Syllabus

Syllabus

INSY 6392 – Seminar on Systems Thinking and Information Systems

Fall 2009

Course Location and Time:  138 Business Building, TR 1:00-3:50 pm

Instructor: Dr. Sridhar Nerur

Office: 501 Business Building

Office Hours: MW 10:30-11:30 am and by appointment

Phone: (817) 272-3530

Mailbox: Box 19437

Email: snerur@uta.edu

Instructor web site: http://www.uta.edu/faculty/nerur

Required Textbook(s) and Materials:

Jackson, M.C. Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2003.

Course Description:

Innovation and change spurred by technological advances are at the forefront of corporate discussions. Organizations are keenly alive to the fact that change is ubiquitous and that its management is critical to their long-term survival. The academic literature is replete with articles on topics such as “hyper-competition”, “dynamic capabilities”, “ambidexterity”, “exploitative vs explorative innovations”, and the like. While the tension between stability and change has been around for a very long time, it is only in recent times that practitioners and academics have devoted time to understand the dynamics of the interplay between stability and change. In particular, these paradoxes are yet to be examined from an IS perspective. There is an increasing appreciation of why the simultaneous pursuit of these two contradictory elements is necessary to achieve exploitative and explorative innovations. The question is: What is the role of IS in reconciling these seeming contradictions? There is therefore a need for aspiring academics to understand the various models of organizational strategy (e.g., linear, adaptive, interpretive) that have evolved over time and their relevance to IS. Also, doctoral students, especially those majoring in IS, will be able to appreciate different ways of looking at systems. Further, they will be able to discern how these ideas have matured over time and have led to our present systems.

            The course will give students insights into systems thinking and the influence that it has had on contemporary systems development. Some of the topics that will be covered are:

1. Hard Systems vs Soft Systems
2. Soft Systems Methodology, Organizational Cybernetics, Viable Systems Model, Ackoff’s Interactive Planning, General Systems Theory
3. Complex Adaptive Systems
4. Paradigms and paradigm shifts based on the works of Kuhn
5. Basic philosophical ideas that are relevant to IS

Grade Calculation:

Notes on grade calculation:

Class participation: The purpose of this exercise is to generate ideas and potential research questions that could possibly lead to a dissertation topic. Each student will submit a one page summary of every paper that will be discussed in class. You are not required to do this for the book chapters. The summary should be submitted on the day the paper is scheduled for discussion. The summary should include the following:

a)      Strengths of the paper

b)      Weaknesses, if any

c)      Possible extensions of the paper (i.e., how can we build on the findings of the paper)

Research Paper and research paper presentation: 50% of your grade depends on your ability to write a research paper and present it to the class. The topic that you choose should be in your primary field of research. From my perspective, the exercise of writing a paper should:

a)      Give you an opportunity to identify and research a potential dissertation topic; and

b)      Enable you to submit it to a conference or a journal for possible publication.

The general format for the research paper is as follows:

Abstract: Provide a high-level summary of your research (150-200 words)

Introduction:         Try to answer the following questions:

a.       What is the motivation for the study?

b.      What are the research questions?

c.       Why is it important to address these research questions?

d.      What are the objectives of the paper?

e.       What are the contributions of the paper?

Background literature: Are you using a reference discipline? Is your research anchored in some theory? If you plan to formulate a research model, clearly provide the references that support your arguments/logical conclusions, etc.

Research Model (if any)/Propositions

Findings/Results (if any)

Summary & Conclusions

References

FAQs:       Length of the paper: 20-25 double-spaced

                  Font: Times New Roman, size 12

Listed below are some interesting topics:

Cloud Computing – implications for organizations, change management issues, economics of cloud computing, comparison with outsourcing, etc.

Software development practices – going beyond agile, performance of teams, mental models, distributed computing challenges

Project Management – traditional project management versus software project management, distributed project management

Social computing/networking – human-computer interactions, collaborative development, social impact, impact on learning and acquisition of knowledge

IT governance – role of CIO, impact on change management

Health Care Management – change management, IT architectures, governance, productivity/effectiveness

Philosophical perspectives on IS – new modes of thinking, Eastern philosophies

Design issues – what constitutes good design (of anything!)?

Sociotechnical systems – implications for future systems

Holistic approach to computer security

Supply chain management – cooperation/trust/social networks

Agile enterprises, dynamic capabilities, time pacing, innovative organizations, lean organizations

Towards self-organizing organizations

Ethical Issues

Managing paradoxes

Applying Systems Thinking to the design of IS

Complexity Theory – extending applications, empirical validation of theoretical concepts

Tentative Schedule

NOTE:  THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  EACH STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING AWARE OF ANY CHANGES ANNOUNCED IN CLASS AND/OR VIA E-MAIL.

IMPORTANT DATES

Aug 24            First Day of Classes

Aug 24-30        Late Registration

Sep 07             Labor Day Holiday

Sep 09             Census Date

Oct 30             Last day to drop classes

Nov 26-29        Thanksgiving Holidays

Dec 04              Last Day of Classes

Dec 05-10         Final Exams

Attendance Policy: 

Class attendance is required as well as class participation.  The enrollment is small enough that I will know when students are in attendance.  Come to class prepared to talk about the assigned material for that evening.

Drop Policy: 

We will follow the UTA drop policy.

Americans With Disabilities Act:

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 - The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.  Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability.   Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in room 102 of University Hall or call them at (817) 272-3364.

Academic Integrity:

It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.

"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2).

Cheating is not acceptable and will be handled in accordance with the policy and procedures of the University of Texas at Arlington.  If a student is caught cheating, he/she will receive a 0 for that quiz/assignment. 

 
Student Support Services Available:

The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.