To Stem the Tide: Organizational Climate and the Locus of Knowledge Transfer

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Di Stefano, Giada; Micheli, Maria Rita

Abstract: Prior work has maintained that organizations benefit from managing the transfer ... Expand

Abstract: Prior work has maintained that organizations benefit from managing the transfer of proprietary knowledge. Transfer is often advantageous within organizational boundaries but may be harmful across them, because it might erode competitive advantage. Hence, we ask: How can organizations affect the direction in which knowledge flows? We examine the role of organizational climate as a governing mechanism for knowledge transfer. Our empirical strategy consists of a mixed-methods approach leveraging qualitative and experimental data over two cycles of theory building and theory testing. We start with an extensive field study of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), leveraging the insights from desk research, field observations, 53 interviews, and a laboratory-in-the-field experiment involving 518 physicists. We then provide a causal test of the emerging framework by means of two laboratory experiments with 389 participants. Our findings suggest employees are more likely to transfer knowledge to their colleagues when they identify as an integral part of the organization, but they would rather transfer knowledge to outside competitors when their organization encourages them to outperform coworkers. In the presence of an organizational climate that is unfavorable to preventing knowledge spillovers, we argue, organizations can redirect the locus of knowledge transfer internally by acting upon an individual employee’s job design and socialization regime.History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.Funding: The authors acknowledge generous financial support from Bocconi University, the HEC Foundation of HEC Paris, and IESEG School of Management.Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1551. Collapse

Topics: knowledge sharing electronic mail pandemic knowledge spillover strategic management

Methods: experiment qualitative interview field study theory development laboratory experiment

Theories: organizational theory

Testing the Relationship Between Information and Knowledge in Computer-Aided Decision-Making

2022 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Li, Yuan; Kettinger, William J.

Abstract: Information and knowledge are two foundational concepts in Information Systems ( ... Expand

Abstract: Information and knowledge are two foundational concepts in Information Systems (IS) research, but their relationship remains vague, and researchers continue to use them interchangeably in studies. This limits the ability to clearly specify what information is in the systems and how it is used for operations and decisions. We address the issue in the context of computer-aided decision-making. In contrast to the traditional view that information is the input of knowledge, we argue, from the knowledge-based view of information, that information is produced from knowledge and functions as the basis of decisions. Further, cognitive factors such as one’s general knowledge in the task domain and guidance in decision aids influence knowledge and information for decisions. An information-centric framework is developed and tested based on a popular production-planning decision task. The result supports the direct impact of information on decisions and the indirect impact of knowledge via its influence on information. This study is the first to empirically test the relationship between knowledge and information in IS research. It calls for more attention to the information concept and how it is processed in IS. Collapse

Topics: data quality decision quality decision making big data decision support system

Methods: experiment laboratory experiment deep learning machine learning chi squared test

Theories: knowledge based theory of the firm theory of affordance

Conceptualisation and validation of system use reduction as a self-regulatory IS use behaviour

2020 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Osatuyi, Babajide; Turel, Ofir

Abstract: Focusing on social networking site (SNS) users, this research conceptualizes, th ... Expand

Abstract: Focusing on social networking site (SNS) users, this research conceptualizes, theorizes on and tests information systems (IS) use reduction herein defined as users' attempt to reduce their use of an IS to levels that seem reasonable to them to avoid negative implications. IS use reduction is more realistic for many users than full discontinuance, more prevalent than many other corrective behaviors, and can have many desirable outcomes. Yet, knowledge regarding this behavior has been limited. It therefore warrants more attention in IS research and a growing need to develop interventions aimed at helping users reducing excessive IS use such as SNSs. We suggest that IS use reduction can be motivated by negative consequences of excessive SNS use and that the way users translate such states into SNS use reduction intentions can be explained by a contextual and nuanced adaptation of Bandura's self-regulation of motivation and self-reactive framework. A survey study (study 1, n=257) was used to theorize and test the determinants of SNS use reduction intentions, and a longitudinal experimental study (study 2, n=127) extended the validity of the survey study findings, established causality and examined whether the manipulation the survey study predictors can produce actual SNS use reduction. Collapse

Topics: information system use Facebook self efficacy social network electronic mail

Methods: survey chi squared test theory development descriptive statistic SEM tool

Theories: social cognitive theory social identity theory

Concentration, Competence, Confidence, and Capture: An Experimental Study of Age, Interruption-based Technostress, and Task Performance

