee, the nature of
the
influenced
educational
the MISRC and the MIS
Perhaps the greatest benefit of
in
focus for information systems activity
program is that it provides a
The
a vehicle for interchange.
and
area
Paul
Minneapolis-St.
the
business
the
and
partnership between the university
notion of a
community is frequently expressed.
IV.
Center for
I
nformatio n Systems Re search
-
Sloan School MIT
(CISR)
Systems Research
Brief History^ The Center for Information
established in '.97^ in
School of Management at MIT was
Sloan
the
at
environmental factors discussed earlier
large part because of the three
series of discussions by
It was founded following a
in this paper.
a center which would "work
various Deans and faculty members to provide
both faculty
problem-centered resea rch issues of interest to
major
on
Although numerous faculty members
in the field."
and practitioners
P
key people were
two
the
creation of CISR,
the
in
involved
were
Michael S.
Pounds, then Dean of the School, and
undoubtedly William F.
Dean
April
1976.
to
197^
July
Scott Morton, CISR's director from
centers
At approximately the same time, other
role is clear.
Pounds'
16
School
were estabJ ished in the Sloan
tradition
a
of pcrforminc problern-btised
response
in
both
to
the
MIT
application-driven research and
,
links
better
felt need at Sloan in the early 70's, to establish
to
industry.
Scott Morton and other faculty members felt an industry link
would
especially appropriate and useful in the information systems
be
area.
They were (1) to
Four major objectives were established for CISR.
which
perform high quality research
practicing
managers
in the
is
relevant
information systems field,
(3)
for
nonprofit
to
organizations
industry
in
to ensure the relevancy of the research,
increased
allow students, at all levels, to have
opportunities
real-world involvement during the course of their studies, and
major mechanism to carry out these objectives was felt to be the
creation of
the
group of "sponsors" who would provide
a
both
funding
Sponsor funding
of the sponsor
organi zat ion
organization.
with
interaction
was
to
come
solely
from
the
This
was
done
to
continuing
insure
information system personnel in each sponsoring
.
The process of finding and selecting sponsor organizations
interesting
the
area budget, not the "corporate gifts" department
systems
information
part
of
CISR's
history.
Since
MIT
is
a
is
an
national
university, with widespread alumni, friends, and contacts, it was
a
for
research and also the necessary interaction between the center and
their organizations.
that
m)
School.
expand financial support for research in MIS area at the Sloan
A
to
increase
to
(2)
contact with managers in the information systems function
and
useful
and
to
felt
sponsoring organizations could not, and should not, be limited to
particular
geographic
area.
Secondly,
17
it
was
decided
not
to
rather
but
CISR,
"market"
aggressively
react positively to the
to
normal flow of managers who, having heard about
run by by
project
to ways
as
member
in
would
publications),
his
a
improved understanding of the research and
to gain
interested
more
reading
or
Many of those interested in
its implications.
even
CISR faculty member (either through listening to
that
seminar given by
inquire
a
research
particular
a
project
single
a
getting in close touch with
a
were
larger body of
research -- and thus became CISR sponsors.
was early felt that there was no optimum size
It
thus CISR's research portfolio, could grow apace with the
budget,
the
that
CISR,
for
number of sponsors attracted.
In
any case, MIS research would continue
since the faculty at that time was continuing to pursue the more
contract,
grant,
performed.
The
increase
additional
ability
the
mechanisms
etc.
to
to
CISR
funding
increase
the
brought
research
MIS
would
in
usual
merely
and fund additional faculty, research
hire
research
associates, and graduate students to increase the
portfolio.
This low key approach produced only four sponsors in the first two
years.
Yet some momentum was
helped
by
origination
the
conference open to all (for
research
results,
constituted
marketing
building.
of
the
of
"CISR
a
was
also
momentum
CISR
faculty
supplemented
F.
by
members
of
a
took
over
new
in the Spring of
one week
and
and staff to seminarees who
This "educational"
approach
to
by an increased speaking agenda (at
CISR
Rockart as Director and Christine
which
a
greatly
research,
the
management-oriented Information systems conferences and
companies)
was
Summer Seminar",
fee) which displayed
a
potential sponsor pool.
a
This
V.
