Toward an information service view of an enterprise

An information service view engenders a conceptual shift from the provision of defined and preset services or applications, to an environment that enables users to select and integrate pre-built technology services in the ongoing creation and re-creation of unique information systems. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study into one organization’s experience in implementing information services. Using grounded theory research, the study characterizes information services not as information technology artefacts, but as relationships between heterogeneous actors interacting with technology services for business purposes. The findings are used to propose an information services view of an enterprise. The view presents three clusters of concepts that are distinct yet interdependent: enabled (choreographed) by enterprisewide directives and structures, driven (orchestrated) by information services management, and founded (instrumentalized) on information service IT architecture. The paper ends identifying implications not only for the completion of this study but also for research and practice.