Maung Kyaw Sein

• Rahman, Mohammad Tafiqur; Majchrzak, Tim A. & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2022). Making decisions for effective humanitarian actions: a conceptual framework for relief distribution. Journal of International Humanitarian Action. ISSN 2364-3412. 7. doi: 10.1186/s41018-022-00132-z. Full text in Research Archive
• Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Hughes, Laurie; Kar, Arpan Kumar; Baabdullah, Abdullah M.; Grover, Purva & Abbas, Roba [Show all 37 contributors for this article] (2022). Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action. International Journal of Information Management. ISSN 0268-4012. 63. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102456. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The UN COP26 2021 conference on climate change offers the chance for world leaders to take action and make urgent and meaningful commitments to reducing emissions and limit global temperatures to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2050. Whilst the political aspects and subsequent ramifications of these fundamental and critical decisions cannot be underestimated, there exists a technical perspective where digital and IS technology has a role to play in the monitoring of potential solutions, but also an integral element of climate change solutions. We explore these aspects in this editorial article, offering a comprehensive opinion based insight to a multitude of diverse viewpoints that look at the many challenges through a technology lens. It is widely recognized that technology in all its forms, is an important and integral element of the solution, but industry and wider society also view technology as being part of the problem. Increasingly, researchers are referencing the importance of responsible digitalization to eliminate the significant levels of e-waste. The reality is that technology is an integral component of the global efforts to get to net zero, however, its adoption requires pragmatic tradeoffs as we transition from current behaviors to a more climate friendly society.

• Sein, Maung Kyaw (2020). The serendipitous impact of COVID-19 pandemic: A rare opportunity for research and practice . International Journal of Information Management. ISSN 0268-4012. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102164.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw & Rossi, Matti (2018). Elaborating ADR while drifting away from its essence: A commentary on Mullarkey and Hevner. European Journal of Information Systems. ISSN 0960-085X. doi: 10.1080/0960085X.2018.1527189.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw & Thapa, Devinder (2018). Social capital in enabling quality health care: The case of a telemedicine project in Nepal. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. ISSN 1681-4835. 84(5). doi: 10.1002/isd2.12046.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw; Thapa, Devinder; Hatakka, Mathias & Sæbø, Øystein (2018). A holistic perspective on the theoretical foundations for ICT4D research. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. p. 1–20. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2018.1503589.
• Thapa, Devinder & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2018). An ecological model of bridging the digital divide in education: A case study of OLPC deployment in Nepal. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. ISSN 1681-4835. 84(2). doi: 10.1002/isd2.12018. Show summary

  Techno‐centric initiatives to bridge the digital divide, such as One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has been criticized for not taking a holistic approach that has led to limited success in providing quality education in developing countries. Particular emphasis is placed on examining the context in Information and communication technology for development (ICTD) initiatives. In this paper, we applied the theoretical lens of information ecology to conceptualize context to conduct a case study of Open Learning Exchange Nepal, which has been described as one of the few successes in implementing OLPC. Our findings show that it is not the technology per se (OLPC in this case), but its ecosystem that brought quality education in schools of remote mountain regions of Nepal.

• Thapa, Devinder & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2017). Trajectory of Affordances: Insights from a case of telemedicine in Nepal. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. 28(5), p. 796–817. doi: 10.1111/isj.12160. Show summary

  Although Affordance Theory has become increasingly influential in the Information Systems (IS) literature, the exact process through which the affordances of IT are actualised is less studied. In this paper, we build on a realist ontology of affordance and an interpretive epistemology of how affordances are perceived and actualised to trace the process of actualisation. On the basis of insights drawn from a case study of a telemedicine project in a remote mountainous region of Nepal, we develop a concept, which we call the “Trajectory of Affordances.” Trajectory of Affordances captures the complex relations between affordances of IT and the role of goal-oriented actors who perceive and then play a vital role in actualising them, using capabilities that are enabled by facilitating conditions to take the necessary action. Trajectory of Affordances shows that the affordances of IT can travel from perception to actualisation through multiple paths, sometimes clustering together, and in the process, often lead to the emergence of new affordances.

• Moe, Carl Erik; Newman, Michael & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2017). The public procurement of information systems: dialectics in requirements specification. European Journal of Information Systems. ISSN 0960-085X. 26(2), p. 143–163. doi: 10.1057/s41303-017-0035-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  When acquiring information systems, public entities face a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to procure the system that best suits their needs, which often requires lengthy dialogues with vendors. At the same time, they are restricted by government regulations that mandate limited dialogue in the interests of transparency and equal opportunities for all vendors. To examine how public entities deal with this, we followed three procurement projects in Norway. We show that this dilemma manifests itself as a dialectic between the thesis of getting the system requirements right and the antithesis of strictly adhering to regulations. Public entities search for a resolution of this dialectic through two syntheses: selecting an appropriate tendering procedure, and learning how to specify requirements through networks of peer public entities. Our findings reveal that the syntheses are possible because the dialectic is actually complimentary, both the thesis and the antithesis are needed to create the joint outcome that satisfies both. The resolution of the dialectic unfolds differently over time. Our study contributes to the relatively neglected stream of IS research on dialectics that explicitly searches for a synthesis while revealing the complementarity of the dialectic. We show how time plays a nuanced role in the resolution of the dialectic situation.

