Factors Affecting the Success and Failure of an Information System for Product Quality

This paper analyzes the adoption and successful use of an information system by one department, and the rejection and failure of the same system in a similar department of the same company. Since the technical features of the system and the work performed are identical in both departments, the reasons for success and failure are traceable to organizational and human differences. Indeed, the technical features of the system studied are entirely irrelevant to the adoption and rejection of the system. In many studies of implementation, the MIS parameters are not well controlled or measured, and many types of organizations are studied together. In our study these sources of experimental error are controlled, thereby focusing attention on the individual, organizational, and process differences between the adopting and rejecting departments.