Learning failure in information systems development

TLDR

Information systems development is a high‑risk endeavor with frequent failures, and organizations often fail to learn due to limited intelligence, disincentives, design, and education, leading them to accept poor performance and perpetuate myths that favor short‑term optimization. The paper argues that the collapse of organizational intelligence causes learning failure in systems development. The authors illustrate learning failure and recommend tactics to overcome it. Abstract.

Abstract

Abstract. Abstract. Information systems development is a high‐risk undertaking, and failures remain common despite advances in development tools and technologies. In this paper, we argue that one reason for this is the collapse of organizational intelligence required to deal with the complexities of systems development. Organizations fail to learn from their experience in systems development because of limits of organizational intelligence, disincentives for learning, organizational designs and educational barriers. Not only have many organizations failed to learn, but they have also learned to fail. Over time they accept and expect poor performance while creating organizational myths that perpetuate short‐term optimization. This paper illustrates learning failure in systems development and recommends tactics for overcoming it.