• Purao, Sandeep; Sein, Maung Kyaw; Nilsen, Hallgeir & Larsen, Even Åby (2016). Setting the Pace: Experiments with Keller's PSI. IEEE Transactions on Education. ISSN 0018-9359. PP(99). doi: 10.1109/TE.2016.2588460.
• Edzen, Svante & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2016). Designing theme-based tabletop exercise for identifying and dealing with coordination problems in emergencies. International Journal of Emergency Management. ISSN 1471-4825. 12(1), p. 22–40. doi: 10.1504/IJEM.2016.074883.
• Westin, Soffi & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2015). The design and emergence of a data/information quality system. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). ISSN 0905-0167. 27(1), p. 1–30.
• Wahid, Fathul & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2014). Steering institutionalization through institutional work: The case of an eProcurement system in indonesian local government. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 1530-1605. p. 4264–4274. doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2014.527.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw & Thapa, Devinder (2014). Building educational capabilities through information technology in developing countries: it takes a village. In Guzman, Indira R (Eds.), Proceedings of the 52nd ACM conference on Computers and people research. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 978-1-4503-2625-4. doi: 10.1145/2599990.2599999. Show summary

  There is one aspect of globalization of IT work that appears only in fleeting glimpses in the mainstream IS literature and is sidelined in the discourse in general. If global IT work is painted mainly as outsourcing IT-infused work from developed countries to poorer countries (euphemistically referred to as "low income countries"), shouldn't the development of capabilities in these very same less-developed countries be a vital cog? Simply put, if these countries do not have a capable workforce, IT work, or any other work for that matter, cannot be outsourced to these countries. The question then is how can capabilities be developed in developing countries? In this research-in-progress paper, we address this question by examining a case of an activist-led initiative in Nepal called "Open Learning Exchange" (OLE in short) that used the capabilities of ICTs to deliver quality education to remote mountainous regions of Nepal. We collected data through interviews and group sessions as well as observations and document analyses. We are currently analyzing the data at both the micro and macro levels. At the micro level, we are using models from the IS training literature to gain an understanding of how training concepts developed in the West can explain the success of the initiative. Then we move to the macro level by shifting our interpretive gaze to the concept of "eco-system" in order to understand the role of the society and the surroundings in the implementation of capability building initiatives in developing countries and sustaining them.

• Wahid, Fathul & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2014). Steering institutionalization through institutional work: The case of an eProcurement system in Indonesian local government. In Sprague, Ralph H. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). ISSN 978-1-4799-2504-9. doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2014.527.
• Moe, Carl Erik & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2014). Dialectics and Contradictions in Public Procurement of Information Systems. In Janssen, Marijn; Scholl, Hans J.; Wimmer, Maria A. & Bannister, Frank (Ed.), Electronic Government 13th IFIP WG 8.5 International Conference, EGOV 2014 Dublin, Ireland, September 1-3, 2014 Proceedings. Springer. ISSN 978-3-662-44426-9. p. 289–300. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-44426-9_24.
• Sæbø, Øystein; Sein, Maung Kyaw & Thapa, Devinder (2014). Nepal wireless networking project: Building infrastructure in the mountains from ground up. Communications of the Association for Information Systems. ISSN 1529-3181. 34(1), p. 241–256. doi: 10.17705/1cais.03411.
• Westin, Soffi & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2014). Improving Data Quality in Construction Engineering Projects: An Action Design Research Approach. Journal of Management in Engineering. ISSN 0742-597X. 30(3). doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000202.
• Purao, Sandeep; Henfridsson, Ola; Rossi, Matti & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2013). Ensemble Artifacts: From Viewing to Designing in Action Design Research. Systems, Signs & Actions. ISSN 1652-8719. 7(1), p. 73–81.
• Wahid, Fathul & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2013). Institutional entrepreneurs: The driving force in institutionalization of public systems in developing countries. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy. ISSN 1750-6166. 7(1), p. 76–92. doi: 10.1108/17506161311308179.
• Furuholt, Bjørn & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2012). Grounded Analytic Research: Building Theory from a Body of Research. In Bhattacherjee, Anol & Fitzgerald, Brian (Ed.), Shaping the future of ICT research: Methods and approaches. Springer. ISSN 978-3-642-35141-9. p. 68–78. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-35142-6_5. Show summary

  In this paper, we present Grounded Analytic Research (GAR) as a method to build theory by synthesizing empirical findings from multiple studies that has been conducted by a single researcher. GAR incorporates concepts from grounded theory, analytic research and systematic literature review. The method was applied in a doctoral dissertation work to build the theoretical concept of Demand Sustainability of public Internet access in the context of bridging the digital divide. We describe GAR and compare it with existing theory building methods that are similar to it in epistemology and ontology.

• Sein, Maung Kyaw & Furuholt, Bjørn (2012). Intermediaries: Bridges across the Digital Divide. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 18(4), p. 332–344. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2012.667754. Show summary

  The challenge of bringing developing countries into the “information society” has been traditionally framed as bridging the digital divide. Meeting this challenge has predominantly been through technical solutions aimed at providing physical access to the Internet. Yet, other aspects of the divide such as low literacy rates, gender and religious issues arguably pose bigger hurdles in getting the benefits of the Internet to the vast majority of the population of developing countries. They are seldom aware of the information available on the net and even when they are, they have difficulty using it. To facilitate access and use of the Internet by the population, an intermediary is often needed. While case studies in the literature have shown several examples of such intermediaries, the role of this entity has not been conceptually examined. In this paper, we attempt to meet this knowledge gap by conceptualizing the characteristics, types and roles of the Intermediary entity. We present a view from practice through three vignettes of intermediaries from our own studies to illustrate our conceptualizations. Based on this, we discuss some implications for practice and offer directions for research.

