March 2000, Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages 3 - 15

Original Paper

Information systems planning in a turbulent environment H Salmela1, AL Lederer2 & T Reponen3 1Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Management/Information Systems Science, PO Box 110, 20521 Turku, Finland     2Carol M. Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0034, USA     3Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Management/Information Systems Science, Rehtorinpellonkatu 3, 20500 Turku, Finland

Abstract

The information systems (IS) planning literature suggests two competing theories of effective planning in a turbulent environment. One predicts that organizations using a formal, comprehensive planning approach will be more successful. The other predicts that organizations using an informal, incremental approach will be more successful in such an environment. The action research described here in two real-world organizations examined actual IS planning practices in a turbulent environment. One practised formal and comprehensive IS planning, while the other relied more on an informal and incremental approach. Their experiences suggest that in a turbulent environment, comprehensive IS planning may be more successful than incremental planning. Such a conclusion perhaps appears surprising. Nevertheless, it provides contributions for practice and implications for future research. It contributes to practice by showing IS planners the importance of understanding their environment and also the potential of comprehensive planning practices. It contributes to research by demonstrating how comprehensive practices can contribute to planning in a turbulent environment. However, it is only one study and of merely two organizations. Thus, it should also be interpreted as motivating future research to examine the theories from different perspectives.

^© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000