To Speak up or Shut up? Revealing the Drivers of Crowdworker Voice Behaviors in Crowdsourcing Work Environments

2023 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Deng, Xuefei (Nancy); Taylor, Joseph; Joshi, K.

Abstract: This study examines worker voice behaviors in the microtask crowdsourcing work ... Expand

Abstract: This study examines worker voice behaviors in the microtask crowdsourcing work environment (CSWE) where voice channels are absent. Informed by employee voice research, this study adopts the revealed causal mapping method to analyze the detailed narratives of 60 workers from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our data analysis shows that the crowdworkers did engage in voice behaviors, but their voices were not always heard, depending on recipients. The crowdworker voice was directed to three different recipients (worker community, job requester, and platform) and influenced by six antecedents (duty orientation, efficacy judgment, workgroup identification, anger/frustration, futility, and achievement orientation). Based on the findings, we propose a model of worker voice antecedents and moderators in the CSWE. This study extends employee voice research by presenting a moderator perspective in the CSWE. Moreover, our study provides a nuanced understanding of crowdworker voice behaviors from two major aspectsantecedent and recipientcontributing to crowdsourcing research. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing online community virtual workplace platform worker IT work

Methods: conceptual modelling design artifact survey theoretical contribution qualitative coding

Robotic Process Automation from the Design-Capital Perspective – Effects on Technical Debt and Digital Options

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Ruha, Lauri; Rinta-Kahila, Tapani; Penttinen, Esko

Abstract: Robotic process automation (RPA) is an instantiation of lightweight automation t ... Expand

Abstract: Robotic process automation (RPA) is an instantiation of lightweight automation that allows organizations to automate manual business processes quickly and at low cost without modifying the organization’s underlying deep information-systems structures. While RPA endows organizations with digital options (e.g., automation ability, cost savings), its implementation is bound to incur technical debt (i.e., accumulate unwarranted complexity in the IT architecture). The paper reports on an action research study shedding light on how RPA ties in with these two notions of a firm’s design capital: digital options and technical debt. Findings indicate that RPA can create digital options through improvements in knowledge reach, knowledge richness, and process richness. These benefits come at the cost of accumulating technical debt which stems from additional technical complexity and maintenance obligations. Collapse

Topics: business process management customer relationship management system customer service robotic electronic mail

Methods: action research

How Does Intelligent System Knowledge Empowerment Yield Payoffs? Uncovering the Adaptation Mechanisms and Contingency Role of Work Experience

2022 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 2

Authors: Chen, Liwei; Hsieh, J. J. Po-An; Rai, Arun

Abstract: Intelligent systems (IntelSys) are transforming the nature of work as humans and ... Expand

Abstract: Intelligent systems (IntelSys) are transforming the nature of work as humans and machines collectively perform tasks in novel ways. Although intelligent systems empower employees with algorithm-generated knowledge, they require employees to adapt how they work to enhance their job performance. We draw on the coping-adaptation framework as the overarching theoretical lens to explain how employees’ perceptions of IntelSys knowledge as an empowering external coping resource affect the mechanisms through which they adapt to IntelSys-induced changes to their work, as well as how their internal coping resources regulate their adaptation. Our coping-adaptation explanation of intelligence augmentation integrates (i) the empowering role of external coping resources, specifically IntelSys knowledge, captured as intelligent system knowledge empowerment (ISK-Emp); (ii) the benefit-maximizing adaptation mechanism (through infusion use enhancement) and the disturbance-minimizing adaptation mechanism (through role conflict reduction) that channel the impact of ISK-Emp on job performance; and (iii) the regulating role of internal resources, specifically, employees’ work experience, in influencing the importance of the adaptation mechanisms for the employee. We conduct studies in three distinct settings in which different intelligent systems were implemented to support employees’ knowledge work. Our findings show that ISK-Emp increases job performance through each of the two adaptation mechanisms. The benefit-maximization mechanism (via enhanced infusion use) plays a more important role for novice employees than for experienced employees, whereas the disturbance-minimization mechanism (via reduced role conflict) has higher importance for experienced employees than for novice employees. Our work provides insights into the critical role of adaptation mechanisms in linking ISK-Emp with performance outcomes and into the relative importance of the adaptation mechanisms through which job performance payoffs are realized by novice and experienced employees. Collapse

Topics: task productivity IT skill customer satisfaction system maintenance customer service

Methods: survey theory development chi squared test descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test

The contract-type choice for short-term software development outsourcing: The role of behaviour-based formal control

2021 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 0

Authors: Gaebert, Cornelia; Kautz, Karlheinz

Abstract: With this article, we contribute to the recent debate regarding the role of tran ... Expand

