Diane Walz, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Information Systems and Cyber Security

Degrees

  • Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin
  • MBA Washington University in St. Louis
  • BA St. Louis University

About

Diane Walz holds a Ph.D. in information systems from The University of Texas at Austin, an MBA with a concentration in finance from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BA in mathematics from St. Louis University. She has industry and government experience in data modeling and data mining. She was a systems analyst III for Valero Energy from 1985-1988.

Professor Walz’s research interests include software development and knowledge sharing within the application development process, agency theory application to password complexity, and the characteristics of IS professionals.
Her research has appeared in numerous journals, including Decision Support Systems (DSS), Information Technology and People, Communications of the AIS (CAIS), The DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and Communications of the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM).

Professor Walz is a member of several professional organizations including the Association of Computer Machinery and the Association of Information Systems.

Research Interests

  • Software development and knowledge sharing
  • Knowledge sharing between and among application developers
  • Agency theory application to password complexity
  • Characteristics of IS professionals

Selected Publications

  • “Assessing Researcher Publication Productivity in the Leading Information Systems Journals: A 2005-2009 Update,” with Jan Clark, Yoris Au and John Warren, Communications of the Association for Information Systems (CAIS), Vol. 29, Article 26, November 2011, pp. 459-504.
  • “Identifying Exceptional Software Developers: A Comparison of Students and Professionals,” with Jan Clark and Judy Wynekoop, Communications of the Association of lnformation Systems (CIAS), Vol. 11, No. 8, 2003, pp. 137-154.
  • “Traits of Top Performing Software Developers,” with Judy Wynekoop, Information Technology and People, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2000, pp. 186-195.
  • “Revisiting the Perennial Question: Are IS People Really Different?” with Judy Wynekoop, The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems, Vol. 29, No. 2, Spring 1998, pp. 62-72.
  • “The Failure of SDT Diffusion: A Case for Mass Customization,” with Glenn Dietrich and Judy Wynekoop, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 44, No. 4, November 1997, pp. 390-398.
  • “Identifying and Cultivating Exceptional Software Developers,” with Judy Wynekoop, The Journal of Computer Information Systems, Vol. 37, No. 4, Summer 1997, pp. 82-87.
  • “Educating Software Development Professionals: Does Instruction Affect Creativity?” with Judy Wynekoop, Journal of Information Systems Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, Spring 1996, pp. 11-13.
  • “Inside a Software Design Team: A Look at Knowledge Acquisition, Sharing, and Integration Activities,” with Joyce J. Elam and Bill Curtis, Communications of the ACM (CACM), Vol. 36, No. 10, 1993, pp. 63-77.
  • “Groupware Research and Technology Issues with Application to Software Process Management,” with Herb Krasner and John McInroy, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Vol. 21, No. 4, July 1991, pp. 704-712.
  • “Combining Forecasts: Multiple Regression Versus a Bayesian Approach,” with Daniel Walz, Decision Sciences, Vol. 20, Number 1, Winter 1988, pp. 77-89.