Bullen as
't976.
18
management
at
individual
team,
with John
Assistant
Director,
Responding to this increased
CISR
exposure of
results,
researcfi
seventeen
became sponsors over the next two and
a
has thus increased to twenty-two today.
sponsors
is
an
to
interaction.
continuing
in
197^,
the current time the number
At
appropriate
members
of
the
number
allow
to
effective
the number of sponsors have grovm
As
MIS
half-time to research, many as
so too
,
Today, nine Sloan School faculty
has the size of the MIS faculty.
full-time
starting at two
being held at approximately twenty, in order to limit
group
the sponsor
companies
half year period.
The number of sponaoring organizations,
of
additional
Almost
group.
result of CISR
a
are
devote at least
all
funding
which
allows
them to "buy out" their time from teaching.
CISR is currently being operated primarily as vehicle to
of
amount
the
manager ially-relevant
produced at Sloan.
faculty
members
Its chief asset is
each
of
information
a
bright,
systems
aggressive
increase
research
set
of
whom desires to follow his/her own research
interests, but who have occasional openings to take on new research.
Significantly, in the past
attract
two
years,
CISR
has
been
able
to
"affiliate" faculty members from both the Organization Studies
Relations group to research or aid
and the Labor
information
systems
problems of interest to them.
and research site availability,
to strengthen
research
the
in
Thus,
on
CISR funding
have attracted faculty from other areas
the multi-disciplinary base of the
existing
MIS
group.
The core MIS faculty itself contains members with degrees in electrical
engineering,
computer
science,
organizational behavior as well
short,
it
is
a
law,
planning
information
as
multi-disciplinary
research multi-disciplinary problems.
19
MIS
and
control,
systems
faculty
itself.
and
In
group assembled to
Sponsor funding has
facilitated
the hiring of some non- tr od itional skills into the faculty group.
In
time research associates (usually people with masters
by three full
on
experience
degrees in management and some years of field
students,
graduate
area),
expertise and desire to work
CISR
faculty member.
members
faculty
former
are
conjunction
in
or
the available time,
v;ith
specific issue
a
MIS
the
in
the present time, three part-time
at
other positions but
holding
.students
and
The latter
experienced researchers.
former
carried
addition to the faculty, research at CISR is cui-rently
with
a
Assistant Director for Administration and two
An
(often three) secretaries comprise the administrative staff responsible
for organizing
management,
financial
seminars,
supporting
and
the
research staff.
CISR reports to the Dean of the Sloan School and to the Management
Science Group in
Director,
the
matrix fashion,
a
Assistant
an
A
Steering
composed
Committee
of
Director
and
three MIS faculty members
during
the
growth
provides policy direction.
Major contributors to CISR
J.
Donovan
and
Stuart
Madnick
E.
who
served
committee and were participants in the early
current
former
and
CISR are Jeffrey
Chen,
and
A.
Michael
years
on
an
design
of
were
John
early steering
Other
CISR.
faculty who were involved in the initial years of
Meldman
,
Zisman.
Robert M. Alloway,
Hoo-Min
Toong
Peter
,
Recently Peter Keen and Lynne Markus have
played very significant roles as, increasingly, has Ed Schein, Chairman
of the Organization Studies Group at Sloan.
administrative
Lawrence Meader,
contributions
Steven
been
have
Humphrey,
Quillard, who joined CISR in
and
1979-
20
Significant
made by Sarah
Assistant
research
S.
and
Fitzgerald,
Director
Judith
Funding
ways.