• Furuholt, Bjørn & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2012). Intermediaries on the Move: A Research-In-Progress on the Impact of Mobile Technology in the Intermediary Role. In Kumar, Vikas & Svensson, Jakob (Ed.), Proceedings of M4D 2012 28-29 February 2012 New Delhi, India. Karlstad University Press. ISSN 978-91-7063-407-9. p. -–-.
• Thapa, Devinder; Sein, Maung Kyaw & Sæbø, Øystein (2012). Building collective capabilities through ICT in a mountain region of Nepal: where social capital leads to collective action. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 18(1), p. 5–22. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2011.643205. Show summary

  In this paper, we explore how ICT can lead to development specifically human development in Sen’s capability approach. In answering to the critique that Sen views capabilities as the individual, we incorporate the societal level by adding collective capabilities. We propose that ICT helps to create or enhance SC of communities which in turn can lead to development by building collective capabilities through collective action. To illustrate, we conducted a qualitative case study of an ICT initiative in a remote mountain region of Nepal. We found support for our proposition and further that developing collective capabilities also simultaneously enhanced individual capabilities. We contribute to theory building by showing that not just the characteristics of SC, but also its form can promote collective action. We further illustrate that the SC and the capability perspectives are compatible and it is possible to read the two streams both simultaneously and complementarily.

• Sein, Maung Kyaw; Nordheim, Stig & Päivärinta, Tero (2012). Research-in-progress: reframing a knowledge level framework. In Adya, Monica (Eds.), SIGMIS-CPR '12 Proceedings of the 50th annual conference on Computers and People Research. ACM Digital Library. ISSN 9781450311106. p. 31–34. doi: 10.1145/2214091.2214102. Show summary

  In this paper, we present a research-in-progress study where we are revisiting a well known knowledge-level framework of understanding (i.e. knowledge) of a system proposed by Olfman et al. (2006). The catalyst for this relook was the anomalies and incongruencies that surfaced when we tried to apply this framework in another study whose aim was to examine how hermeneutic reflection helps in learning. While the framework proved a useful vehicle to carry out hermeneutic analysis, it also proved inadequate in accounting for some significant aspects of what constitutes understanding of a system. A closer look at the data revealed that other theoretical premises could not only provide a better interpretation but also that these premises can potentially enhance the knowledge level framework. We are currently reinterpreting the data using three interpretive lenses, namely, practice lens, socio-materiality and genres. Our goal is to reconceptualize what constitutes understanding or knowledge of a system and propose a revised knowledge level framework.

• Sein, Maung Kyaw; Thapa, Devinder & Sæbø, Øystein (2012). Bringing the outside world to the remote mountains: The Nepal Wireless Networking Project. In George, Joey, F. (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2012. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 978-0-615-71843-9. p. 1–13. Show summary

  This teaching case presents the story of the Nepal Wireless Networking Project (NWNP) and its effort to connect villages in remote areas of Nepal to the outside world. Despite lack of access to proper equipment, the fact that it was illegal to install wireless network, lack of technical competence and the difficult terrain in the Himalayan mountains, Mahabir Pun, the initiator of NWNP, suceeded in bringing Internet access to these villages which led to improvement in education, health services and incomegenerating activities. The case describes the development of NWNP from inception to today, the stakeholders involved, services provided, current challenges and ideas for future improvements. It illustrates the importance of the champion, the process to get stakeholders commitments, the importance of contextual understanding, and the challenges of scaling up from pilot projects to wider implementations in the context of developing countries.

• Sein, Maung Kyaw (2011). THE “I” BETWEEN G AND C: E-GOVERNMENT INTERMEDIARIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. ISSN 1681-4835. 48(2), p. 1–14. doi: 10.1002/j.1681-4835.2011.tb00338.x.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw; Henfridsson, Ola; Purao, Sandeep; Rossi, Matti & Lindgren, Rikard (2011). Action Design Research. MIS Quarterly. ISSN 0276-7783. 35(1), p. 37–56.
• Sæbø, Øystein; Flak, Leif Skiftenes & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2011). Understanding the dynamics in e-Participation initiatives: Looking through the genre and stakeholder lenses. Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. ISSN 0740-624X. 28, p. 416–425. doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2010.10.005. Show summary

  Conventionally, e-Participation initiatives are considered to be successful only if users use these services. While the growing body of e-Participation literature has listed and studied challenges and barriers to achieving this end, conceptual clarity onwhy such projects are considered as failures is yet to be achieved.We argue that this is due to the inadequate understanding of the complex stakeholder dynamics of an e-Participation project. In this paper, we seek to address this knowledge gap by proposing that using stakeholder theory complemented by genre theory provides an interpretive lens to understand the complexities in the development and use of such projects. To illustrate our proposed lens,weapply it to analyze an e-Participation project inNorway at its development and use phases. Our findings indicate that a key factor that influences the success of e-Participation initiatives is high saliency of at least one stakeholder group at various phases of the initiatives. The saliency of stakeholders changes over the life of a project and hence the salient stakeholder also varies. Consequently, it is not essential for the same stakeholder group to be salient throughout, only that some stakeholders remain salient. Our interpretive lens also extends the discourse on stakeholder theory. In traditionalmanagement literature stakeholder theory ismeant as a tool to identify stakeholders' groups to which management or owner of an organization should pay attention. Weshowthat it is also useful to identifywhich stakeholder groupswill act to protect their interests. Based on our findings, we propose insights into studying and developing e-Participation projects.

