Continuous implementation of information technology: The development of an interview guide and a cross-national comparison of Austrian and American organizations

An important contextual factor in the implementation of information technology is the management of the implementation or the “implementation style,” for example, number of project tools and user involvement. The implementation style is assumed to mediate the relationship between implementation characteristics (e.g., the size and type of the implementation) and implementation effects (e.g., negative or positive effects on employees and the organization). An interview guide was developed in German and English language versions for evaluating the characteristics, management, and effects of information technology implementation. Data were collected on 60 technology implementations in Austria and 18 implementations in the United States from the project managers using the interview guide. The implementations were “continuous” (no first-time introduction of information technology), were considered as major implementations (e.g., update of a software package was excluded) and affected at least 10 employees. Compared with the Austrian implementations, the American implementations were characterized by a higher degree of professionalism (that is, more use of project tools), more participation measures, but at the same time by more negative effects for the employees, such as personnel reduction. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.