Abstract: With this article, we contribute to the recent debate regarding the role of transaction cost economics in IT outsourcing and software development outsourcing research. Our focus is on the contract-type choice for short-term software development outsourcing. For this purpose, we critically examine transaction cost economics and the extant IT outsourcing/software development outsourcing literature and propose a framework which classifies software development outsourcing transactions according to transaction frequency and transaction investment characteristics. The framework identifies short-term software development outsourcing as an occasional, idiosyncratic transaction. Based on this groundwork, we clarify the concept of short-term contract and put forward that such a transaction is governed by a short-term contract. Following transaction cost economics and control theory, our resulting theoretical considerations infer that for short-term software development outsourcing, the vendor’s high human asset specificity and the resulting behaviour-based outcome control, the monitoring of the developer staff, are the triggers for contract-type decisions. Accordingly, staff monitoring by the client should result in Time & Material contracts, whereas staff monitoring by the vendor should result in Fixed Price contracts. We develop corresponding hypotheses which we test with 468 specific contract records for short-term software development outsourcing. The results confirm the transaction cost economics–based recommendations for contract-type choice. We therefore conclude that the advice of the transaction cost economics to use certain governance structures according to transaction attributes is also applicable to IT outsourcing/software development outsourcing transactions. We suggest further exploration of specific contract records to substantiate our results. Collapse

Topics: outsourcing systems development asset specificity database system system maintenance

Methods: Fisher's exact test descriptive statistic chi squared test qualitative coding

Theories: transaction cost economics lemon market theory control theory

Controlling Technical Debt Remediation in Outsourced Enterprise Systems Maintenance: An Empirical Analysis

2021 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Ramasubbu, Narayan; Kemerer, Chris F.

Abstract: Technical debt refers to maintenance obligations that stem from violations of es ... Expand

Abstract: Technical debt refers to maintenance obligations that stem from violations of established standards during the development and subsequent maintenance of enterprise systems. Technical debt remediation is particularly challenging in the outsourcing context due to information asymmetry between client and vendor teams. Control balancing—the periodic adjustments to the control configurations of outsourced projects—has been proposed as a process to help mitigate these information asymmetry challenges. Using data collected from 1,824 real-world projects, we tested to what extent control balancing improves the remediation of technical debt. After controlling for a number of technical and environmental factors, including system size, system lifespan, and contract parameters, we find that control balancing can benefit technical debt remediation, but primarily when processes for migrating technical debt-laden systems to new technological platforms have been identified. We highlight the role of technical debt in influencing the effects of relational flexibility in inter-firm engagements. Collapse

Topics: outsourcing enterprise information system virtual teamwork IT project database system

Methods: survey focus group group interview instrumental variables estimation archival research

Heroes, contracts, cooperation, and processes: Changes in collaboration in a large enterprise systems project

2021 | Information & Management | Citations: 3

Authors: Smolander, Kari; Rossi, Matti; Pekkola, Samuli

Abstract: Enterprise systems are developed and tailored in large, long-term projects, some ... Expand

Abstract: Enterprise systems are developed and tailored in large, long-term projects, sometimes spanning for decades, whereby a network of parties comprising customer and developer organizations, subcontractors, and consultants work together to deliver a successful system. This collaboration is complex; the network and the operating environment are in a constant flux, which creates conflict and challenging situations. Collaboration and ways of working evolve through various crises, internal and external incidents, and project phases. This means that project management practices, communication patterns, contracts, and ultimately personal relationships change. This longitudinal, qualitative, single case study analyzes a 20-year-old enterprise systems development project, whereby different incidents and crises initiated changes to collaboration practices and the drivers for collabo­ ration. We identified four collaboration modes — contract mode, cooperation mode, personified mode, and process mode — each of which was the main driver in different development circumstances. As a key contri­ bution, we propose the seed of a mid-range theory that provides heuristics for responding to different types of crises that might occur while developing large-scale systems. Collapse

Topics: systems development IT development project IT project enterprise information system boundary spanning

Methods: qualitative coding qualitative interview longitudinal research grounded theory theory development

Theories: boundary objects theory

Packaged Enterprise System Customization – A Systematic Literature Review

2021 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Singh, Chandan; Pekkola, Samuli

Abstract: A packaged enterprise system (PES) is an Enterprise System (ES) software package ... Expand

Abstract: A packaged enterprise system (PES) is an Enterprise System (ES) software package that is built with certain assumptions about the business processes. It is offered to the business with an implemented and predefined set of functionalities, which, however, are seldom usable immediately, but require some customization. Sometimes only minor changes to PES are made while occasionally the system, offering more possibilities, is configured significantly. This paper aims at mapping what we know about PES customization, and presents a systematic literature review to form a coherent understanding of its topics, themes, methods, publication outlets, scientific disciplines, and researchers. Our findings show that the topic is scattered across disciplines and domains, the studies mostly relying on surveys and implementation phase case studies, and giving a generic view rather than focusing on certain domain or the type of PES. We thus propose a set of potential research topics, for example on the business domain level to better understand the dynamics of customization and its influencing factor. Collapse

