New Website and Blog

Please see - www.kevindesouza.net for my new website and blog. Thank you. 

CIOs to CIOs*: Chief Information to Chief Innovation Officers

I will be giving a presentation at SIMposium 09. The presentation titled, "CIOs to CIOs*: Chief Information to Chief Innovation Officers"draws on my three year investigation of innovation programs in global organizations. In this presentation, I plan to address the critical role CIOs plays in fostering organizational innovation. CIOs that embrace their role as Chief Innovation Officers, rather than being just Chief Information Officers, will thrive in today’s turbulent and highly competitive marketplace. The CIO* must transform his/her organization by using information, and information management capabilities, in innovative ways to enhance the innovation capacity of the organization.

Crafting Organizational Innovation Processes - Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice

“Crafting Organizational Innovation Processes” appears in the current issue of Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice

I co-authored this paper with Caroline Dombrowski (The Information School, University of Washington), Yukika Awazu (McCallum Graduate School of Business, Bentley College), Peter Baloh (Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana), Sridhar Papagari (Dept of Information & Decision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago), Jeffrey Y Kim (The Information School, University of Washington), and Sanjeev Jha (Dept of Information & Decision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago).

Research for this paper was funded by the Institute for Innovation in Information Management, University of Washington as part of the Leveraging Ideas for Organizational Innovation research project.

Abstract
Innovation is a crucial component of business strategy, but the process of innovation may seem difficult to manage. To plan organizational initiatives around innovation or to bolster innovation requires a firm grasp of the innovation process. Few organizations have transparently defined such a process. Based on the findings of an exploratory study of over 30 US and European companies that have robust innovation processes, this paper breaks down the innovation process into discrete stages: idea generation and mobilization, screening and advocacy, experimentation, commercialization, and diffusion and implementation. For each stage, context, outputs and critical ingredients are discussed. There are several common tensions and concerns at each stage, which are enumerated; industry examples are also given. Finally, strategies for and indicators of organizational success around innovation are discussed for each stage. Successful organizations will use an outlined innovation process to create a common framework for discussion and initiatives around the innovation process, and to establish metrics and goals for each stage of the innovation process.

Paper accepted at 4th International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 09)

I have a paper accepted at the 4th International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 09). The paper, Towards a Knowledge Needs-Technology Fit Model for Knowledge Management Systems, is co-authored with Peter Baloh (University of Ljubljana). This paper is based on Peter’s dissertation. I continue to have the honor to serve as the chair of his dissertation committee.

Abstract
The goal of this paper is twofold. The first goal is to provide an illustrative example of design science research, from the crafting of a research question to the execution of the research. As such, it satisfies the academic reader and practitioner who will benefit from seeing how design science research guidelines, as proposed by Hevner et al. (2004), can be rigorously followed in a practically relevant setting. The second goal is to provide a methodological contribution to the design science area by arguing for the need to add an exploratory step in the ‘build’ phase of a new design science artifact. This paper thus adds to the Hevner et al. (2004) guidelines by explicitly calling for an exploratory empirical study before actually going into the evaluation phase of design science study.

Securing Information Assets - Business Information Review

I have a new article published in Business Information Review (LINK).

In today’s competitive environment, organizations succeed or fail based on how well they manage information. To address this reality, organizations spend millions, if not billions, on securing their information advantages. New information technologies and methodologies are adopted, while old ones are dismantled or upgraded. To win, the information manager must constantly seek to outperform his or her competition. In this article the author asks how he or she does it? Perhaps by acquiring the best new technologies, hiring the most intelligent information professionals, and continuously keeping a watchful eye on the future. But, he asks, does having the best information, the best information systems, and the best information professionals, really pay off? Is there victory in sight? Or, is this just a continuous game with no clear winners? [To read more…LINK]

Desouza, K.C. “Securing Information Assets: The Great Information Game,” Business Information Review, 26 (1), 35-41.

P.S. The journal contains a brief feature on my background and research interest. See “Contributor Profile,” Business Information Review, 26 (1), 42-43.

Harvard Business Review Polska - Outsourcing

I was interviewed by Harvard Business Review Polska on the future of outsourcing. The interview was conducted in conjunction with the launching of the Polish Edition of The Outsourcing Handbook (Kogan Page, 2006). The Polish Edition was released in 2008 - Outsourcing: Podręcznik sprawdzonych praktyk, Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo MT Biznes.

The interview appears in the January issue of Harvard Business Review Polska. I was also quoted in the “10 pułapek projektów outsourcingowych,” which appears in the same issue.

Textbook Case of Good Work - The Seattle Times - Jerry Large

Jerry Large, a columnist for the Seattle Times, wrote a very nice article on my efforts with the Global Text Project…

Kevin Desouza doesn't like waste. I sought him out because I'd read he was getting some of his students to write their own textbook, but that's just part of the story....[LINK]