• Sein, Maung & Nordheim, Stig (2010). Learning Processes in User Training: The Case for Hermeneutics. In Gallivan, Mike; Downey, Jack & Joseph, Damien (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2010 Special Interest Group on Management Information System's 48th annual conference on Computer personnel research on Computer personnel research. ACM Publications. ISSN 978-1-4503-0004-9. p. 105–111. Show summary

  While the maturing research literature on training has generated increasingly sophisticated and more comprehensive theoretical models, the actual process through which users learn to use a system remains a relatively neglected area. The extant literature that has paid attention to processes have conceptualized these as structures and examined them through variance studies. In this paper, we address this knowledge gap by advancing hermeneutics as a lens to depict the process through which users come to learn about the system. We explain the hermeneutic process, situate it in a training context and illustrate our conceptualization by interpreting a specific training program at a large organization. Based on our findings, we argue that hermeneutics is an appropriate lens to view training and outline how a training program can be designed according to hermeneutic principles.

• Päivärinta, Tero; Sein, Maung & Peltola, Tuomo (2010). From ideals towards practice: paradigmatic mismatches and drifts in method deployment. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. 20(5), p. 481–516. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2575.2007.00256.x. Show summary

  There is considerable debate in the information systems literature on how systems development methods (SDMs) are used in practice. On one side are those who take the position that these methods are not used at all. The other side posits that SDMs are used but not in the manner intended by the method developers. In practice, SDMs are adapted and modified to meet project exigencies, which results in unique methods-in-use in each project. We subscribe to the latter view and extend the argument by proposing that SDM modifications happen due to mismatches between the paradigmatic values inherent in the SDM, the method users and the organizational context. Further, planned modifications themselves result in shifts of paradigmatic values inherent in the SDM. To examine our contention, we conduct a case study in which we trace an SDM from its development to its deployment and use in an organization. We show where the mismatches occurred and provide explanations for the mismatches. Our results indicate that paradigm differences explain most of the mismatches, and different factors contribute to the paradigm drifts simultaneously, even towards diverging orientations. We conclude that the true value of an SDM, in addition to its tool and technique use, is a basis for examining and self-reflecting about paradigmatic values. This is an essential part of learning to develop systems.

• Azhar, Salman; Ahmad, Irtishad & Sein, Maung (2010). Action Research as a Proactive Research Method for Construction Engineering and Management. Journal of construction engineering and management. ISSN 0733-9364. 136(1), p. 87–98. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000081. Show summary

  Academic research in applied disciplines such as construction engineering and management CEM has the dual mission of simultaneously contributing to the solution of practical problems and creating theoretical and conceptual knowledge. To do so, appropriate research approaches are needed. However, extant literature in the field has paid little attention to this issue and research methods used have been almost entirely either quantitative surveys or case studies. In this paper, action research AR is proposed as an answer to this knowledge gap. AR aims at building and testing theory within the context of solving an immediate practical problem in a real setting. The paper describes the underlying philosophy and application procedure of AR and highlights its strengths and weaknesses. Then, the applicability of the method to CEM is illustrated through a case study of improving access to information to support planning and decision making in a construction owner organization through designing and implementing a data warehouse. The findings indicate that AR is a reliable, structured, and rigorous research approach that is very useful for conducting applied research in construction and enabling academia to influence and improve construction industry practices. It can also effectively help to improve collaboration between academic researchers and industry practitioners in research and development projects

• Sæbø, Øystein; Flak, Leif Skiftenes & Sein, Maung (2009). MAPPING THE DEVELOPMENT OF EGOVERNMENT AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE: The nature of theory in research, Proceedings of 2009 Pre-ICIS workshop on eGovernment.
• Sørebø, Anne Mathisrud; Sørebø, Øystein & Sein, Maung (2008). The Influence of User Involvement and Personal Innovativeness on User Behavior. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences. ISSN 1307-8046. 2(1), p. 7–12. Show summary

  The search for factors that influence user behavior has remained an important theme for both the academic and practitioner Information Systems Communities. In this paper we examine relevant user behaviors in the phase after adoption and investigate two factors that are expected to influence such behaviors, namely User Involvement (UI) and Personal Innovativeness in IT (PIIT). We conduct a field study to examine how these factors influence postadoption behavior and how they are interrelated. Building on theoretical premises and prior empirical findings, we propose and test two alternative models of the relationship between these factors. Our results reveal that the best explanation of post-adoption behavior is provided by the model where UI and PIIT independently influence post-adoption behavior. Our findings have important implications for research and practice. To that end, we offer directions for future research

• Sein, Maung; Rossi, Matti & Purao, Sandeep (2007). Exploring the Limits to the Possible: A Response to Iivari. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). ISSN 0905-0167. 2(19), p. 105–110.
• Flak, Leif Skiftenes; Sein, Maung & Sæbø, Øystein (2007). Towards a Cumulative Tradition in e-Government Research: Going Beyond the Gs and Cs, Electronic Government. Springer. ISSN 0302-9743. Show summary

  The emerging research area of e-Government is gradually moving towards a level of maturity on the back of increasingly rigorous empirical research. Yet, there has been little theoretical progress and a cumulative tradition is not emerging. We argue that a principle reason for this is a lack of shared understanding about basic concepts and entities amongst scholars in the field. Specifically, the entities that form the bedrock of e-Government research, such as ?Government? and ?Citizen? are conceptualized at a very general level of abstractions and treated as homogenous groups. We argue that existing models and frameworks fail to see the vast differences that exist between categories of these entities. Without a finer grained conceptualization, comparison of findings across different research studies is not possible and thus transfer of knowledge between different projects is difficult. This is a fundamental obstacle in developing a cumulative tradition. Based on an examination of the literature, we propose categories of ?Government? and ?Citizen? at a finer grain and discuss implications for both practice and research that stems from our conceptualization.

