| Academic researchers, economists and industry leaders frequently cite the service sector's expanding contribution to GDP and burgeoning employment figures. Critics respond by noting service's reputation for lagging productivity growth rates, disappointing quality performance and restrictive delivery systems. Diagnosing the pathologies of the service sector is a complex, and challenging endeavor. A promising starting point is the intersection between information technology (IT), the factory of the service sector, and the underlying service task, which propels service delivery.; This dissertation integrates the study of service operations and IT in order to observe the interaction between these two vital constructs. Phase I utilizes a Delphi study, involving 62 participants from 11 organizations, to provide initial specification of the service task and IT constructs. Phase II of the research is a multiple case study that further refines the construct specifications and analyzes the dynamics of the interaction between task and IT, placing specific emphasis on project performance, process improvement and strategic implications.; Results of the Delphi and case study analysis suggest that classification of service task occurs along an expertise-based continuum, defined by four primary task dimensions. These task dimensions include the degree of task standardization, two data dimensions that address data configuration and interpretation and a knowledge component that ranges along continuum from process-based know-how to content-based knowledge. Case evidence indicates the presence of three primary task types, transaction processing, request fulfillment and problem resolution.; Differentiation within the IT construct occurs along a capability-based continuum that incorporates four principal IT attributes. These attributes encompass system scope, system focus, system accessibility and the level of IT integration. The case analyses suggest three principal levels of IT capability, information management, network coordination and knowledge management.; The development of a composite model facilitates exploration of task-IT interactions and the development of 9 propositions that relate the task types and the IT capability levels to the three outcome variables. The research propositions further integrate findings from the Delphi study and the case analyses to develop relationships between the constructs and several implementation and change management concepts, including process innovation, IT diffusion, service quality, substitutability and performance measurement. |
