The Team Member Workbench: A case study of an innovative information system at Domino's Pizza Distribution.

Abstract

As we enter the 21st century, constant change compels us to redesign our organizations for responsiveness. While the use of strategies to create fluid organizations is applauded, the development and use of information systems is generally a highly mechanistic process. Hirschheim and Klein (1989) contend that the great majority of information systems are developed within the framework of what Burrell and Morgan (1979) call the functionalist paradigm, which is concerned with providing explanations of the status quo, social order, and rational choice. Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983), view MIS as a component of one of four dimensions on their Competing Values Framework used to measure organizational effectiveness. This component, called the Internal Process Model, is parallel to Burrell and Morgan's (1979) functionalist paradigm in that it describes information processing as placing emphasis on control and stresses the role of information management as a means to achieve stability. This view of MIS was not challenged by organizational researchers until Cooper and Quinn (1990) applied the Competing Values Framework to the assessment of MIS effectiveness and offered their own definition of MIS effectiveness as "the extent that they support management in promoting organizational effectiveness." With this definition, organizational theory becomes the basis of analysis of MIS effectiveness. This case study uses Robert Quinn's Competing Values Framework to explore innovative information systems development and use at Domino's Pizza Distribution. The goal of this innovative information system, called the Team Member Workbench, is to "democratize" the workplace by adhering to the traditional library philosophy of free access to information for everyone rather than the more recent view of commerce that information is a commodity. Its systems development life cycle is highly organic, and it was built by users who were assisted by technologists. An in-depth case study of the culture, structure, and leadership style of Domino's Pizza Distribution as well as the development of the Workbench is presented. The organizational and leadership effectiveness and the effectiveness of the Workbench is assessed with Quinn's (1988) Competing Values Framework.