• Sein, Maung & Dertz, Willy (2007). Research in Progress: Where are all the people? The curious case of one-person IT departments, Proceedings of the 2007 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference: The Global Information Technology Workforce. ACM Press. p. 63–65.
• Sein, Maung & Simonsen, Maren (2006). Effective Training: Applying Frameworks To Practice, Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference. ACM Publications. p. 137–146.
• Sein, Maung (2006). Developing Training Strategies with an HCI Perspective, Human-Computer Interaction and Management Information Systems - Applications. Advances in Management Information Systems. M. E. Sharpe.
• Hellang, Øyvind; Lindblom, Erik; Moe, Carl Erik & Sein, Maung (2006). E-Government and Municipal Organisational Change, NOKOBIT 2006 - Norsk Konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av IT. Tapir Akademisk Forlag. p. 107–120. Show summary

  The aim of this paper is to examine the impact e-Government initiatives have on the municipal back-office structure, work processes and employees. Today, Norwegian municipalities face the challenge of meeting their role as service providers within tightening budgets and the reforms in public service organisations. When dealing with these issues, the public administration seeks solutions in the form of e-Government systems often coupled with inter-municipality collaboration. The implementation of new information systems invariably leads to new organisational structures and work process re-engineering. In this paper, we report findings from an interpretative case study from an e-Government inter-municipality initiative called the Smartkom project in the North-Jæren region in Norway. We used models of public government as the interpretive lens to analyse our data. We found that the organizational forms that emerge as a result of such initiatives include characteristics of different models and are continuously evolving. Based on our findings, we propose a new model that incorporate features of a specific type of network model called production network that the case municipalities can implement in the near future.

• Moe, Carl Erik; Sein, Maung & Risvand, Anne Cathrine (2006). The Limits of Public Procurement: Information Systems Acquisition, Wimmer et. al. (eds): Electronic Government - 5th International Conference, EGOV 2006, Krakow, Poland, September 2006. Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer. ISSN 0302-9743. p. 281–292. Show summary

  In this paper, we identify the tensions that exist inherently in the public procurement process as it applies to the acquisitions of larger information systems. The tensions are a result of government organizations trying to acquire the best information system possible while at the same time having to adhere to public procurement regulations. Based on case analysis of two information system acquisitions in a Norwegian municipality, we uncover three tensions inherent to the procurement process. Our findings reveal that municipalities employ a variety of strategies to deal with these tensions. However, in doing so, new tensions are created. The findings have implications for development of e-Government as these tensions needs to be taken into account when procuring new systems. Motsetninger og spenninger som eksisterer innebygget i den offentlige innkjøpsprosessen identifiseres slik som de kommer til uttrykk i innkjøp av større informasjonssystem. Spenningene og motsetningene er et resultat av offentlige organisasjoner som prøver å kjøpe det beste informasjonssystemet samtidig som de prøver å følge offentlige innkjøpsregler. Basert på analyse av to case i en norsk kommune, har vi avdekekt tre spenninger innebygget i innkjøpsprosessen. Våre funn viser at kommuner brker flere ulike strategier for å takle disse motsetningene. Funnene har betydning for utvikling av e-forvaltning siden disse motsetningene må tas i betraktning når nye systemer kjøpes.

• Sein, Maung; Meland, Håvard & Waage, Rolf Petter (2005). The other side of Turnover: Managing IT Personnel Strategically, SIGMIS CPR'05 : proceedings of the 2005 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference, April 14-16, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. ACM Publications. p. 67–74.
• Sein, Maung; Duedahl, Marius & Andersen, Jostein (2005). When Models Cross the Border: Adapting IT Competencies of Business Managers, SIGMIS CPR'05 : proceedings of the 2005 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference, April 14-16, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. ACM Publications. p. 40–48.
• Haraldsen, Merethe; Päivärinta, Tero; Sein, Maung; Stray, Thilde Dalsmo; Andersen, Kim V. & Grönlund, Åke [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2005). Generating Information Requirements for eGovernment Portals through Life-Events and Genres, Electronic Government. Workshop and Poster Proceedings of the Fourth International EGOV Conference. 22-26 August 2005, Denmark. TRAUNER Verlag. p. 35–43. Show summary

  While e-Government portals have become common, the literature is yet to propose a methodology specifically for developing such portals. In this paper, we combined the concepts of life-events and genres to develop the information requirements analysis phase of such a methodology. We illustrate our method by developing a conceptual design of a system to handle the processing of house building applications in a government municipality in Norway. Expert evaluation of our design indicates that our method can be applied in conjunction with established system development methods.

