Validation of Theoretical Assumptions

This study investigates how the use of the OITDAT by the SE owner-managers contribute to the theory of bounded rationality. Thus, the users’ response to some questions described in Appendix A4 informs the validation of the theoretical assumptions postulated in Chapter Three of this study. The subsequent sections describe the findings obtained from the users of the OITDAT.

8.3.3.1 Relationship between multiple IT objectives or complex IT decisions and the time the decision-maker spends searching for information

This theme validates Simon’s decision-making theory on the amount of time the decision-makers spend searching for information when the decision-maker has multiple objectives to achieve in

a choice (Simon, 1972). The findings revealed the challenges the decision-makers face when searching for information to satisfy their business-IT goals. All the users confirmed that, when they make SITDs, the decision-makers spend more time searching for information when they want to attain multiple goals with a specific strategic IT choice. Table 8-7 highlights some responses of the users about SITD complexities in relation to the time the decision-makers spend searching for information to support their decision processes.

User Comment

III “Actually, there is the correlation between the goals and the information I search for choice. I will say the more goals for IT choice, I tend to spend more time searching for every bit of information. I tend to search for less information when I have to make a simple choice like data subscription.”

IV “More goals more time and more thoughts. The general thumb rule of life applies…. In my opinion, having too many alternatives to choose from makes it trickier to decide. This results in more time been wasted weighing the different IT alternatives.”

V “…. I end up wasting much time analysing options but, with few or less complex choices, one can afford to make a quick and random choice with less time spent on searching for information or for the best alternatives.”

Table 8-7: Multiple IT Objectives and Decision Complexity

8.3.3.2 Change in IT aspiration as information increases over time

This study determines whether the objectives of SE decision-makers in this study change as they access more relevant information via the OITDAT. Findings from the problem awareness phase revealed that some SE owner-managers are not maximising their organisational IT resources, resulting in the purchase of redundant technologies. Thus, this study enquired if the OITDAT has increases the decision-makers’ aspiration over some selected IT solutions. Table 8-8 shows some users’ comments.

User Comment

I “I didn’t realise that there are different levels of implementing CRM systems…… I learned the categorization of the CRM system’s implementation”

IV “I currently have a payroll system with a website but they are two separate entities. Now I know that I need to integrate the two softwares. I am now considering using a starter level CRM system after using your artefact.”

V “….. the artefact has broadened my view about what I can do with my existing websites, my POS system, and online reservation system. I can now seek for ways to integrate everything into one major system.”

Table 8-8: Change in IT Aspiration

However, user II was reluctant to admit that the OITDAT had influenced his IT aspiration because the IT decisions demonstrated with the tool were of less relevance to his business. However, the users acknowledged that the “architectural principle” was previously an unfamiliar concept but had now become a familiar and useful concept to guide their choices of strategic IT and a benchmark to negotiate with vendors. According to user IV, “…. this is my first time of hearing of “architectural principles”, but now it makes sense to me”.

8.3.3.3 The influence of the OITDAT as information source for SITD

The users considered OITDAT as an innovative tool that provides information for SITD. All the users perceived the OITDAT as a useful decision-assistive tool that provides expert information for SITDs. The feature that all the users emphasised as being influential was the timely analysis of their business requirements and the recommendations generated by OITDAT. Thus, the users considered OITDAT as a potential alternative to conventional information sources, such as consulting service, vendor, internet search, and business network.

8.3.3.4 Overcoming SITD mistakes and complexities with OITDAT

The objective of developing the OITDAT is to support SITDM. The findings in Table 8-9 revealed how the users assumed that the OITDAT will help decision-makers overcome decision mistakes and complexities.

Overcoming SITD mistakes and complexities with OITDAT

User Comment

Overcoming IT Decision

Challenges I, IV “This tool will help us overcome ICT investment challenges we do experience”, User I Simplifying SITD Complexity I, IV, V, VI “If I am to make a more complex IT choice and I have access to this artefact or this artefact provides the support, I will say the choice process will not be complex”, User IV

Analysing Decision Criteria II, III, VI “…your system does the computation and analysis of the information. It eliminates the stress of me analysing the information I acquire online, from friends or business network”, User II

Architectural Principles as Guiding Policies for Selecting

Vendor/Product

I, II, III, VI “I can use the architectural principle recommendations to guide my subsequent discussion with contractors”, User I