2018 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Tams, Stefan; Thatcher, Jason B.; Grover, Varun

Abstract: The proliferation of information and communication technologies such as instant ... Expand

Abstract: The proliferation of information and communication technologies such as instant messenger has created an increasing number of workplace interruptions that cause employee stress and productivity losses across the world. This growth in interruptions has paralleled another trend: the graying of the workforce, signifying that the labor force is aging rapidly. Insights from theories of stress and cognitive aging suggest that older people may be particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of interruptions. Hence, this study examines whether, how, and why technologymediated interruptions impact stress and task performance differently for older compared to younger adults. The study develops a mediated moderation model explaining why older people may be more susceptible to the negative impacts of technology-mediated interruptions than younger people, in terms of greater mental workload, more stress, and lower performance. The model hypothesizes that age acts as a moderator of the interruption-stress relationship due to agerelated differences in inhibitory effectiveness, computer experience, computer self-efficacy, and attentional capture. We refer to these age-related differences as concentration, competence, confidence, and capture, respectively, or the four Cs. We tested our model through a laboratory experiment with a 2 x 2 x 2 mixed-model design, manipulating the frequency with which interruptions appear on the screen and their salience (e.g., reddish colors). We found that age acts as a moderator of the interruption-stress link due to differences in concentration, competence, and confidence, but not capture. This study contributes to IS research by explicitly elucidating the role of age in IS phenomena, especially interruption-based technostress. Collapse

Topics: technostress task productivity self efficacy information storage and retrieval system SAP R/3

Methods: analysis of covariance experiment survey design multivariate analysis of variance statistical hypothesis test

Facilitation, GSS, and Training as Sources of Process Restrictiveness and Guidance for Structured Group Decision Making: An Empirical Assessment

1996 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 83

Authors: Wheeler, Bradley C.; Valacich, Joseph S.

Abstract: Structured decision techniques have been a mainstay of prescriptive decision the ... Expand

Abstract: Structured decision techniques have been a mainstay of prescriptive decision theory for decades. Group Support Systems (GSSs) automate many of the features found in decision techniques, yet groups often choose to ignore both the technique and the technology in favor of more familiar decision processes. This research empirically tests propositions and hypotheses for a specific instantiation of Adaptive Structuration Theory. A controlled laboratory experiment tests the ability of three appropriation mediators (e.g., facilitation, GSS configuration, and training) to directively affect group decision making through guidance and restrictiveness. The experiment used a hidden-profile task and structured decision technique which directed group members to reach a decision by identifying the problem, choosing criteria, and selecting a solution. The results supported the proposition that appropriation mediators can increase the faithful use of structured decision techniques and that faithful use can improve decision quality. Collapse

Topics: group support system decision quality decision making user training group decision support system

Methods: experiment statistical hypothesis test theory development descriptive statistic laboratory experiment

Theories: structuration theory adaptive structuration theory

The Use of Information in Decision Making: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Computer-Based Decision Aids

1992 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 36

Authors: Todd, Peter; Benbasat, Izak

Abstract: The traditional assumption in the decision support systems (DSS) literature is ... Expand

Abstract: The traditional assumption in the decision support systems (DSS) literature is that if decision makers are provided with expanded processing capabilities they will use them to analyze problems in more depth and, as a result, make better decisions. Empirical studies investigating the relationship between DSS and decision quafity have not borne this out. The explanation for such outcomes could be found in behavioral decisionmaking theories. The literature on behavioral decision making indicates that the conservation of effort may be more important than increased decision quality in some cases, ff this is so, then the use of a decision aid may result in effort savings but not improved decision performance. The two experiments reported here use verbal protocol analysis to compare the extent of information use by unaided decision makers and users of a decision aid designed to support preferential choice problems. The results of the two studies indicate that subjects with a decision aid did not use more information than those without one. Overall, subjects behaved as if effort minimization was an important consideration. For DSS researchers these studies indicate that to understand the DSS-decision quality relationship, it is necessary to consider the decision maker's tradeoff between improving decision quality and conserving effort. For DSS designers these results imply a need to focus on the moderating role that effort will play in determining DSS effectiveness. Collapse

Topics: decision support system decision making decision quality

Methods: experiment statistical hypothesis test qualitative coding factorial experiment experimental task

Theories: decision theory