• Sein, Maung (2004). Conceptualizing the ICT Artifact: Toward Understanding the Role of ICT in National Development. ?. 20, p. 15–24.
• Sein, Maung (2003). ICT and Development: East is East and West is West and the Twain May yet Meet, The Digital Challenge: Information Technology in the Development Context,. Ashton.
• Sein, Maung (2003). Escalating Commitment to Information System Projects: Findings from Two Simulated Experiments. ?. 40(8), p. 781–798.
• Sein, Maung (2002). ICT and Development: East is East and West is West and Never the Twain Shall Meet? ?.
• Sein, Maung (2001). The Relevance Of IS Academic Research: Not As Good As It Can Get. ?. 5a.
• Ørvik, Tore Udd; Olsen, Dag H.; Sein, Maung K.; Zupancic, Joze; Wojtkowski, Wita & Wojtkowski, W. Gregory [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (1999). Deployment of Systems Development Methods, Evolution and Challenges in Systems Development. Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers. p. 19–31.
• Sein, Maung & Santhanam, Radhika (1999). "Learning from Goal-Directed Error Recovery Strategy". Information systems research. ISSN 1047-7047. 10(3), p. 276–285.
• Sein, Maung; Bostrom, R. P. & Olfman, Lorne (1998). Rethinking End-User Training Strategy: Applying a Hierarchical Knowledge-Level Model. ?. 9, p. 32–39.

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• Sein, Maung; Ørvik, Tore & Munkvold, Bjørn Erik (2001). Contemporary Trends in Systems Development. Kluwer/Plenum. ISBN 306466082. 433 p.

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• Henriksen, Helle Zinner; Carte, Traci; Schultze, Ulrike; Owens, Dawn & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2022). AIS4C: AIS Candid Conversation on Community Conduct: Panel Report from ICIS 2020. Communications of the Association for Information Systems. ISSN 1529-3181. 51(5), p. 80–94. doi: 10.17705/1CAIS.05105. Show summary

  This report reflects the discussion that took place at a virtual panel at the ICIS 2020 conference. It focuses on a candid conversation on the code of conduct (AIS4C) among AIS community members. As our AIS community has evolved, we have grown in size, diversity, and in the scope of member needs; it is important for all stakeholders to understand what is expected as members of this academic community. The panel included those currently serving in AIS committees related to member and research conduct. The objective of the panel was to start a dialogue about what we – as members of the AIS – each hope to gain from our academic interactions, and how AIS can help members achieve these goals and help each other achieve desired outcomes. Maintaining good standing in the AIS community protects individuals’ professional reputations and the reputation of the IS discipline as a whole. Understanding what AIS offers its members to accomplish these objectives, allows individuals to fully leverage AIS member services to become more successful researchers and teachers. By situating the panel within the current COVID-disrupted world, the descriptions of desirable behavior among members and the outlining of member services, this panel report is intended to benefit current and future members of AIS.

• Seetharaman, Priya; Mathew, Saji K.; Sein, Maung Kyaw & Tallamraju, Ravindra Babu (2020). Being (more) Human in a Digitized World. Information Systems Frontiers. ISSN 1387-3326. 22(3), p. 529–532. doi: 10.1007/s10796-020-10020-9.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw & Flak, Leif Skiftenes (2020). Welcome address Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology.
• Sahay, Sundeep; Sein, Maung Kyaw & Urquhart, Cathy (2017). Flipping the Context: ICT4D, the Next Grand Challenge for IS Research and Practice, Editorial, Special Issue: Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D): The Next Grand Challenge for IS Research, JAIS, 18 (12). Journal of the AIS. ISSN 1536-9323. 18(12), p. 837–847.
• Sein, Maung Kyaw; Thapa, Devinder; Hatakka, Mathias & Sæbø, Øystein (2016). What theories do we need to know to conduct ICT4D research? Show summary

  Research in ICT4D is a constant search to answer the question of how ICT fosters development in underdeveloped communities. While many theories have guided research, we are yet to develop a cumulative body of knowledge to answer this question. In this paper, we argue that the elusive link between ICT and development needs to be grounded in three groups of theories: theories to understand development; theories to understand ICT; and theories to understand how ICT make development happen. We present exemplars of theories from each group, and illustrate how we have used them in our research. Through reflecting on which questions to be answered by including the three groups of theories, we propose research agendas.

• Nordheim, Stig; Sein, Maung Kyaw & Päivärinta, Tero (2012). Research-In-Progress: Reframing a Knowledge Level Framework. Show summary

  In this paper, we present a research-in-progress study where we are revisiting a well known knowledge-level framework of understanding (i.e. knowledge) of a system proposed by Olfman et al. (2006). The catalyst for this relook was the anomalies and incongruencies that surfaced when we tried to apply this framework in another study whose aim was to examine how hermeneutic reflection helps in learning. While the framework proved a useful vehicle to carry out hermeneutic analysis, it also proved inadequate in accounting for some significant aspects of what constitutes understanding of a system. A closer look at the data revealed that other theoretical premises could not only provide a better interpretation but also that these premises can potentially enhance the knowledge level framework. We are currently reinterpreting the data using three interpretive lenses, namely, practice lens, socio-materiality and genres. Our goal is to reconceptualize what constitutes understanding or knowledge of a system and propose a revised knowledge level framework.

• Sein, Maung Kyaw; Furuholt, Bjørn & Wahid, Fathul (2011). UNLIKELY ACTORS: RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AS INTERMEDIARIES IN INDONESIA. Show summary

  Intermediaries play a vital role as actors who help provide access to the vast majority of population in developing countries. The literature has identified several types and categories of such intermediaries and conceptualized their roles,characteristics and sustainability criteria. In this paper, we identify an unlikely actor in the specific context of Indonesia, namely, religious organizations (ROs). Our examination indicates that there are several factors that make these organizations sustainable and successful intermediaries. Moreover, they have wide reach and are trusted by the populace they serve. At the same time, they also can be potentially dangerous because of the threat of religious extremism.

