A field study of information center success: A stage model approach

End user computing (EUC) has been described as an inevitable trend in all types and sizes of organizations. The proliferation of EUC has led to a growing concern about how to formally support and then manage and control this phenomenon. Many organizations are responding to this phenomenon by establishing information centers (IC). The IC approach of supporting an EUC has been well accepted.;This study examined important factors for the successful implementation of an EUC along Richard L. Nolan's five dimensions (technology, applications, organization, planning and control system, and users awareness). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of IC success to organizational EUC experience.;The research steps were divided into two phases: case studies and a survey investigation. Information for the case studies was collected from four organizations by interviewing IC managers. Information for the survey investigation was collected from 18 organizations (18 IC managers and 205 IC users).;This study was descriptive in nature. The average size of IC's was relatively large in the study sample in comparison to other IC studies. The relatively bigger ICs may show the growth of IC phenomenon and therefore provide a more up-to-date picture of IC activities.;There was descriptive evidence that an EUC evolutionary pattern was similar to the one described by Nolan in the technology, organization, and user awareness dimensions. However, there was no statistical evidence of generalizability.;Only two (technology and user awareness) of Nolan's five dimensions were related to IC success. User awareness seems to be an important factor for user satisfaction, and, the technology dimension is important to computer usage.;Cross-sectional data may not appropriate for a research of this kind. A logitudinal study is recommended for future research.