Anne Kristin Sortehaug Ajer

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug; Hustad, Eli & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2021). Enterprise architecture operationalization and institutional pluralism: The case of the Norwegian Hospital sector. Information Systems Journal.  ISSN 1350-1917.  s 1- 36 . doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12324 Show summary

  Enterprise architecture (EA) is a systematic way of designing, planning, and implementing process and technology changes to address the complexity of information system (IS) landscapes. EA is operationalized when architecture visions move towards realization through concrete projects. We report a case study on the dynamics of operationalizing EA in the Norwegian hospital sector by exploring different EA project trajectories. Our empirical context is an institutionally pluralistic setting where multiple logics coexist. We show that the distinct logic of EA is added to the institutional context and we find that tensions among existing medical, technical, and managerial logics and EA principles and assumptions emerge. We contribute to the under‐researched topic of EA operationalization by suggesting a model that demonstrates how the meeting of multiple institutional logics can lead to varying degrees of differentiation or even disassociation from EA visions during decision‐taking in projects. Furthermore, we advance extant research on IS projects' implementation in institutionally pluralistic settings by providing an empirical account of actors' interactions and project leadership arrangements that contribute to the persistence of coexisting logics in a dynamic equilibrium.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Olsen, Dag Håkon (2020). Enterprise Architecture Implementation Is a Bumpy Ride: A Case Study in the Norwegian Public Sector. Electronic Journal of e-Government.  ISSN 1479-439X.  17(2), s 79- 94 . doi: 10.34190/EJEG.17.2.002 Show summary

  Enterprise architecture (EA) is a widespread approach for the development of new digital solutions in a planned and controlled way for large and complex organisations. EA is also viewed as a prerequisite for the digitalisation of the public sector. However, public sector organisations struggle to implement EA programmes, and research has demonstrated that organisational and managerial issues are critical obstacles to EA implementation. This study aims to increase our understanding of EA implementation in the public sector by investigating the central challenges for EA initiatives and to trace the progress of current EA initiatives in the Norwegian public sector. An additional goal is to disclose some ways to improve the situation. We conducted three interpretive case studies in the hospital, higher education, and labour and welfare sectors. We have identified 28 challenges to the EA initiatives. We find that organisational and technical complexities, as well as a limited understanding of EA and lack of formal EA governance mechanisms, are significant obstacles. Among others, the lack of understanding of EA and its methodology will lead to problems with anchoring the EA approach in the organisation and facilitating the necessary EA arrangements to induce the promised benefits of EA, which are necessary requirements to establish the EA initiative’s legitimacy and foster the organisation’s willingness to implement change. Our study provides four lessons learned for planning and implementing EA initiatives, as follows: #1. It is advisable to take small steps. #2. The use of external consultants should be carefully considered. #3. Formal architectural governance mechanisms are important for legitimacy and enforced use. #4. Executive commitment and understanding of EA are crucial for achieving a sustainable EA initiative. Finally, we find a common evolution of the EA initiatives through the phases of optimism, resistance, decline and finally, reconsolidation of the most persistent ones.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug; Hustad, Eli & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2019). Enterprise Architecture in Hospitals: Resolving Incongruence Issues, In Lucila Ohno-Machado & Brigitte Séroussi (ed.),  Health and Wellbeing e-Networks for All - Proceedings of the 17th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics.  IOS Press.  ISBN 978-1-64368-003-3.  Article.  s 659 - 663 Full text in Research Archive. Show summary

  Enterprise Architecture allows addressing technologies and processes in a holistic way and mirrors choices related to process standardization and data integration. It has the potential to address long-standing problems in health information systems related to fragmented IT portfolios, immature IT infrastructures, and silo-structured organizing.Nevertheless, uptake of Enterprise Architecture in hospitals has been slow. To understand the issues related to this slow uptake we have undertaken an interview study with architects and managers. The issues identified reveal a level of incongruence between healthcare as a domain and the practice of EA. Specifically, by analyzing the experiences of architects and managers we identified four different areas of such incongruence that create the need to reconcile a) Bottom-up vs. Top-down Planning b) Clinical vs. Systems´ knowledge, c) Local vs. Global Arrangements and d) Patient Safety vs. Patient Privacy. Building on prior related research we propose ways for resolving the incongruence issues identified.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug (2018). Enterprise Architecture in Healthcare and Underlying Institutional Logics: a Systematic Literature Review of IS Research, In Motonari Tanabu & Dai Senoo (ed.),  PACIS 2018 Proceedings - Opportunities and Challenges for the Digitized Society: Are We Ready? : Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS 2018).  Association for Information Systems.  ISBN 978-4-902590-83-8.  Paper. Full text in Research Archive. Show summary

