Perceptions of IS Risks and Failure Types: A Comparison of Designers from the United States, Japan and Korea

Abstract

Information systems (IS) designers from the United States, Japan, and Korea were surveyed to explore potential similarities and differences in their views on two IS risk factors, various types of IS failure and the overall failure rate on IS projects. While there were only a few differences between the U.S. and Japan, there were a number of differences in the views of designers from the U.S. and Korea. The results revealed that a lack of user involvement and a lack of experienced IS personnel were perceived as greater risk factors in Korea than in the U.S. and Japan. The data also revealed that unmet project goals and missed deadlines were perceived by designers from Korea as more likely to contribute to IS failure than did the designers from Japan and the U.S. Finally, the designers from Korea perceived a higher overall failure rate on IS projects than did the designers from the U.S. The findings were discussed in terms of the importance of national differences in technology development and national culture.