:
CISR research is currently funded
source
primary
A
funding
of
approximately $500,000 per year,
is
several
in
the sponsors who contribute
second major source of
A
funding
the traditional large research grant or contract mechanism,
average
year
New
is
which in an
provide almost an equivalent amount to various MIS
will
Typical of this process is the
faculty members.
different
NEEMIS
project,
the
England Energy Management Information Systems, which explored many
systems concepts in an application setting.
accordance with CISR's major purpose (research), only
In
fraction
of
total
the
funding received from CISR sponsors and other
sources is used to support the
administrative
staff
and
By far the majority of the money received
seminars.
on research projects -- either
students,
performing
etc.
small
a
pay
to
the
salaries
to
support
spent directly
is
faculty,
of
staff,
research -- or to pay other research
expenses
R esearch
logical
Portfolio: With the diverse faculty noted
that
research
CISR
should also be diverse.
risk, be divided into four major categories.
above,
It
is
it
can, at some
These are:
(1)
Managerial use of computers and computer-based information;
(2)
Improved information systems technology;
(3)
Productivity and information systems; and
(
The management of the information systems function.
^4
)
With regard to the first area, the Managerial use of computers an d
computer
worked
b ased
in
the
information
area
,
faculty
at
the
of decision support systems.
this area is being performed to develop an
the
way
decision
Sloan
support
systems
21
are
improved
developed
School
have
long
Continuing work in
understanding
and
of
implemented.
Research efforts are now underway to understand the way in which
systems
decisions-aiding
use
Graphic aids to managers are
More recently, considerable work with regard to
being researched.
management
are justified.
top
computer-based information has been initiated.
of
particular, the use of the "critical success factor" method as
in
these
In
aid
an
determining managerial information needs as part of the information
systems planning process is being investigated.
Three or four diverse efforts are now
being
aimed at improved information systems technology
of
subject
.
undertaken
at
CISR
One major study, the
large contract, is aimed at improved methods of allowing
a
multiple processing units to communicate with multiple storage devices.
New computer architectures to
processing in
is
also
a
more
efficient
and
effective
heavily distributed world are also being stuaied.
underway
base
data
on
vallule of redundant data
structures
provide
and
design,
the
effects
Work
including questions of the
of
different
data
base
.
Work in the area of MIS producti vity, has really just begun to
drawn
together
into
a
major field of research.
be
Work is being done on
the development of improved systems design processes, the evaluation of
the benefits of structured systems analysis,
productivity
benefits
of
"end-user
and the evaluation of
programming".
Some of the newer
productivity tools offered by various com.puter manufacturers
being
investigated,
as
the
are
also
are the pros and cons of "common systems".
major study is underway of the software industry which draws upon,
A
and
encompasses, much of the above.
Related closely to, and overlapping with, much of the above is the
final area of major multi-faculty interest at CISR -- the management cT
22
concerning
"careers
executives,
points"
"end-user needs and view
and
roles
the
departments.
systems
information
of
studies
Here,
.
underway
are
processing", the critical success factors
in data
of information systems
structures
function
systems
the information
cast
has
major
A
much
organization
and
light
study of
ways
on
of
thinking about managing the information system.s function.
In
one sense, each of these research thrusts --
perspective --
research
She/he
project.
research
as
one
faculty member is in charge of
A
her/his
has
own
associates and graduates working on the project.
well
from
looks very much like the "individual model" of research
noted at the beginning of this paper.
each
viewed
ideas
Discussions with
sponsors
understanding
both
of
research results.
In
research
and
CISR
in
researchable
sites
Yet, much funding
through
come
seminars
fields
research
of
set
CISR.
increases
tentative
and
addition, the center mechanism
as
mutual
or
final
facilitates
both
good multi-view point conversation about each research project, and the
drawing
tbgether
of multi-disciplinary research teams to work on each
project where appropriate.
have
both
the
benefits
The CISR experience suggests that
of
center
the
and
one
benefits
the
can
of
individual-based research project responsibility.
