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Monday 16 July 2007

Strategic Systems: Information Systems Research that Influences Managers and is Publishable

For academics in the field of Information Systems to remain relevant and successful we have to do research that both influences practice and is publishable in academic journals. We also need to bring the best of this research to the classroom for both executive and degree students. In this session Peter will reflect on many years of striving to both influence practice and publish by reviewing a series of his collaborative research projects on topics including: “Enterprise Architecture as Strategy”, How Top Performing firms Govern IT” and “IT Infrastructure for Strategic Agility”. Peter will describe the research design, execution, results and resulting teaching materials. To complete the session, Peter will ask participants to break into small groups to brainstorm a one-page research proposal that would both influence managers and is publishable.

Tuesday 17 July 2007

Strategic Systems: Information Systems Research on Value Realization

Understanding the relationship between IT investments and firm performance has been a goal of researchers for many years. Peter will reflect on this challenge while presenting the design and results of a recent research project conducted with colleague Sinan Aral. The project has resulted in two papers “IT Assets, Organizational Capabilities and Firm Performance: How Resource Allocations and Organizational Differences Explain Performance Variation (forthcoming Organization Science) and “Generating Premium Returns on Your IT Investment” (Sloan Management Review 2006). Peter will discuss the lessons learnt in conducting research on generating business value from IT and publishing and teaching from the work. To complete the session Peter will facilitate a discussion exploring current research questions on IT business value realization and how researchers might approach funding, partnering and designing this research.

About Peter Weill

Director, Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) & MIT Sloan Senior Research Scientist

Email: pweill@mit.edu

Web: http://mitsloan.mit.edu/cisr/f-weill.php

Peter joined the Sloan faculty in 2000 to become director of MIT Sloan’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR). MIT CISR (established in 1974) is funded by sixty corporate sponsors and patrons, and undertakes practical research on how firms generate business value from IT. MIT CISR disseminates its findings through briefings, papers, workshops and executive education. Peter’s research and advisory work centers on the role, value and governance of IT in enterprises. Peter presents executive education and MBA programs on the business value of IT and has written award-winning books, journal articles, and case studies. His work has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Peter recently coauthored a book entitled Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution (HBS Press, July 2006) and is researching business agility. Peter co-authored a “best selling” book, IT Governance: How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results (Harvard Business School Press 2004). He is co-author of the ‘best-selling’, Leveraging the New Infrastructure: How market leaders capitalize on information technology (HBS Press 1998) and Place to Space: Migrating to eBusiness Models, (HBS Press 2001) which won one of the Library Journal of America’s best business book of the year awards and was reviewed by the New York Times. Before joining Sloan, Peter was Foundation Professor and Chair of Management (Information Systems) and a member of the Board of Directors of MBS. Peter continues his association as an MBS Professorial Fellow. Peter has been an Associate Editor for MISQ and ISR and was a program co-chair for ICIS 2000 in Brisbane. Peter regularly works with corporations and governments in IT issues including: Aetna, Australian Tax Office, BCG, British Telecom, IBM, Merrill Lynch, McKinsey, Microsoft, PwC, Raytheon, State Street Corporation and Unibanco. In 2007 Peter received an MIT Sloan “Outstanding Teacher” award.