• Thapa, Devendra Bahadur & Sein, Maung Kyaw (2010). ICT, Social Capital and Development: the Case of a Mountain Region in Nepal.
• Sein, Maung & Flak, Leif Skiftenes (2010). Who are the Stakeholders in eGovernment and what powers their stakes?
• Sein, Maung & Nordheim, Stig (2010). Learning Processes in User Training: The Case for Hermeneutics. Show summary

  While the maturing research literature on training has generated increasingly sophisticated and more comprehensive theoretical models, the actual process through which users learn to use a system remains a relatively neglected area. The extant literature that has paid attention to processes have conceptualized these as structures and examined them through variance studies. In this paper, we address this knowledge gap by advancing hermeneutics as a lens to depict the process through which users come to learn about the system. We explain the hermeneutic process, situate it in a training context and illustrate our conceptualization by interpreting a specific training program at a large organization. Based on our findings, we argue that hermeneutics is an appropriate lens to view training and outline how a training program can be designed according to hermeneutic principles.

• Sein, Maung & Furuholt, Bjørn (2009). Intermediaries in ICT4D: The other ?I? Show summary

  The challenge of bringing developing countries into the ?information society? has been traditionally framed as bridging the digital divide. Meeting this challenge has predominantly been through technical solutions aimed at providing physical access to the Internet. Yet, other aspects of the divide such as low literacy rates, gender and religious issues arguably pose bigger hurdles in getting the benefits of the Internet to the vast majority of the population of developing countries. They are seldom aware of the information available on the net and even when they are, they have difficulty using it. To facilitate access and use of the Internet by the population, an intermediary is often needed. While case studies in the literature have shown several examples of such intermediaries, the role of this entity has not been conceptually examined. In this paper, we attempt to meet this knowledge gap by conceptualizing the characteristics, types and roles of the Intermediary entity. We provide examples from both published work and our own empirical data to illustrate our conceptualizations. Based on this, we discuss implications for research and practice

• Flak, Leif Skiftenes; Sein, Maung & Sæbø, Øystein (2007). Towards a Cumulative Tradition in e-Government Research: Going Beyond the Gs and Cs. Show summary

  The emerging research area of e-Government is gradually moving towards a level of maturity on the back of increasingly rigorous empirical research. Yet, there has been little theoretical progress and a cumulative tradition is not emerging. We argue that a principle reason for this is a lack of shared understanding about basic concepts and entities amongst scholars in the field. Specifically, the entities that form the bedrock of e-Government research, such as ?Government? and ?Citizen? are conceptualized at a very general level of abstractions and treated as homogenous groups. We argue that existing models and frameworks fail to see the vast differences that exist between categories of these entities. Without a finer grained conceptualization, comparison of findings across different research studies is not possible and thus transfer of knowledge between different projects is difficult. This is a fundamental obstacle in developing a cumulative tradition. Based on an examination of the literature, we propose categories of ?Government? and ?Citizen? at a finer grain and discuss implications for both practice and research that stems from our conceptualization.

• Sein, Maung & Harindranath, G. (2007). Revisiting the Role of ICT in Development.
• Sørebø, Anne Mathisrud; Sørebø, Øystein; Sørebø, Øystein; Sein, Maung & Sein, Maung (2007). The Influence of User Involvement and Personal Innovativeness on User Behavior, Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology. p. 98–103. Show summary

  The search for factors that influence user behavior has remained an important theme for both the academic and practitioner Information Systems Communities. In this paper we examine relevant user behaviors in the phase after adoption and investigate two factors that are expected to influence such behaviors, namely User Involvement (UI) and Personal Innovativeness in IT (PIIT). We conduct a field study to examine how these factors influence post-adoption behavior and how they are interrelated. Building on theoretical premises and prior empirical findings, we propose and test two alternative models of the relationship between these factors. Our results reveal that the best explanation of post-adoption behavior is provided by the model where UI and PIIT independently influence post-adoption behavior. Our findings have important implications for research and practice. To that end, we offer directions for future research.

• Sein, Maung (2006). Examining the Role of ICT in Development.
• Sein, Maung (2006). Developing Managers of Tomorow: The State of ICT in Construction Engineering Education.
• Sein, Maung (2005). The Other Side of Turnover: Managing IT Personnel Strategically.
• Sein, Maung (2005). When Models Cross the Border: Adapting IT Competencies of Business Managers.
• Sein, Maung (2005). Paradigms of ICT in Development.
• Sein, Maung (2005). Being Proactive: Where Action Research meets Design Research.
• Olsen, Dag H. & Sein, Maung (2005). The relationship between IS academia and practice: Viewing through a maturity model.
• Furuholt, Bjørn & Sein, Maung (2005). Sustainability of Telecentres and Internet Cafés: An Evolutionary Look. Show summary

  Huge differences exist in the accessibility to the Internet among countries and regions, reflecting a global digital divide and ‘information poverty’ in parts of the world. Economically disadvantaged countries and especially the rural and peripheral districts within these nations tend to miss out on the reported benefits of the Internet. As a result, they face the prospect of falling further behind in human resource development, economic progress and political participation. The most common form of intervention to address this divide has been the setting up of public Telecenters that provide short-term access to the Internet from public terminals. These were set up mostly through public funds or in developing countries, through donor funds. While they have been shown to meet the initial goals of providing access to the disadvantaged, their sustainability has remained a matter of concern. By contrast, privately run Internet cafés (Cybercafés) have become successful institutions throughout the world. Yet, Telecenters continue to survive albeit in different forms. Some have even evolved into a form of Internet Cafes. In this presentation, we use elements of Evolutionary Theory to attempt to understand how Telecenters survive through evolving into sustainable “species” (such as Internet Cafes). This understanding will be helpful for further spread of sustainable Internet access points, especially to the rural areas of developing countries.