Methods of Sponsor Interaction
center
in
generating
CISR's
:
knowledge
new
sponsors
concerning
the
results
opportunity
for
exchange
of
all
research
with
the
information systems
through six basic CISR research oriented activities.
learn about
work
projects
In
addition, they
and
have
an
of ideas through six disemination vehicles.
These modes of interaction are noted below.
23
Sponsoring organizations may participate in CISR research
in
efforts
the following ways:
1.
By serving as
a
site for an on-going faculty or staff
research
project
2.
3.
research in a new field
and suggesting pilot
research interest to other
be
of generalized
to
expected
sponsors and information systems managers or line executives in
general
By developing
thesis
for
a
term or
student team work on-site
and
the
faculty
interest
to
of
mutual
area
an
project
field
may
benefits
to
the
research
although
the
where,
sponsor
educational benefits to the
the
not be absolutely certain,
students are.
By having
a
in
By sending a sponsor employee to MIT to take part in a research
effort as a CISR fellow.
5.
6.
faculty on a
CISR
In
this mode, the sponsor agrees to carry
research project.
out particular aspects of the research himself.
By having existing staff collaborate with
sponsor)
(for the
proposed new information systems processes or structures and,
-mutual
for
(for CISR faculty) research or position papers
commenting
By exchanging written materials representing
CISR's sponsors
participate
in
the
disemination
of
research
findings in the following ways:
1.
seminar run
By attending the annual "research results" summer
although it is open to non-sponsor
center which,
by
the
personnel, is available free for a limited number of sponsor
personnel
2.
which
CISR
single-subject seminars at
By attending
other
sponsors and CISR faculty gather to discuss a particular area
managing information systems in a
of interest -such
as
distributed environment.
2^
3.
^.
5.
attendinc onc-aay sctninnrs, reserved for sponsors and others
single
which a
in
participating as research project sites,
staff.
and
faculty
CISR
upon
by
research project is reported
By
which
papers
CISR working
faculty viewpoints.
By receiving
results, and
V.
MIT
scheduling CISR faculty or staff- to deliver a talk at the
sponsor's premises on relevant research results and viewpoints.
Research Center Benefits
research
we think the concept of a "research center"
performed,
being
Having given
significant means of facilitating research.
as
by
or
By
With information systems being an emerging area in which
is
staff
By discussing relevant areas of interest with faculty and
researchers through visits by sponsor personnel to
CISR staff visits to the sponsor.
6.
research
present
to
centers.
discussion of what we
a
detail
some
see
advantages
the
as
of
such
They are:
Resources:
Concentration of
"research
center"
capable resources
performance
for
are
large
of
work
in
primary
A
and
needs outputs
the
of
benefit
concentrated
in
manner
a
allows
which
a
the
scale, high quality, visible projects.
The New
information
systems
energy
Minnesota Experiments are examples.
this
having
from
the information systems area is that
England (NEEMIS) and Upper Midwest (REIS)
projects,
a
nature of our two information systems research centers, we
the
now turn to
is
type
and
established,
having
The MIS field
well
staffed
research centers allows this type of project to be undertaken.
The concentration of resources is important
that of having
not
only
problem.
a
"critical mass".
To do high quality research requires
talent but also stimulation and
Research
centers
with
for another reason
their
25
a
variety of viewpoints on
faculty,
staff,
a
graduate
and
assistants,
presentations,
meetings,
Research
environment.
exciting
create an
visitors (both practitioners and academics)
frequent
the day in
defenses, colloquia, and seminars are the order of
thesis
a
research center.