Topics: system maintenance business process management enterprise resource planning enterprise information system database system

Methods: structured literature research literature sample literature study survey case study

Examining Exploitability Risk of Vulnerabilities: A Hazard Model

2020 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Roumani, Yaman; Nwankpa, Joseph

Abstract: With the increasing number and severity of security incidents and exploits, info ... Expand

Abstract: With the increasing number and severity of security incidents and exploits, information technology (IT) vendors, security managers, and consumers have begun to place more emphasis on security. Yet, fixing the sheer volume of vulnerabilities remains a challenge as IT vendors race against attackers to evaluate system vulnerabilities, prioritize them, and issue security patches before cybercriminals can exploit them. In this study, we posit that IT vendors can prioritize which vulnerabilities they should patch first by assessing their exploitability risk. Accordingly, we identified the vulnerabilities that cybercriminals will most likely exploit using vulnerability-related attributes and vulnerability types. To do so, we employed survival analysis and tested our models using historical data of vulnerabilities and exploits between 2007 and 2016. Our results indicate that IT vendors benefit the most from fixing remotely exploitable vulnerabilities; non-complex vulnerabilities; vulnerabilities that require no authentication; and vulnerabilities that affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability components. Furthermore, our findings suggest that IT vendors can mitigate the risk of exploit-related attacks by remedying code-injection vulnerabilities, buffer-overflow vulnerabilities, and numeric-error vulnerabilities. Collapse

Topics: electronic authentication research and development database system privacy SQL injection

Methods: regression analysis method survival analysis proportional hazards model game theoretical model Compustat

Theories: game theory theory of bounded rationality

A 'Linking Pin' or Beyond? A Decision Rights Perspective of the Guardian Vendor Role in IT Multisourcing

2020 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Shroff, Bhavya Peapully; Bandi, Rajendra K

Abstract: The practical challenges of IT multisourcing (ITM) have prompted the client orga ... Expand

Abstract: The practical challenges of IT multisourcing (ITM) have prompted the client organizations to adopt the Guardian model, wherein a vendor (the ‘Guardian’) takes over the responsibility of managing the multiple vendors. Literature broadly refers to the Guardian’s role in ITM governance, yet the Guardian role is under-theorized. The practical manifestation of the Guardian’s role, the core activities and influence of the Guardian is a black box. The paper provides a novel conceptualization of the Guardian’s core activities as the exercise of ‘decision rights’ related to contractual and ex-post governance. In-depth exploratory interviews of the key stakeholders of the Guardian model across multiple ITM engagements are carried out to draw from practical knowledge. Preliminary findings reveal the various decision rights and the patterns of their allocation to the Guardian. The study offers potential insights for both theory and practice. The current status and future research plan are discussed. Collapse

Topics: system maintenance systems development IS management systems implementation resource allocation

Methods: qualitative interview personal interview case study

Examining end users’ ability to select business services: A conceptual framework and an empirical study

2020 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Vitharana, Padmal; Basu, Amiya

Abstract: Software made from autonomous business services is gaining popularity. Now end u ... Expand

Abstract: Software made from autonomous business services is gaining popularity. Now end users can build large applications by assembling a suite of services. Because some end users might have limited knowledge of their requirements and the functionality of available services, the key challenge is to find the services needed to build an application. The task of finding the services matching requirements requires specialized knowledge—knowledge of requirements and the functionality of available services—not just mere general competence. Moreover, the complexity of the requirements could also hinder the ability of end users to select services. However, there is little research into how the end users’ sophistication and requirement complexity affect their ability to avoid duplication (i.e., select the most cost-effective set of services) and select a set of services that satisfy their requirements. We provide a conceptual framework for the choice problem faced by the decision maker and develop a set of hypotheses on end user's sophistication and requirement complexity, and the impact of these factors on outcome performance—the ability to avoid duplication and select the appropriate services. Then we conduct an empirical study to test the hypotheses. Empirical results offer support for all hypotheses. Our work has several implications. We demonstrate both conceptually and empirically that end users’ naivety has a significant impact on service duplication. For a profit-maximizing service vendor, knowledge of the end user's sophistication/naivety allows there to be different pricing strategies: (1) a pure component strategy, (2) a pure bundling strategy, or (3) a mixed bundling strategy. Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet task complexity accounting system maintenance website

Methods: descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test experiment mathematical model regression analysis method