  This paper reports on a systematic literature review of empirical studies in the information systems literature focusing on Enterprise Architecture (EA) in healthcare. 30 papers were selected for extended analysis. We utilized institutional logics as a theoretical lens and focused on the logics of IT professionalism, medical professionalism and managerialism. According to this lens, we identified three foci of interests. In addition, we utilized the institutional level as an analytical dimension. The logics of IT professionals and the purpose of organizational implications of EA were dominating. Generally, there is a need for more in-depth understanding for all logics, however, the logics of managerialism and medical professionalism need particularly more attention. Moreover, there is a need for more empirical research to understand how institutional logics for similar professions may differ across institutions. Finally, few studies on EA apply theoretical lenses, and EA research is immature in sense of theoretical contributions.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug; Hustad, Eli & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2018). Enterprise Architects’ Logics across Organizational Levels: A Case Study in the Norwegian Hospital Sector, In Panos Kourouthanassis; Panos Markopoulos; Adamantia Pateli; Nancy Pouloudi; Andreja Pucihar & João Vieira da Cunha (ed.),  Digital and social transformation for a better society - Proceedings of the Twelfth Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (MCIS 2018).  Association for Information Systems.  ISBN 978-960-7260-61-1.  Paper. Show summary

  In this paper, we report about a multilevel case study on the introduction of enterprise architecture (EA) in the Norwegian hospital sector. We utilize institutional logics as a theoretical lens, focusing on the enterprise architects’ logics that are underexplored in information systems research. We have collected empirical evidence at national (macro), regional (meso), and local (micro) levels. The findings are classified into nine categories with illustrative statements from the informants, demonstrating their reasoning about the contributions of EA. Furthermore, we identify tensions between enterprise architects and managers and between enterprise architects and medical actors, which indicate the co-existence of multiple competing institutional logics. The most prominent tension is the paradox of EA—demands for local flexibility and autonomy at the micro level versus the predefined rules and standardization that EA imposes across all levels — which makes the institutionalizing process challenging. The enterprise architect logics demonstrate similarities and differences across the various levels, indicating heterogeneity. We conclude this paper with a suggested persona of the enterprise architect, which illustrates the empirical findings.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Olsen, Dag Håkon (2018). Enterprise Architecture Challenges: A Case Study of three Norwegian Public Sectors, In P Bednar; Ulrich Frank & Karlheinz Kautz (ed.),  European Conference on Information Systems: Beyond Digitization - Facets of Socio-Technical Change ECIS 2018 Proceedings.  Association for Information Systems.  ISBN 9781861376671.  Paper.
• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Hustad, Eli (2015). Enterprise system implementation in a franchise context: an action case study. Procedia Technology - Elsevier.  ISSN 2212-0173.  64, s 948- 956 . doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2015.08.612 Show summary

  This research paper reports on a study focusing on a franchise relationship that utilizes an enterprise system (ES) to optimize its supply chain. The ES is in its post-implementation phase; however, the franchisee has challenges with inventory management due to poor data quality, which causes problems with vendor analysis and revenue control. An action case study was carried out to identify and diagnose the source of the problem, and interventions were implemented and evaluated. The findings demonstrate that several of the challenges related to poor data quality in the supply chain were influenced by problems of a socio-technical character. These included a lack of understanding of the system, a shortage of training, workarounds, opportunistic behaviors and a lack of effective control mechanisms for the franchisor. Implications for the franchisor include the need for greater emphasis on good communication routines with franchisees, so problems in the system can be identified early and resolved. Franchisees must try to establish a good relationship with the franchisor and to be aware that knowledge and training can be the keys to realizing the benefits of the ES.

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• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug; Hustad, Eli & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2020). Institutional perspective on introducing enterprise architecture. The case of the Norwegian hospital sector.. Full text in Research Archive.

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