The Role of Expertise in the Evaluation of Computing Architectures

Recently, there has been considerable interest in evaluating newer computer architectures such as the Web services architecture and the network computer architecture. In this work we investigate the decision models of expert and novice IS managers when evaluating computing architectures for use in an organization. This task is important because several consumer choice models in the literature indicate that the evaluation of alternative products is a critical phase that consumers undergo prior to forming an attitude toward the product. Previous work on evaluating the performance of experts vs. novices has focused either on the process differences between them, or on the performance outcome differences, with work in MIS focusing primarily on process differences. In this work, we utilize a methodology that examines both aspects, by constructing individual decision models for each expert and novice in the study. There is a growing consensus in the management literature that while experts may follow different processes, very often their performance does not differ significantly from novices in the business domain.