Connection to the Real World: Having
sufficient
are
that
to
operate
centers
--
a
take on large, difficult projects requiring
the
with formal links to
the
work,
access
easy
allows
There also is
contrast to artificial, problems.
in
both
which
Having the research center
focus.
practitioner
problems and organizational data.
real,
a
-close interaction with the business/government
of our activity has an applied
bulk
under
philosophy
Although our centers do some purely theoretical
community.
on
the
possible
variety of talents makes
resources
of
collection
a
to
real
a
focus
a
carryover to
A
good research center
funding.
tends to attract people with both problems and, sometimes,
C arryover
which
to Education:
working
is
The fact that
a
research
exists
center
theoretical and practical problems carries over
on
the center
into the educational program of the institution at which
Examples,
located.
way into
working
the
in
case studies, and research results all find their
classroom.
the
is
More
importantly,
research center learn
than in formal classes.
a
the
students
graduate
great deal, perhaps much more
a
perfect
Perhaps the long-run, most important
benefit
Further, the
research
center
is
vehicle for bringing about faculty/student interaction.
Benef i t to the Area:
from
having
information
systems research centers is that they permit
image
doing the type of work which is so vitally needed to enhance the
of
the
MIS
area.
By having
a
research center, properly equipped and
staffed, significant work can be sought which otherwise
26
would
be
too
too many risks in Its output, or be too multi-faceted for
have
large,
an individual
visibility
area
MIS
the
to
Obtaining
address.
to
projects
these
otherwise
that
would
provide
can
be unavailable.
Performance on these significant projects feeds on itself in that, with
a
good reputation, more and more projects flow in.
Indirect IS Support:
ability
to
A
research
final
benefit
the
is
use the center to support activities for the common good or
to
For examples, since
fund "start-up" activities.
inception
its
in
the MISRC has hosted literally hundreds of visitors from all over
1968,
the world for short visits and longer stays.
six
center
visiting
played
conferences
role
and
which
in
hosting
conferences.
The MISRC has also
Two
national
national ACM conference are examples.
a
the MIS Quarterly is
capital".
staying at least ten weeks.
faculty
major
a
This past year there were
partially
project
a
supported
by
SMIS
Starting up
MISRC
"risk
CISR "start-up" funding has been used primarily for research
might
otherwise
have
unfunded -- much of which has been
been
exceptionally useful.
VI.
Problems with IS Research Centers
discussed
The two information systems research centers
quite different.
difficulties
Through the experiences of each,
can
be
identified.
common, while others are unique.
wrote,
found
paper's
centers
set of problems or
two
authors,
as
we
ourselves in almost complete agreement as to the reasons
favoring the creation of centers (Section
these
are
of these the centers have in
Some
This
a
here
(Section
V.)
I.)
and
the
benefits
of
For the final two sections of the paper,
however, our more different views suggested
27
that
individual
sections
would
preferable
be
possible
reader with as much insight as
the
Thus
.
center
research
information
One of the "problems" with having an
MISRC (Dickson)
system
provide
to
is
the
that it takes several years of
fact
devotion, time, and effort to start up an
undertaking
this
of
One frequently hears that another school would like to start
center
so
Seldom heard is
persons
two
research
some sort, and we are asked about funding, deliverables and
of
forth.
a
sort.
that
a
level of commitment on the part of one
needed to start and build
is
a
or
successful research
Gordon Davis and Gary Dickson each devoted about five years of
center.
their lives to making the concept work.
related problem occurs regarding devoting time to
A
relationship with sponsoring organizations.
to want
to do
teaching,
working
and
a
the
unique academic
Academics tend to be involved in
this and to do it well.
research,
takes
It
managing
v;ith
doctoral students.
necessarily function well serving sponsors.
They do not
Ihis is one reason why the
position of Assistant Director responsible for industry interaction has
worked well in the case of the MISRC.
Base level funding for the MISRC continues to be
it
our
is
time consuming and continuous.
sponsors
are
being
We have to
served and see that
Ihe time spent on obtaining each firm's annual
It
has
helped
that
processing budgets
most
rather
sponsors
than
now
seeking
a
a
problem because
carefully
watch
how
quid pro quo is given.
$5,000
is
significant.
spend the money out of data
corporate
contributions.
Naturally, there is attrition in sponsors (for various reasons) and new
sources
of
funds
must
continually be sought.
frequently potential sponsors come to us.
