ASSESSING INTRANETS: THE GAP BETWEENREPORTED AND REALIZED BENEFITS

摘要

This research examines the gap between the level and nature of intranet system benefits commonly reportedby the practitioner press and those benefits cited in academic research. Results are analyzed for two differenttimeframes: the early period when intranets were emerging, and the more later mature stage. Conclusions aredrawn concerning how claims of intranet benefits in the practitioner press have evolved, shifting from hardquantifiable benefits based on return on investment to soft benefits such as knowledge sharing acrossorganizational boundaries. During the same period, intranet benefits identified by academic studies are foundto show little change, remaining consistently focused on faster access to information as the key benefit. Thedisparity between promised and demonstrated intranet benefits is discussed. Results indicate that practitionerliterature from the early era, around 1996, emphasized excessive ROIs, as large as 1000%. More currentpractitioner literature stresses intangible benefits such as communications, competitiveness, and contentmanagement. This difference in practitioner press reports of intranet benefits over time contrasts dramaticallywith the consistency of academic studies in identifying improvements in data access as the most significantintranet benefit. Conclusions are drawn concerning the predilection of practitioners prematurely to tout thebenefits of technological improvements, and the potential value of academic research in providing objectiveevaluation for IT executives charged with distinguishing product fads and hyperbole from enduring andsubstantive improvements.