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The basic premise of the extant literature related to electronic integration has been that the higher the integration, the higher will be the organizational performance. However, excessive electronic integration can be dysfunctional too. We make a conceptual argument that more is not always better and that the fit between contextual factors and electronic information sharing should be achieved to seek optimal channel performance. We empirically examine the fit between electronic information transfer (EIT) and contextual factors of a supply channel, our specific contribution being the assessment of fit in terms of multivariate congruence. The data required for this field study was collected from 124 managers/buyers responsible for supplier relationships in six multinational enterprises in two different industries (automobile and heavy shipbuilding) headquartered in Korea. The results ratify our hypothesis that multivariate congruence between EIT components and supply-channel contextual factors indeed exists. Follow-up drill-down analysis indicates that the monitoring component of EIT has a significant influence on demand uncertainty, and complexity-in-use is influenced by the coordination aspect of EIT. However, both the coordination and monitoring aspects of EIT are significantly relevant to interdependence of partners in a supply channel. A post hoc exploratory analysis suggests that the supply-channel performance is influenced by the fit between the contextual factors and the channel design factors. An inference of practical value that emerges from our findings is that more or less electronic integration is not the real issue. What is critical is the fit between supply-channel context and the level of electronic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of the task to be performed by the information systems (IS) unit as a contextual factor has received little attention in the IS research literature. In addition, prior empirical work examining IS structure lacks theoretical foundation. In this paper we first clarify the multidimensional nature of an organization's subunit structure. Then, we examine the impact of the structure variables on the perceived effectiveness of a subunit of lS--software development--using "task" as the contextual contingency influencing this relationship. Organizational information processing theory provides the theoretical foundation for this study. Analysis of data from thirty hospital reveals that a contingency relationship exists between task context and structural dimensions of software development subunits in determining their effectiveness. Task complexity and decision-making structure in interaction exhibit a nonmonotonic effect on the software development subunit's effectiveness. While the interaction of subunit work flow interdependence with both decision-making structure and control structure was significant, the direction of effect was unexpected. Implications of these findings for practicing managers, and IS planners and researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tests 299 auditors from 96 actual United States General Accounting Office (GAO) audits. Relationship between tasks, supervision practices, and effectiveness; Use of canonical correlation analysis; GAO audit team effectiveness; Supervision practices relating to the interdependence and size of the audit team; Implications.

We assessed the ability of the cognitive fit theory to explain the performance of certain display formats on multiattribute judgment tasks. This theory suggests that for most effective and efficient problem solving to occur, the problem representation and any tools or aids employed should all support the strategies (methods or processes) required to perform that task. The theory was tested by assessing performance with schematic faces, graphs, and tables on a bankruptcy prediction task. Bankruptcy prediction involves integrating a large amount of data (a number of financial indicators over a number of years), as well as referring to ranges and/or levels of financial indicators. Schematic faces provide a cognitive fit with such tasks since the information in a face can be processed holistically; however, they do not permit decision makers to refer to the underlying data. Graphs facilitate a different integrating process; further, they preserve characteristics of the underlying data. Tables, on the other hand, do not aid the decision maker in integrating information; they provide only the underlying data values. It was hypothesized that graphs would provide the best cognitive fit for the bankruptcy prediction task since they permit processing both integrated and discrete data. Participants made judgments with two of the three display formats, at two levels of information load, in a fractional factorial design. The information load manipulation was designed to provide meaningful and meaningful plus redundant information to the decision maker in a test of information load "per se." The research findings provided substantial support for the theory of cognitive fit. The findings also have implications for the study of information load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screen/report design for output organization is still very much a common sense-driven activity. This paper identifies a preliminary set of factors beyond display format for examination as screen/report design variables. A laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the influence of one of these factors, spatial layout of information, along with display format in an information recall context. Individual imagery orientation (verbalizer/visualizer) was used as a moderating variable in the experimental design. The findings indicate that spatial layout of information significantly influenced performance when the recall task involved pattern detection. In fact, a central location of data in a document was the most conducive to pattern recall performance. Further, terminal items facilitated pattern recall better than early input items. With respect to display format, the results support previous findings that a tabular display enhances performance for point-value recall tasks while graphs exhibit an edge over tables for pattern types of recall tasks. Overall, the verbalizers demonstrated a complete supremacy in performance. Interaction between individual imagery orientation and display format indicates that, while the verbalizers and the mixed type were immune to display format variations, the graphical stimulus enhanced the pattern recall performance of the visualizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]