28
We are fortunate that
A
bit of advice
center have
of
a
organizations
sponsoring
regarding
fixed package of deliverables rather than making
promises.
individual
onset
the
At
(what
them
consulting).
call
we
sponsors by individual faculty on
to
agree
with
series
a
particular
a
Consulting
may
problem
be done for
personal basis, but it took
a
a
of the MISRC, many sponsors
thought that if we did "research" it would be on
for
that
is
awhile
sponsors that MISRC "research" projects must have
the
generality.
We, of course,
in
demand
the
suffer as
research center from peaks and
a
projects
for
thus, resources.
and
problem is that it is difficult to quickly expand
(faculty
and graduate students).
It
help about every
and
research
the
staff
finish
a
degree
their
Thus, we must tolerate almost total turnover in student
are gone.
planning
Exacerbating the
also seems that just as soon as
graduate student is trained and proficient, they
and
valleys
two
to
management
three
years.
difficult
This
but
factor
common
is
makes
project
to virtually all
university research centers.
Because information systems trained researchers are so few and far
between,
the
it
variety
is
difficult to obtain quality personnel, especially
in
our
projects.
We
have
students are very good, but they take time
given
found that our senior Ph
to
develop
and
are
.
soon
lost.
A
particular problem is the interaction between the
research
mission.
Even though
a
teaching
and
very worthwhile research project may
come along, we may be forced to refuse it because key faculty resources
are committed to teaching
research
project.
The
and
only
cannot
be
alternative
29
released
is
to
to
work
on
the
staff courses with
We cannot
graduate students which can only go so far.
courses,
in
particular, with junior faculty, and thus are constrained
in
number
the
Frequently,
graduate
staff
short
lead
projects
of
type
and
may
which
undertaken.
be
times on starting projects makes this problem
especially severe.
Finally, we find that
projects
research
frequently
we
resources
funded
are
fractionated and diverse.
and
kept
that
which
want
we
dollars
Chasing
busy,
but
means
that
our products become
Further, the quality level of our output may
slip because of moving away from our specialty.
fund
undertake
to
simply because funds are available rather than that
the project fits our mission and talent.
our
tempted
are
to
Ihe best
rule
is
to
and are good at, but money sources
do
frequently have priorities otherwise.
The things that Gary says with regard to the
(Rockart)
CISR
for continuing funds,
in
business
the
of
the need to have sponsors understand that you are
research and not consulting, and the significant
commitment of time and energy necessary to give birth to
to
make and keep it viable all sound. very familiar.
However, there are three "problems" on which
of them.
need
a
center
and
can second each
I
I
would like
to
focus in this section.
The first is the problem of getting
a
bunch of highly independent,
very able, very busy faculty to divert time from their current pursuits
to work on
task.
We
sponsor-generated research problems.
have
This is
not
tried to deal with this problem in four ways.
easy
an
First,
with "settled" faculty members, by carefully matching sponsor ideas
their
current
fields
of
research.
30
Second,
with
younger
to
faculty
members, by attempting to influence their
research
of
Third, by attempting to influence the faculty hiring process
board
on
themes
money, available research sites, and research assistance.
logic,
with
choice
faculty
the
mix
to
handle some of the significant research
Finally, where no other faculty member was interested,
fields.
bring
to
have
I
on important sponsor-suggested research projects myself with the
taken
aid of our full time research staff.
important.
very
There,
are
Ihiis
last approach is,
research
key
projects
think,
I
must
be
performed from time to time to have the Center's work be positioned
in
the
mainstream
of
sponsor research needs.
the Center
concerns.
sponsor
which
Obviously, we can not meet all
But some of the key needs must be met to
give
positioning of being on the leading edge of real-world MIS
a
concerns
The second major problem, closely related to
problem
maintaining
of
right
the
relationship
faculty to take on sponsor-related research and
the
junior
between
not
marvelous stepstone to tenure for
a
the
is
persuading
interfering
faculty's need to dictate their own path to tenure.
very, very easy to convince oneself that
a
first,
the
with
is
It
particular project would
a
be
particular faculty member and to
do more than one's share of persuasion to ensure that the project
gets
worked.
less
Yet
the
aggressive posture.
merely
"making
whole
In
academic
tenure
process
suggests
general, we have tried to stay on the
available"
a
side
of
funds and assistance and letting
ideas,
a
faculty member build his own enthusiasm for the project.
