Information systems management and strategy formulation: the ‘stages of growth’ model revisited
Authors: Galliers, R D; Sutherland, A R
Journal: Information Systems Journal (1991)
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2575.1991.tb00030.x
<jats:p><jats:bold>Abstract. </jats:bold> The original ‘stages of growth’ model, as applied to the field of Information Systems (Gibson & Nolan, 1974), may be viewed as seminal, given the influence it has had on both theory and practice (Nolan, 1984; Sullivan, 1985; Ward, et al., 1990). This is so, despite the model's lack of substantiation based on empirical evidence, the overly simplistic assumptions on which it is based, and the limited focus of the original concept (Benbasat, et al., 1984; King & Kraemer, 1984).</jats:p><jats:p>Since its first appearance, the model has been refined following many applications (Nolan, 1979, 1984). In addition, others have developed ‘stages of growth’ models of their own. For example, Somogyi & Galliers, (1987a, b)provide a model depicting the move from basic data processing systems to strategic information systems, tracing the early days of commercial applications of computing through to the present day (Ward et al. 1990). Earl (1983, 1986, 1988, 1989) proposes a stages‐model for information systems planning, as does Bhabuta (1988), while Hirschheim, et al. (1988) have developed a more broadly focused model associated with the development of th…