POWER MEASUREMENT : A GAUGE OF USER POWER WITH RESPECT TO THE MIS DEPARTMENT

Abstract

User involvement has always been a subject matter of interest in the research of the success of Management Information System (MIS). Past studies have unfortunately been restricted to uncovering the relationship between the degree of user involvement and system success. The inability to draw a convincing conclusion about the linkage between user involvement and system success from past research has spurred the author to look into the possibility of the influence of organizational power in the context of system success. Before the study of organizational power with respect to the MIS department can be materialised, one needs to be able to gauge power objectively. The objective of this Academic Exercise is therefore to construct an instrument for such a purpose. A model showing the linkage between power, user involvement and system success is proposed as a foundation for the rationale of constructing the power scale. However, the relationship was not tested due to time constraint. This Academic Exercise concentrates on the construction of the power measurement instrument. A questionnaire was designed and used in data collection. The questionnaire was subsequently tested for reliability and validity ( which includes content, predictive and construct validity). Some items were dropped and the reasons explained. The statistical techniques used in the study include validation, split-halves test, Cronbach's Alpha benchmark test and factor analysis. The result shows that the instrument is both reliable and valid.