Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nolan's Model
Nolan's Model
Search Toolkit
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Note: changing the title may cause links pointing to http://knol.google.com/k/nolan-s-model to
stop working, but links to http://knol.google.com/k/slartibartfarst-anon/nolan-s-
model/3twzpmiarr7la/5 will always work.
Nolan's Model
Contents
• Overview
• Structure of the Model
• Stage 1 – Initiation
• Stage 2 – Contagion
• Stage 3 – Control
• Stage 4 – Integration
• Stage 5 – Data Administration
• Stage 6 – Maturity
• Discussion
• References
lessmore
Permanent link to this knol:
http://knol.google.com/k/slartibartfarst-anon/nolan-s-model/3tw zpmiarr7la/5
Link
Anon,
Slartibartfarst. Nolan's Model:Stages of Grow th Model (SGM) [Internet].
Version 14. Knol. 2010 Jun 25. Available from:
http://knol.google.com/k/slartibartfarst-anon/nolan-s-model/3tw zpmiarr7la
Overview
Richard L. Nolan developed the theoretical Stages of growth model (SGM) during the 1970s.
This is a general model, which describes the role of information technology (IT), and how it
grows within an organisation.
A first draft of the model was made in 1973, consisting of only four stages. Two stages were
added in 1979 to make it a six-stage model. There were two articles describing the stages, which
were first published in the Harvard Business Review.
The structure of the final, six-stage model is depicted in the diagram below:
2. The model had as a main focus the change in IT budget, but critics questioned whether it
was “reasonable to assume that a single variable serves as a suitable surrogate for so
much."
Though it would seem reasonable that this single variable could be an indicator of other
variables such as the organisational environment or the organisation's learning curve, it
would not necessarily be the sole driving force for the entire model. Nolan showed little
connection that would make that main focus a valid one.
3. Nolan stated that the force behind the growth of computing through the stages is
technological change. King and Kraemer found this to be far too general, “...there are
additional factors that should be considered. Most important are the ‘demand-side’
factors that create a ripe environment for technological changes to be considered and
adopted." As proposed, technological change has a multitude of facets that determine its
necessity. Change cannot be brought forth unless it is needed under certain
circumstances. Unwarranted change would result in excess costs and potential failure of
the process.
4. The Stages of Growth Model assumes straightforward organizational goals that are to be
determined through the technological changes made. This could be viewed as very naïve
from the user perspective. King and Kraemer state, “...the question of whether
organizational goals are uniform and consistent guides for the behavior of organizational
actors, as opposed to dynamic and changing targets that result from competition and
conflict among organizational actors, has received considerable attention in the literature
on computing.”
5. Thus, though as time has passed, Nolan’s Stages of Growth Model has revealed some
potential weaknesses, this does not detract from his early and innovative theoretical
analysis into the growth of IT within organisations.
References
1. Nolan, Richard (1973). "Managing The Computer Resource:A Stage Hypothesis".
Harvard Business Review 16 (4): 399-405.
2. Nolan, Richard (1979), "Managing The Crisis In Data Processing". Harvard Business
Review 57 (2): 115–126.
3. Gottschalk, Petter (2002). "Toward a Model of Growth Stages for Knowledge
Management Technology in Law Firms". Informing Science 5 (2): 81-93.
4. King, John L., and Kraemer, Kenneth L. (1984). "Evolution and organizational
information systems: an assessment of Nolan's stage model". Communications of the
ACM 27 (5): 466-475. ACM.
Submissions for the collection: Nolan's Model
« Back to viewing the collection
There are no submissions for this collection.
Pending edits for knols in this collection: Nolan's Model
« Back to viewing the collection
Comments
Write New Comment ▼
Write New Comment
Write a knol
Slartibartfarst Anon
Verify Name
Contributors
•
brucelo2005
Remove from list
Article rating:
Your rating:
Moderated collaboration
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Top Viewed Knol Award
Version: 14
Versions
Last edited: Jun 25, 2010 1:26 AM.
Reviews
Be the first to review this knol
Slartibartfarst Anon also wrote
• Eric Laithwaite
• Slartibartfarst
• Databank Systems Limited
• CMM - Capability Maturity Model
• John C. Corlette
(10 knols and collections)
Knol translations
Help translate this knol into your language.
Search for uses of this page ▼
Categories
business, business process, information technology
Based on community consensus.
Your categories
Sign in to add or vote for categories
Learn more about categories
Activity for this knol
This week:
164pageviews
Totals:
9349pageviews
Public activity feed