Finally, most
procedures
University
(including
those
salary
at
structures
and
administrative
MIT) make it difficult to obtain and
keep the calibre of person one needs in
31
a
sponsor-oriented center.
The
center atmosphere has to be somewhat more
--
hardworking
more
businesslike
high.
be
perform
to
result
is
The
etc.
v;ell,
Salary structures, in particular, at most universities
are not oriented toward this type of person below
The
often
and
than in much of the rest of the University.
calibre of people one needs, their motivation
must
--
expenditure
the
faculty
the
level.
of significant effort to attract and
retain good people.
Lessons Learned
VII.
(Dickson
MIS RC
established
)
It
information
for an academic
in
systems
the area.
students,
colleagues,
is no doubt
One
and
that
associated
research center is
access
has
exciting,
an
being
to
a
a
and
"critical mass"
significant
to
of
amount
national
professional
resources
of
my
which
support
stimulating
time
center concept and making it work.
again?"
I
My
would
associations.
facilitates
an
very large plus
staff,
environment.
Especially attractive is the link our center has to the local
community
with
business
have
We
productivity.
a
A
has been spent evolving the research
I
often ask myself, "Would
do
I
it
answer is, "Absolutely not, the personal cost is too high."
join an established group which someone else managed, but I'd
not try to start from scratch.
My attitude does not mean that someone
create
a
else
research center in information systems.
should
not
try
I've learned from my
experience, though, that whoever chooses to do so had better have
of dedication.
time
the
Further, they had better be in the proper location
effort just right.
Finally,
32
a
to
a
lot
and
well thought out product must
be idenLified
and delivered.
center should
Ko
try
another;
copy
to
each should be somewhat unique.
In
summary, the lesson
I
learned
that
vjas
information systems research center one must:
awfully
work
hard;
supporters, and
(.^)
(3)
again?"
do
it
all
the problems
or
that
plan carefully;
(1)
an
(2)
great deal of help from colleagues and
a
be a little bit lucky.
(R ockart)
CIS R
get
with
succeed
to
In
"Would
Perhaps the key question here is Gary's
Despite
my case, the answer is "Yes, absolutely."
different,
(and perhaps because our centers are quite
individually
we
I
are motivated by different things),
would
I
certainly do it again. ...for the following reasons:
(1) There is the almost daily contact with one or another of
of highly able, pragmatic yet insightful
and
key staff personnel who are sponsors.
I
have learned
amount from them concerning informations systems
and
had many insights into the field which
have
a
tremendous
management,
and
use
set
managers
systems
information
a
would not otherwise
I
have had
(2)
The applied focus of the center's operation, and the depth and
range of the work possible with
wrongly)
of
being
a
center, provides
a
sense (rightly
or
top of the field, working the key issues in the
on
field, and perhaps even helping to shape the field to
much
a
greater
extent than one could do as an individual.
(3) Finally,
visibility
have
all the Center benefits of
led
to
me
personally
being
interesting research topics, and to have the
work
them.
If it were
not for CISR,
33
I
interaction
able
resources
scale
,
to
,
and
find several
and
sites
to
strongly suspect (although one
never knows)
experience.
that
And
would not
1
1
certainly
have
had
would
assistance in that research from the
the
not
members
same
personal
research
very
have
had
the
of
our
research
able
staff
whose names are noted earlier in this paper.
Yes, as of October,
1980,
at least,
5^
1
would certainly do it again.
Date Due
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