ProfessorRobert Johnston
Emeritus Professor (RTA)
School of Business
- Emeritus Professor (RTA)School of Business
- +61 414493255 (Mobile)
- University College Dublin, School of Business, Quinn School of Business Belfield Dublin 4
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Robert’s research interests have clustered around the following three themes:
Theoretical Foundations of Information and Organisation: A major theme of Robert’s research has been the role of ICT in organisational innovation. Where conventional theories of technology management tend to evaluate the innovative potential of ICT as a pre-specified component of top-down management plans, over a period of 25 years Robert has developed an alternative perspective that emphasises the socially interpreted and emergent nature of technology appropriation. Theoretically, this work draws on process philosophical and practice theoretical works of Heidegger, Giddens, Bourdieu, Gibson, Rorty, Gadamer and others, and empirically on interpretive qualitative data analysis methods.
Inter-organisational Information Systems and Information Infrastructures: Beyond the organisational context, Robert has researched and published widely on the implementation of ICT-based initiatives for aligning operations across organisational boundaries for supply chain management, electronic commerce and lean production, in the retail, pharmaceutical and automotive industries. These projects have used data from major Australian and Multi-national firms such as Unilever, Coles, Ford, Toyota and many smaller organisations in their supply chains, and has involved collaboration with researchers from Monash, Melbourne, ANU, Aachen, Muenster, Tsinghua, Cambridge and UCD.
Information Systems for Routine Operations: Routine action in operational settings (manufacturing, hospital wards, emergency despatch) poses significant challenges for the development of effective computer support systems. Action choices in these environments are often incorrectly treated as decisions, despite extensive evidence from cognitive, behavioural and neuro-sciences that this is not the case. Over a 20 year period Robert has studied the efficacy of certain entrenched manual IS to develop an alternative to the Decision Support System paradigm, called Situated Choice Support Systems, applicable to routine action choices. This work won the Stafford Beer Medal of the OR Society in 2012.
Theoretical Foundations of Information and Organisation: A major theme of Robert’s research has been the role of ICT in organisational innovation. Where conventional theories of technology management tend to evaluate the innovative potential of ICT as a pre-specified component of top-down management plans, over a period of 25 years Robert has developed an alternative perspective that emphasises the socially interpreted and emergent nature of technology appropriation. Theoretically, this work draws on process philosophical and practice theoretical works of Heidegger, Giddens, Bourdieu, Gibson, Rorty, Gadamer and others, and empirically on interpretive qualitative data analysis methods.
Inter-organisational Information Systems and Information Infrastructures: Beyond the organisational context, Robert has researched and published widely on the implementation of ICT-based initiatives for aligning operations across organisational boundaries for supply chain management, electronic commerce and lean production, in the retail, pharmaceutical and automotive industries. These projects have used data from major Australian and Multi-national firms such as Unilever, Coles, Ford, Toyota and many smaller organisations in their supply chains, and has involved collaboration with researchers from Monash, Melbourne, ANU, Aachen, Muenster, Tsinghua, Cambridge and UCD.
Information Systems for Routine Operations: Routine action in operational settings (manufacturing, hospital wards, emergency despatch) poses significant challenges for the development of effective computer support systems. Action choices in these environments are often incorrectly treated as decisions, despite extensive evidence from cognitive, behavioural and neuro-sciences that this is not the case. Over a 20 year period Robert has studied the efficacy of certain entrenched manual IS to develop an alternative to the Decision Support System paradigm, called Situated Choice Support Systems, applicable to routine action choices. This work won the Stafford Beer Medal of the OR Society in 2012.