Knowledge Creation Across Worldviews: How Metaphors Impact and Orient Group Creativity

2018 | Organization Science | Citations: 1

Authors: Biscaro, Claudio; Comacchio, Anna

Abstract: Metaphors are central in organization theory for they help the creation of know ... Expand

Abstract: Metaphors are central in organization theory for they help the creation of knowledge by altering concepts or generating new ones. Yet, despite their importance, little is known about how metaphors are used in processes of knowledge creation across worldviews. In such contexts, participants maintain their specialization, work separately, and resort to interpretable devices like metaphors to create together. With a longitudinal study of a multidisciplinary scientific project aimed at repairing broken spinal cord tissues, we show how metaphors facilitate collective knowledge creation. We contribute to the theory of knowledge creation across worldviews by showing the consequences of the diverse creative outcomes of metaphors on the orientation and stability of the collective work. Moreover, we propose how to control and predict the creative outcomes of metaphors by modifying the knowledge bases that are engaged in the creative process. We contribute to the theory on cycles of knowledge creation by showing that a metaphor can extend knowledge both horizontally and vertically, and by specifying the relationships between the knowledge created and the elements that simultaneously populate the creative cycles. Collapse

Topics: knowledge creation knowledge base organizational memory electronic mail

Methods: qualitative interview simulation longitudinal research triangulation theory development

Theories: theory of conceptual combinations social network theory organizational knowledge creation

Leveraging Market Research Techniques in IS- A Review of Conjoint Analysis is IS Research

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Naous, Dana; Legner, Christine

Abstract: With the increasing importance of mass-market information systems (IS), understa ... Expand

Abstract: With the increasing importance of mass-market information systems (IS), understanding individual user preferences for IS design and adoption is essential. However, this has been a challenging task due to the complexity of balancing functional, non-functional, and economic requirements. Conjoint analysis (CA), from marketing research, estimates user preferences by measuring tradeoffs between products attributes. Although the number of studies applying CA in IS has increased in the past years, we still lack fundamental discussion on its use in our discipline. We review the existing CA studies in IS with regard to the application areas and methodological choices along the CA procedure. Based on this review, we develop a reference framework for application areas in IS that serves as foundation for future studies. We argue that CA can be leveraged in requirements management, business model design, and systems evaluation. As future research opportunities, we see domain-specific adaptations e.g., user preference models. Collapse

Topics: business model systems evaluation smartphone marketing management requirements analysis

Methods: literature study structured literature research qualitative interview simulation qualitative coding

Theories: information systems theory

A Taxonomy of Evaluation Methods for Information Systems Artifacts

2015 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 174

Authors: Prat, Nicolas; Comyn-Wattiau, Isabelle; Akoka, Jacky

Abstract: Artifacts, such as software systems, pervade organizations and society. In the f ... Expand

Abstract: Artifacts, such as software systems, pervade organizations and society. In the field of information systems (IS) they form the core of research. The evaluation of IS artifacts thus represents a major issue. Although IS research paradigms are increasingly intertwined, building and evaluating artifacts has traditionally been the purview of design science research (DSR). DSR in IS has not reached maturity yet. This is particularly true of artifact evaluation. This paper investigates the “what” and the “how” of IS artifact evaluation: what are the objects and criteria of evaluation, the methods for evaluating the criteria, and the relationships between the “what” and the “how” of evaluation? To answer these questions, we develop a taxonomy of evaluation methods for IS artifacts. With this taxonomy, we analyze IS artifact evaluation practice, as reflected by ten years of DSR publications in the basket of journals of the Association for Information Systems (AIS). This research brings to light important relationships between the dimensions of IS artifact evaluation, and identifies seven typical evaluation patterns: demonstration; simulation- and metric-based benchmarking of artifacts; practice-based evaluation of effectiveness; simulation- and metric-based absolute evaluation of artifacts; practice-based evaluation of usefulness or ease of use; laboratory, student-based evaluation of usefulness; and algorithmic complexity analysis. This study also reveals a focus of artifact evaluation practice on a few criteria. Beyond immediate usefulness, IS researchers are urged to investigate ways of evaluating the long-term organizational impact and the societal impact of artifacts. Collapse

