Problems in technology transfer: The application of information requirements analysis in the Korean workplace

This study investigated how and why existing information requirements analysis (IRA) methods fail in the Korean workplace. Korean corporations have realized the need to shift the emphasis in systems development from transactional systems to managerial and strategic systems. To develop these systems successfully, corporations must specify and determine organizational information requirements. In identifying information needs in the Korean environment, the effect of the cultural bias of Western IRA methodologies has received insufficient attention.;To understand the current operational environment of developed systems and the problems systems personnel encounter when analyzing information requirements, thirty-three organizations in various Korean industries were surveyed. Eighty-eight systems personnel from the firms participated. Information systems personnel were asked about their general background, systems development activities, and IRA in their organizations.;The results of the survey showed that higher level, computer-based systems are not as successful as those developed in the United States. Failure of the systems is related to extensive use of Western techniques for determining information requirements that are used during an analysis phase in the system development life cycle. The study concluded that this failure, particularly in higher level systems, is due to cultural differences. To support this conclusion, the study documented the difficulties in understanding organizations, producing business procedure descriptions, and establishing user needs using Western IRA methods in the Korean workplace. The study recommended supplementing techniques to make them more effective in a Korean business culture.