Non-ownership business models in the manufacturing industry: Uncertainty-exploiting versus uncertainty-mitigating designs and the role of context factors

2023 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 0

Authors: Bock, Maximilian; Wiener, Martin; Saunders, Carol

Abstract: With the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things, a growing number of man ... Expand

Abstract: With the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things, a growing number of manufacturing firms has started to adopt non-ownership business models (NOBMs). NOBM providers maintain ownership of offered machinery and sell only the machine use and/or performance as a service to their clients. While the adoption of NOBMs is found to be associated with novel business opportunities related to client-side uncertainties, it is also found to result in a considerable increase in provider-side uncertainties. Drawing on a multiple-case study with three leading manufacturers, we find notable differences in terms of NOBM designs, ranging from a primary focus on exploiting client-side uncertainties to a primary focus on mitigating provider-side uncertainties. Moreover, our study uncovers four context factors that help explain key differences in NOBM designs. In particular, we identify two machine attributes (human dependency and energy efficiency) and two market attributes (average client size and antitrust regulations) that “push” providers toward either uncertainty-exploiting or uncertainty-mitigating NOBM designs. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Collapse

Topics: price management electronic mail blog logistics management value creation

Methods: qualitative interview case study triangulation company material multiple case study

Theories: service-dominant logic

Knowledge Reuse for Customization: Metamodels in an Open Design Community for 3D Printing

2017 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 57

Authors: Kyriakou, Harris; Nickerson, Jeffrey; Sabni, Gaurav

Abstract: Theories of knowledge reuse posit two distinct processes: reuse for replication ... Expand

Abstract: Theories of knowledge reuse posit two distinct processes: reuse for replication and reuse for innovation. We identify another distinct process, reuse for customization. Reuse for customization is a process in which designers manipulate the parameters of metamodels to produce models that fulfill their personal needs. We test hypotheses about reuse for customization in Thingiverse, a community of designers that shares files for three-dimensional printing. 3D metamodels are reused more often than the 3D models they generate. The reuse of metamodels is amplified when the metamodels are created by designers with greater community experience. Metamodels make the community’s design knowledge available for reuse for customization—or further extension of the metamodels, a kind of reuse for innovation. Keywords: Knowledge reuse, metamodels, digital innovation, customization, parametric design, online communities, open source, software reuse, Thingiverse, 3D printing Collapse

Topics: innovation management 3D printing production management domain-specific language digital innovation

Methods: metamodel design science regression analysis method statistical hypothesis test robustness check

Rethinking Stability and Change in the Study of Organizational Routines: Difference and Repetition in a Newspaper-Printing Factory

2016 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Aroles, Jeremy; McLean, Christine

Abstract: Organizational life consists of an ever-changing world of encounters, experience ... Expand

Abstract: Organizational life consists of an ever-changing world of encounters, experiences, and complex sociomaterial relations. Within this context, standard routines can be seen as a solution to problems of inefficiency within organizations, especially when associated with images of stability, repeatability, and standardization. This can bring a sense of order where there is disorder, and stability in the face of change. However, whereas standard routines may be seen as providing solutions within complex and ever-changing organizational worlds, they can also be viewed as sources of organizational problems. Through an ethnographic examination of two routines within a newspaper-printing factory, our paper seeks to build on and add to contributions within routine dynamics (RD) by highlighting the emergence and coexistence of change and stability and the enactment of standard routines through a performative process of difference and repetition. In particular, our paper examines how organizational stability and change emerge through the dynamic relations underlying the enactment of difference and repetition and how these relations involve various—sometimes hidden—microprocesses that include the simplification and amplification of facts, scripts, and concerns. By drawing together the findings from our ethnographic research, studies within the area of RD, and concepts relating to a Deleuzian and Latourian perspective, our paper therefore contributes to the work on the repetition of routines by further unpacking the generative sociomaterial dynamics, creative forces, and microprocesses that underlie the emergence of stability and change through difference and repetition. Collapse

Topics: advertising management lean manufacturing organizational change human resource management

Methods: ethnography qualitative interview field study theory development qualitative coding

Theories: sociomaterialism theory

SIMPLIFYING SOLUTION SPACE: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY ON 3D PRINTING TOOLKITS

2016 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Naik, Hari Suman; Velamuri, Vivek K; Möslein, Kathrin M

Abstract: Flexible production technologies like 3D printing give users a large solution sp ... Expand