Topics: evaluation criteria database system ease of use problem solving organizational impact

Methods: design artifact testing design science design artifact qualitative coding qualitative content analysis

Theories: general systems theory

Cable News Wars on the Internet: Competition and User-Generated Content

2015 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Sabnis, Gaurav; Grewal, Rajdeep

Abstract: Academics and practitioners alike recognize that user-generated content (UGC), s ... Expand

Abstract: Academics and practitioners alike recognize that user-generated content (UGC), such as blog posts, help not only predict but also boost performance (e.g., sales). However, the role of competition in the UGC domain is not well understood. Building on extant research pertaining to the UGC-performance relationship, the authors document empirical evidence for a relationship between competitor UGC and focal firm performance. Data from a 30-week period describe the viewership of competing cable news shows on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC during the 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. time slots. They find evidence of a statistically significant relationship between competitor UGC and viewership and of heterogeneity in the direction of these competitive relationships, positive in some time slots and negative in others. The predictive power of UGC for viewership is enhanced by 3% to 5% simply by incorporating competitors’ UGC, in addition to a show’s own UGC. Thus, the study, as well as formulation of UGC-related marketing strategies, should incorporate competitive relationships. Collapse

Topics: blog Google+ personality organizational productivity website

Methods: computational algorithm longitudinal research instrumental variables estimation longitudinal data analysis Markov chain Monte Carlo

Toward Generalizable Sociomaterial Inquiry: A Computational Approach for Zooming in and Out of Sociomaterial Routines

2014 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 97

Authors: Gaskin, James; Berente, Nicholas; Lyytinen, Kalle; Youngjin Yoo

Abstract: In this paper, a computational, mixed methods approach that combines qualitative ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper, a computational, mixed methods approach that combines qualitative analysis with a novel approach to sequence analysis for studying the entanglement of human activities and digital capabilities in organizational routines is described. The approach is scalable across multiple contexts and complements the dominant idiographic modes of sociomaterial inquiry. The approach is rooted in the epistemology of a “rational reconstruction” consistent with the interpretive stance underlying the sociomaterial position. It arms researchers with the means to seek and uncover regularities in the ways human activities and digital capabilities become entangled across contexts by enabling the identification and articulation of generalizable patterns of sociomaterial activity. The computational approach is founded on sequence-analytic techniques that originated from the field of computational biology (genetics), but are now gaining popularity in the study of temporally ordered social phenomena such as organizational routines. These techniques are extended by drawing upon theoretical insights gained within sociomaterial scholarship on how the digital and the social become entangled. By detecting the variation in activities, actors, artifacts, and affordances that comprise what we denote a sociomaterial routine, the approach directly attends to ways in which human actors and the material features of technology become entangled in patterns of practice. Beyond motivating and describing the approach, the different insights that researchers can generate through its application in the study of the digitalization of organizational routines are illustrated. We conclude by suggesting several lines of inquiry that can enrich sociomaterial research. Collapse

Topics: affordance usability spreadsheet information system use open source

Methods: mixed method theory development design science design artifact metamodel

Theories: sociomaterialism theory theory of affordance

Social Network Ties, Transactive Memory, and Performance in Groups

2014 | Organization Science | Citations: 4

Authors: Lee, Jeong-Yeon; Bachrach, Daniel G.; Lewis, Kyle

Abstract: In a longitudinal quasi-field setting, we develop and test a compensatory proces ... Expand

Abstract: In a longitudinal quasi-field setting, we develop and test a compensatory process model of social network closure over time on the development of a transactive memory system (TMS) in groups. Although a great deal of research examines the effects of closure on organizational outcomes, that research does not describe the microprocesses that explain when, and under what conditions, closure is beneficial or detrimental. Results from our analysis of the microprocesses associated with TMSs revealed a negative direct effect of closure over time on TMS development and a simultaneous positive indirect effect of closure over time on TMS development driven by a transitive triadic social network structure. It is important to note that the mediating effect of the number of transitive triads on the relationship between closure and a TMS was predictive of subsequent group performance. Results from our study suggest that closure may be a double-edged sword and that the microprocesses associated with TMS development can explain closure’s disparate performance consequences. Collapse

