A Comparison of the DeLone and McLean Model of IS Success and the Work System Method: Three Field Studies in Healthcare Organizations

How good is an information system? Two major approaches to answering this question have been put forward in the literature of information systems: Information System Success models such as DeLone and McLean (1992) and Alter’s (2006) Work System performance indicators. The IS Success Models were primarily for organizing the plethora of (usually subjective) variables in research and secondarily to guide management practice; Alter’s Work System Method was primarily to guide management practice with (usually objective) performance indicators. In this research I conducted field studies of three different work systems in the health care industry. A realized goal of the research was a model that not only integrates both approaches for measuring system success, but also incorporates work system participants’ perceptions of system problems, opportunities, and risks. This new model increases our theoretical and practical understanding of IS Success and enables future research with increased practical implications.