“……I can use the principle recommendations to assess my choices”, User II

Table 8-9: Overcoming Decision Mistakes and Complexities

8.4 Discussion of Findings

This study argued that enterprise architecture principles can guide SITDM process of SE owner- managers. The findings of the summative evaluation affirmed that the EADF is a potential decision strategy to improve SITDs in SEs. The elements of enterprise architecture informed the development of EADF. The EADF was perceived by the decision-makers in SEs as an insightful tool that guides SITDM. The SE owner-mangers interviewed considered the EADF as a SITDM framework that can holistically assess business needs, determine organisational IT capabilities, and provide a roadmap for aligning business and IT as suggested in (Van Belle & Giqwa, 2013). The EADF holistically assessed all the organisational elements to provide a recommendation to SEs. Findings from this study revealed that SE owner-managers perceived the EADF as a SITDM framework that provides a detailed guide to the information decision-makers search for when

making strategic IT choices. This affirms the discourse that enterprise architecture provides an enterprise-wide alignment of business-IT (Wißotzki & Sonnenberger, 2012). This study suggests that SE owner-managers can make strategic decisions when they are aware of the factors that will influence their decision outcomes (Alhassan & Van Belle, 2017a; Kyobe, 2004; Salles, 2006). The style of operation in SEs often hinders the methodological approach to the decision-making process. The characteristics of the SEs interviewed prompted the development of an instantiation (OITDAT) artefact to fully implement the guidelines of the EADF.

This study evaluated the OITDAT based on SE decision-makers’ perspectives to determine the benefits, relevance, usability, functionalities, risks, and limitations of the OITDAT as an artefact (Hevner, March, Park, & Ram, 2004). The evaluation of the OITDAT was crucial to ascertain whether the OITDAT fulfils the research objectives and the challenges identified in the problem awareness phase of the DSR in this study. Also, the artefact evaluation was conducted to confirm, enhance, or disprove the feasibility of embedding the EADF in the design of OITDAT (Vaishnavi & Kuechler, 2012; Venable, Pries-Heje, & Baskerville, 2012).

The OITDAT was perceived by most of the SE owner-managers as a tool that could improve the process of searching for information to support SITD and could provide the decision-makers with a better approach to analyse IT alternatives. The OITDAT formalised the decision-making process of the SE owner-managers interviewed as posited by Oh et al., (2007). The deficiency of IT skill is a common challenge in Nigerian and South African SEs (BER & SEDA, 2016; SMEDAN & NBS, 2013) but the OITDAT is affirmed to be a tool that mitigates the lack of IT skill in SEs. Hence, the OITDAT can be assumed as a potential decision support system for IT decisions in SEs.

Literature discourse and the empirical findings in the problem awareness phase of this study (Alhassan & Van Belle, 2017a) recommends the development of an IT decision artefact. The SE owner-managers reliance on the OITDAT further buttressed the necessity of an IT decision- assistive tool in SEs. It is evident that participants of this study do not doubt the relevance of the OITDAT as a SITD assistive tool. The acceptance of the OITDAT can be accorded to the functionalities the OITDAT provides the SE owner-managers. This study also affirmed that the enterprise architectural principles can guide the decision process of some SE. The concept of enterprise architectural principles is considered as a very useful technique for formalising IT decision-making process in SEs, which supports the assumptions of Van Belle & Giqwa (2013). Venable (2006) suggests that the Design Science (DS) researcher should ensure that artefact in

does not pose any professional or technical risk to the SEs nor the SE owner-managers in this study. However, some of the respondents considered OITDAT as a threat to vendors and consultants because the tool eliminates decision-makers’ dependence on external information sources. The ethical consideration assesses the potentials of the OITDAT providing a wrong guidance. The SE owner-managers in this study understood the consequences of using a decision support systems and are aware that the OITDAT only provides recommendations and onus lies on the decision-maker to make the final choice. The concerns about the party that bears the responsibility of misleading guidelines indicate the need to include a disclaimer statement in the OITDAT. Furthermore, the evaluation reveals that the OITDAT was considered as a non- interactive tool, with some ambiguous words, which fell short in recommending specific products or vendors, and was not demonstrated with sufficient SITDs. Despite the complaints, the users acknowledged the relevance of the OITDAT as a proof of concept for research but recommended that the suggestions should be implemented when the researcher deploys the commercial version of OITDAT.

The bounded rationality theory is the theoretical lens underpinning this study. The evaluation of the artefact validated that the SE decision-makers’ aspirational changes after accessing the OITDAT, indicating that the OITDAT helps in reducing decision complexities, and the multiplicity of goals influences the time the decision-maker spend searching for information. In other words, the theoretical prepositions in this study were proven to be true. The satisficing and biased approach to strategic IT decision-making process in SEs can be reduced with OITDAT because the tool holistically assesses enterprise-wide criteria and constraints.

The summative evaluation concludes the design science research methodologies in this study. The evaluation phase of the DSR demonstrates that the enterprise architecture principles can guide SITDM process in SEs. The demonstration of the two artefacts developed in this study confirmed the assertions of the researcher in using EA-driven artefacts to support strategic IT decision-making processes in Nigerian and South African SEs.

8.5 Summary

This chapter presented a background to the summative evaluation of the artefacts developed in this study. Chapter Eight provided detailed findings of the evaluation process. This chapter discussed the perception and influence of the EADF and OITDAT in SEs’ IT decision-making

process. The theoretical assumptions in this study were shown to be valid. This chapter finalised this study and the researcher presents the conclusion of this study in the next chapter.