Topics: team productivity information exchange social network task interdependence social capital

Methods: longitudinal research statistical hypothesis test theory development simulation hierarchical linear modeling

Theories: social capital theory

Latent Growth Modeling for Information Systems: Theoretical Extensions and Practical Applications

2014 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 11

Authors: Zheng, Zhiqiang (Eric); Pavlou, Paul A.; Gu, Bin

Abstract: This paper presents and extends Latent Growth Modeling (LGM) as a complementary ... Expand

Abstract: This paper presents and extends Latent Growth Modeling (LGM) as a complementary method for analyzing longitudinal data, modeling the process of change over time, testing time-centric hypotheses, and building longitudinal theories. We first describe the basic tenets of LGM and offer guidelines for applying LGM to Information Systems (IS) research, specifically how to pose research questions that focus on change over time and how to implement LGM models to test time-centric hypotheses. Second and more important, we theoretically extend LGM by proposing a model validation criterion, namely “d-separation,” to evaluate why and when LGM works and test its fundamental properties and assumptions. Our d-separation criterion does not rely on any distributional assumptions of the data; it is grounded in the fundamental assumption of the theory of conditional independence. Third, we conduct extensive simulations to examine a multitude of factors that affect LGM performance. Finally, as a practical application, we apply LGM to model the relationship between word-of-mouth communication (online product reviews) and book sales over time with longitudinal 26-week data from Amazon. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of LGM for helping IS researchers develop and test longitudinal theories. Collapse

Topics: online word of mouth online review word of mouth

Methods: longitudinal research simulation descriptive statistic cross sectional research structural equation modeling

Theories: information systems theory

Inciting Networks Effects Through Platform Authority: A Design Theory for Service Platforms

2013 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Scholten, Ulrich; Janiesch, Christian; Rosenkranz, Christoph

Abstract: The provisioning of software has shifted towards a service model, where applicat ... Expand

Abstract: The provisioning of software has shifted towards a service model, where applications are hosted, metered, and billed through service platforms rather than being sold as on-premise software. These services can exhibit network effects, which are self-enforcing effects of value generation. They describe the interdependency of service or platform value, service consumption, and third party service provisioning. Service platforms need to be designed to incite these network effects. We propose a design theory which is based on the operator’s platform authority as the key factor for controlling and influencing stakeholders in and around the service platform in different control modes. As a design method, we propose a conceptual modeling language which supports service platform design with staged areas of authority, process flows as well as control methods. We present the rationale behind the language, discuss its application, and propose testable hypotheses for an empirical evaluation. Collapse

Topics: network effect digital platform service quality Facebook Salesforce.com

Methods: design theory modeling language design methodology design science design requirement

Theories: control theory

Social Construction of User Beliefs of Collaborative Technology: A Multi-Method Approach

2010 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Nan, Ning; Yoo, Youngjin

Abstract: In this multi-method study, we combine a longitudinal field study and agent-base ... Expand

Abstract: In this multi-method study, we combine a longitudinal field study and agent-based modeling to examine the social construction process of user beliefs of collaborative technology over time. We argue that the primary methods in the technology acceptance literature—variance-based analysis and interpretive case study—are limited in understanding the reciprocal social influence process inherent to user beliefs of collaborative technology. Drawing on Bijker’s (1995) social construction of technology theory and Salancik and Pfeffer’s (1978) social information processing theory, research questions regarding the social construction of user beliefs are developed. We describe the longitudinal field study and agent-based modeling employed for answering the research questions. The future steps of this research-in-progress are outlined. We discuss the implications of this study at the end. Collapse

Topics: computer supported cooperative work perceived ease of use perceived usefulness technology adoption behavioral intention

Methods: agent based simulation longitudinal research field study simulation mixed method

Theories: social information processing theory technology acceptance model