Abstract: Flexible production technologies like 3D printing give users a large solution space to innovate and design. To harness the full potential of these technologies, it is imperative to provide toolkits, with structured and simplified solution space that meets the needs of users with low involvement. This paper explores the manner in which the solution space of 3D printing toolkits is simplified for non-expert users. Toolkit solution space was analysed in 68 toolkits with two perspectives of modularity: 1) Modularity-in-use and 2) Modularity-in-design. First, the solution spaces were categorized in a 2x2 matrix by using the perspective of modularity-in-use, i.e. design questions and design options they offer to users. Second, this categorization and the perspective of modularity-in-design were used to identify mechanisms that simplify toolkit solution spaces. Solution space can be simplified for non-expert users by 1) offering iterative design questions with known design options, 2) using generative algorithms, 3) reusing designs and components from other users and 4) offering ‘meta-toolkits’ for users to create their own toolkits. The meta-toolkits democratize toolkit creation, and simplify solution space for nonexpert users, as they design innovative and customizable products, together with expert users, without losing design flexibility. Collapse

Topics: production management 3D printing Google+ Bing electronic mail

Methods: case study forums posting design process computational algorithm multiple case study

Learning, Imitation, and the Use of Knowledge: A Comparison of Markets, Hierarchies, and Teams

2012 | Organization Science | Citations: 3

Authors: Butler, John C.; Grahovac, Jovan

Abstract: We use computer simulation to study how different allocations of decision rights ... Expand

Abstract: We use computer simulation to study how different allocations of decision rights give rise to different organizational abilities to maintain and act upon accurate maps of a changing environment. We compare the performance of three archetypal organizational forms as we vary the dynamism and complexity of the environment and the rates at which individuals can observe the environment and imitate each other. We find that teams in which actions are based on plurality votes excel when the task is relatively easy—that is, the ability of individual members to observe the environment is high compared to the environment's dynamism and size. Markets in which all agents act independently perform well when the task is difficult and the agents can easily imitate each other. Hierarchies in which agents in the upper echelons impose actions on their subordinates outperform the other two forms when the agents' abilities to observe the environment are heterogeneous, the task is difficult, and imitation among the agents is moderate. The analysis has implications for the relationship between centralization and the notions of exploitation and exploration in March's influential work [March JG (1991) Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organ. Sci. 2(1):71–87]. Collapse

Topics: team productivity organizational productivity Visual Basic anonymity innovation management

Methods: experiment simulation statistical hypothesis test longitudinal research

Theories: theory of bounded rationality

Leadership in the Face of Technological Discontinuities: The Transformation of EarthColor

2011 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 7

Authors: Agarwal, Ritu; Johnson, Steven L.; Lucas, Henry C.

Abstract: Technological discontinuities can fundamentally alter the competitive dynamics o ... Expand

Abstract: Technological discontinuities can fundamentally alter the competitive dynamics of sectors of the economy: IT can create opportunities for those who are able to transform themselves, while simultaneously putting others out of business. Leadership is a key determinant of the outcome of an IT-enabled transformation, but there is limited research on the role of leaders in responding to such disruptions. This article explores the role of the leader in a period of technological change through an extension of the theory of transformational leadership. We illustrate the extended theory through a commercial printer, EarthColor. The commercial printing industry is in a strategic transition, characterized by consolidation and increasing cost pressures that drive profit margins down. We discuss how IT is responsible for the changing rules of competition in this industry, as well as the transformation of printing from a craft-based profession to a digitized business, from a traditional manufacturing “production” industry to a digital information management business. The article documents the experiences of EarthColor and the leadership of its CEO who successfully navigated an industry upheaval precipitated by IT. We generalize the results of our research to our extension of transformational leadership theory that explicitly incorporates the demands of ITenabled transformations. Collapse

Topics: IT leadership business process management sensemaking IT workforce wide area network

Methods: qualitative interview case study triangulation design artifact literature study

Theories: transformational leadership theory transaction cost economics

The Successful Intelligence of High-Growth Entrepreneurs: Links to New Venture Growth

2010 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Baum, J. Robert; Bird, Barbara J.

