Escalation Of Commitment In MIS Projects: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Escalation of commitment emerged as a major explanation for the propensity of management information systems projects to exceed time and budget constraints. Earlier studies demonstrated that escalation in MIS is a common event.  This study presents a meta-analysis of the various theories of escalation that allows for integration of the various escalation factors into a model of irrational escalation and a model of rational escalation. The implications of rational and irrational escalation for the decision making in management of information systems are discussed.