Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Ayres, Bradley Jay
Author's Email Address	Bradley.Ayres@afit.edu
URN	etd-11082003-224720
Title	Institutional Influences and Control of Software Development Projects: An Examination of Air Force Software Project Teams
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Management Information Systems, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Joey F. George Committee Co-Chair Robert W. Zmud Committee Co-Chair David B. Paradice Committee Member William P. Anthony Committee Member
Keywords	Institutional Theory Control Theory Project Management Software Project Teams
Date of Defense	2003-10-31
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The purpose of this dissertation was to expand current knowledge about control of software development projects by examining the effects that institutional influences have on the use of control mechanisms by software project teams, and how the different institutional influences affect each other. The findings provide support for an important relationship between institutional profiles and the adoption of formal control mechanisms by software project teams. First, different institutional profiles will support different types of adoption of formal control mechanisms. Second, when the enacted profile of a software project team is consistent with a dominant institutional profile, the use of formal control mechanisms will be faithful to this profile. Third, when the enacted profile is conflicted, the use of formal control mechanisms will be mixed with both ceremonial and faithful appropriations. Fourth, the higher the tenure of the software project team, the more likely the enacted profile will be consistent with the older institutional context. Finally, the level of congruence of software project managers with a particular institutional profile will be positively related to the adoption of formal control mechanisms consistent with that profile. The study also found that when institutional elements are complementary to each other in the form of an institutional profile, they have a much greater influence on social actors than when the elements are independent of each other.
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