Abstract: We develop a model of successful intelligence in entrepreneurship. The model was ... Expand

Abstract: We develop a model of successful intelligence in entrepreneurship. The model was tested through interviews with 22 printing industry CEOs and responses from 143 founders of early-stage, high-growth printing and graphics businesses. Successful intelligence combined with entrepreneurial self-efficacy to predict swift action and multiple improvement actions (repeated goal-driven changes). Swift action and multiple improvement actions predicted higher subsequent venture growth across four years. This field study confirmed that successful intelligence consists of practical, analytical, and creative intelligence and that, together with entrepreneurial self-efficacy, it enables and motivates successful entrepreneurial behavior. Intelligence has received little entrepreneurship research attention; however, this empirical study suggests that specific intelligences should be included as predictors in studies of venture outcomes. The two entrepreneurial behaviors developed here are useful concepts beyond the entrepreneurship domain. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence entrepreneurship self efficacy financial performance strategic management

Methods: structural equation modeling field study qualitative interview expert panel data transformation

Theories: cognitive complexity theory cognitive theory

An employee performance estimation model for the logistics industry

2010 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 3

Authors: Wu, Yu-Jen; Hou, Jiang-Liang

Abstract: In the last decade, the growing economy in Taiwan has brought about rapid growth ... Expand

Abstract: In the last decade, the growing economy in Taiwan has brought about rapid growth in the logistics demands of enterprises. An important goal in the field of third party logistics (3PLs) is to improve the performance of logistics activities to enhance operation efficiency and enterprise competency. However, the employee performance must be determined in order to improve the activity performance of 3PLs. Thus, the aim of this research is to develop an employee performance estimation (EPE) model that includes three modules: direct performance determination (DPD), indirect performance determination (IPD), and performance score analysis (PSA). Moreover, a web-based logistics information management (LIM) platform was established via the EPE model in order to assist the managers in collecting and maintaining shop-floor operation data and to identify low-performance logistics tasks as well as inexperienced employees. In addition, a real-world case was used to demonstrate applicability of the proposed model and platform. As a whole, this paper presents an integrated model with the aims to more accurately calculate employee performance and significantly reduce the workload of 3PL decision makers. Collapse

Topics: individual productivity logistics management information management accounting financial performance

Methods: expert evaluation design science experiment parametric test ANOVA

Information technology innovation diffusion: an information requirements paradigm

2008 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 18

Authors: Melville, Nigel; Ramirez, Ronald

Abstract: Abstract.  Information technology (IT) innovation research examines the organiza ... Expand

Abstract: Abstract.  Information technology (IT) innovation research examines the organizational and technological factors that determine IT adoption and diffusion, including firm size and scope, technological competency and expected benefits. We extend the literature by focusing on information requirements as a driver of IT innovation adoption and diffusion. Our framework of IT innovation diffusion incorporates three industry-level sources of information requirements: process complexity, clock speed and supply chain complexity. We apply the framework to US manufacturing industries using aggregate data of internet-based innovations and qualitative analysis of two industries: wood products and beverage manufacturing. Results show systematic patterns supporting the basic thesis of the information processing paradigm: higher IT innovation diffusion in industries with higher information processing requirements; the salience of downstream industry structure in the adoption of interorganizational systems; and the role of the location of information intensity in the supply chain in determining IT adoption and diffusion. Our study provides a new explanation for why certain industries were early and deep adopters of internet-based innovations while others were not: variation in information processing requirements. Collapse

Topics: innovation management internet technology information system use supply chain management diffusion of innovation

Methods: archival research descriptive statistic cross sectional research statistical hypothesis test

Theories: diffusion of innovations theory

Job Satisfaction of Information Technology Workers: The Impact of Career Orientation and Task Automation in a CASE Environment

2002 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 27

Authors: McMurtrey, Mark E.; Grover, Varun; Teng, James T. C.; Lightner, Nancy J.

Abstract: This study investigates the job satisfaction of information technology (IT) prof ... Expand

Abstract: This study investigates the job satisfaction of information technology (IT) professionals in an environment where computer aided software engineering (CASE) tools are used. Although the recent downturn in the economy might have temporarily eased the IT labor shortage, issues of recruitment and retention of qualified personnel are key to the success of IS development projects. This study presents a model of the combination of CASE tool usage and job satisfaction as related to internal career orientation. Two hypotheses based on this model were tested using empirical evidence collected through a survey method. The first examines whether the career orientation of IS personnel influences their job satisfaction. The second incorporates the impact of CASE tool usage on this relationship. The results indicate that in a CASE tool environment, personnel with a predominant technical career orientation have more job satisfaction than those with a predominant managerial orientation. However, there is a significant and positive synergy between the sophistication of the CASE tool used and managerial competence orientation leading to higher job satisfaction. These findings indicate that combating the IT personnel shortage through task automation may also increase worker satisfaction, thereby decreasing turnover. Careful selection of the CASE tool for use may result in this win-win situation. Collapse

Topics: job satisfaction computer aided software engineering IT career IT workforce systems development

Methods: survey case study regression analysis method theory development factor analysis

Theories: distributive justice theory