• Simonsen, Maren & Sein, Maung (2004). Conceptual Frameworks in Practice: Evaluating End-User Training Strategy in an Organization.
• Haraldsen, Merethe; Stray, Thilde Dalsmo; Päivärinta, Tero; Päivärinta, Tero; Sein, Maung & Sein, Maung [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2004). Developing e-Government Portals: From Life-Events throughGenres to Requirements.
• Nilsen, Hallgeir & Sein, Maung (2004). What is really important in supporting end users? Show summary

  As end-user computing enters its third decade, the question of how best to provide support to the end users remains a vexing management challenge. In this paper, we address this issue. We use the problem definition phase of an action research project at an institution of higher learning in Norway toexamine a variety of factors that are suggested in the literature to influence user satisfaction with end-user support. We also sought to gauge user preferences regarding support provider characteristics and location of support services. Ourresults provide interesting implications to organize user support.

• Sein, Maung (2003). Determinants of Application Service Provider Adoption among Norwegian Companies.
• Nilsen, Hallgeir & Sein, Maung (2003). IT competence of Norwegian Business Managers: A proposed model. Show summary

  The last two decades business organizations have become increasingly more dependent on information technology (IT) to survive in competitive environments, and as IT has become an important asset to support and improve business processes, the need for IT competent business managers is critical. Business managers have a thorough understanding of their business processes and are in a position to identify the best possible use of IT in their business segment, provided that they are IT competent

• Nilsen, Hallgeir & Sein, Maung (2003). Research in progress: What is really important in supporting end users? An ongoing action research project. Show summary

  In this paper, we present a research-in-progress study that is the first phase - problem diagnosis - in an ongoing action research project. The aim of the project is to first determine the status of user support at an institution of higher learning inNorway, and in the next phase suggest actions in order to improve the end user support function. The study employs both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews, document analysis) methods in the problem diagnosis phase. We will also examine a variety of factors that are suggested in the literature to influence the user satisfaction with end-user support. The data collection phase is over and is being currently analyzed. We will have completed the analysis in the next several weeks and present the findings at NOKOBIT.

• Sein, Maung (2003). A best-practice based model for information technology learning strategy formulation.
• Nilsen, Hallgeir & Sein, Maung (2002). Determinants of User Satisfaction with the Support Function. Show summary

  In this paper, we present a research-in-progress study that In this paper, we present a research-in-progress study of the problem diagnosis phase of an action research project. The aim of the project is to improve the end user support function of a local municipality in Scandinavia. Five years ago, the municipality initiated a program of using unit personnel to train and support end users. Now, it is becoming apparent that the much acclaimed program is not functioning as well as it used to or as expected. We were called in by the municipality to help them improve the support function. That led to the ongoing action research project. As part of the problem diagnosis phase, we are conducting a three-step study using quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews, document analysis) to tease out any systematic patterns about success or failure of LM's user support program. The survey and several interviews have already been conducted. We are analysing the data to determine which of a variety of factors: social, organisational, political and individual are related to dissatisfaction with the support function. The findings will seek to explain what can go wrong with a best practice when factors blend.

• Nilsen, Hallgeir & Sein, Maung (2002). End User Support: Where best practices can go wrong An (ongoing?) action research project.
• Nordheim, Stig & Sein, Maung (2002). Application domain competence in software requirements – deconstructing a unified approach. Show summary

  In this paper, we present a research-in-progress study that examines the issue of how application domain competence is addressed in systems development literature. The underlying questions are: how does the area of systems development approach the concept of application domain? What steps do we take to ensure sufficient application domain competence when developing systems? We address this question by analysing a recent practical book on software requirements in the unified approach series, to get a picture of how this important area for IT professionals is presented and prescribed.

• Sein, Maung (2001). Associate Editor.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Senior Editor.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Faculty Member, Doctoral Consortium.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Member, Program Committee.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Member, Editorial Board.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Associate Editor.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Associate Editor.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Senior Editor.
• Sein, Maung & Nilsen, Hallgeir (2001). End user support: Where best practices can go wrong.
• Sein, Maung & Moe, Carl Erik (2001). Meeting the IT-skill shortage in Europe head-on: Approaching in unison from practice and academia.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Training with a Business Focus: A Best Practice.
• Sein, Maung (2001). A Framework to Study the Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Developing Countries: The Case of Cellular Phones in Bangladesh.
• Sein, Maung (2001). Mutual learning and informing between academia and practice in ISD: A Learning Theory perspective.
• Eikebrokk, Tom Roar; Sein, Maung K. & Olsen, Dag H. (2000). Key Issues in Information Systems Management in Norway.
• Ørvik, Tore U.; Olsen, Dag H. & Sein, Maung K. (2000). Adaption of systems development methods: Versions and paradigmatic mismatches.

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