The computer consultant's role as a change agent in small business engagements: A qualitative investigation and knowledge-based system proposal.
Item
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Title
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The computer consultant's role as a change agent in small business engagements: A qualitative investigation and knowledge-based system proposal.
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Identifier
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AAI9959241
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identifier
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9959241
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Creator
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Winston, Elaine R.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Dorothy G. Dologite
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Date
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2000
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Business Administration, Management | Engineering, Industrial | Artificial Intelligence
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Abstract
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Markus and Benjamin's (1996) change agentry model focuses on the internal IS specialist, and suggests three change agent strategies: the traditional, the facilitator, and the advocator. Presented here is a field study of twenty-five cases to test these strategies.;Factors that influence the change agent role are identified from the literature. They are evaluated with the goal of determining any relationship between change agent role selected for an engagement by a computer consultant and the success of the information systems (IS) implementation. A framework developed to guide this study that explores the computer consultant's change agent roles in small business engagements is proposed.;The findings from this multiple case study provide strong evidence that factors of the implementation scenario are most important in the decision of how the consultant should approach the change agent role for a particular IS assignment. A primary finding suggests that the advocator model is most effective in achieving high quality IS implementations when resistance to change is encountered. The advocator model is also most effective for computer consultants who present a vision of how IS can help a small business obtain a strategic advantage. These results indicate that consultants should strive to acquire the capability to adopt an advocator strategy and then fine tune that strategy to an appropriate change management level as called for by factors of the implementation.;In general, the results of this study suggest that some consultants are intuitively aware of the different change agent roles and that they apply this intuition in their engagements. Consultants who could choose among strategies exhibited flexibility and better responded to IS requirements.;From the results of this study a proposal is developed for a knowledge-based system (KBS) that can assist computer consultants in choosing a change agent strategy for a particular consulting engagement. The proposed KBS can be used as an advisory or teaching tool to improve the consultant's decisions. This proposed KBS, called change agent strategy advisor (CASA), when implemented, will provide the consulting community with expert knowledge rather than an intuitive approach to choosing a change agent role strategy for IS engagements.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy Restricted.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.