Information systems for sustainable remote workplaces

2023 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Asatiani, Aleksandre; Norström, Livia

Abstract: This review discusses the challenges associated with the sustainability of remot ... Expand

Abstract: This review discusses the challenges associated with the sustainability of remote workplaces, which have become more prevalent due to the growing trend of work digitalization and the pandemic-induced push to remote work. These challenges are highlighted in literature across various disciplines, including information systems, but these discourses have remained isolated from each other. In this review, we consolidated and synthesized research on remote work from the perspective of individual workers by reviewing 187 articles published between 1999 and 2020 in recognized academic journals from fields including information systems, organizational studies, economics, human resources, sociology, and psychology. We identified five key themes that concern opportunities and challenges to sustainable remote workplaces: (1) key character­ istics, (2) work-life boundaries; (3) health and well-being; (4) social interaction, and (5) lead­ ership. Building on our findings we created a framework that recognizes two interrelated categories of factors influencing remote workplace sustainability – rigid base characteristics and contextual remote workplace variables – that together shape the trajectory of remote workplace sustainability in the long term. The framework also identifies the potential role of information systems in modulating the impact of the base characteristics to build continuities that encourage more sustainable remote workplaces. The paper concludes by offering a research agenda for in­ formation systems for sustainable remote workplaces based on the three IS theoretical frames: inclusion, dignity, and boundary objects. Collapse

Topics: remote work IT supported collaboration green IS pandemic task characteristic

Methods: literature sample literature study laboratory experiment journal ranking mixed method

Theories: boundary objects theory leader–member exchange theory

Why to gamify performance management? Consequences of user engagement in gamification

2023 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Bizzi, Lorenzo

Abstract: Gamification offers one of the most promising solutions for information technolo ... Expand

Abstract: Gamification offers one of the most promising solutions for information technology (IT) managers to innovate performance management systems. Yet, evidence on its benefits is limited, and IT managers are left without a clear guidance on why to implement it. To solve the problem, this article shows the benefits of gamification for overall job performance and the intermediating mechanisms through which it exercises its advantageous effects. It is theorized that employees’ engagement in gamification favorably alters their cognitions, transferring their effect onto employee attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. First, user engagement in gamification alters cognitions about the performance management system, making employees perceive justice, which, in turn, af­ fects their satisfaction with the performance system. Second, user engagement in gamification alters cognitions about the job, influencing the perceptions of job stressors that affect job satisfaction. Third, user engagement in gamification alters cognitions about the organization, making employees perceive organizational support, which translates into higher organizational commitment. The improved cognitions then transfer their beneficial effect onto overall job performance as justice is found to exercise a mediating effect. The findings from 268 employees in a human resource service organization support the hypotheses and provide concrete evidence for the benefits of gamification in performance management. Collapse

Topics: gamification task productivity organizational commitment job satisfaction organizational context

Methods: mediation analysis statistical hypothesis test survey survey design factor analysis

Theories: distributive justice theory

Team Performance: Nature and Antecedents of Nonnormal Distributions

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Bradley, Kyle J.; Aguinis, Herman

Abstract: Team research typically assumes that team performance is normally distributed: t ... Expand

Abstract: Team research typically assumes that team performance is normally distributed: teams cluster around average performance, performance variability is not substantial, and few teams inhabit the upper range of the distribution. Ironically, although most team research and methodological practices rely on the normality assumption, many theories actually imply nonnormality (e.g., performance spirals, team composition, team learning, punctuated equilibrium). Accordingly, we investigated the nature and antecedents of team performance distributions by relying on 274 performance distributions including 200,825 teams (e.g., sports, politics, firefighters, information technology, customer service) and more than 500,000 workers. First, regarding their overall nature, only 11% of the distributions were normal, star teams are much more prevalent than predicted by normality, the power law with an exponential cutoff is the most dominant distribution among nonnormal distributions (i.e., 73%), and incremental differentiation (i.e., differential performance trajectories across teams) is the best explanation for the emergence of these distributions. Second, this conclusion remained unchanged after examining theory-based boundary conditions (i.e., tournament versus nontournament contexts, performance as aggregation of individual-level performance versus performance as a team-level construct, performance assessed with versus without a hard left-tail zero, and more versus less sample homogeneity). Third, we used the team learning curve literature as a conceptual framework to test hypotheses and found that authority differentiation and lower temporal stability are associated with distributions with larger performance variability (i.e., a greater proportion of star teams). We discuss implications for existing theory, future research directions, and methodological practices (e.g., need to check for nonnormality, Bayesian analysis, outlier management). Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1619. Collapse

Topics: team productivity customer service anonymity systems development virtual teamwork

Methods: meta analysis statistical hypothesis test Bayesian analysis descriptive statistic chi squared test

Organizing Entrepreneurial Teams: A Field Experiment on Autonomy over Choosing Teams and Ideas

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 1

Authors: Boss, Viktoria; Dahlander, Linus; Ihl, Christoph; Jayaraman, Rajshri

Abstract: Scholars have suggested that autonomy can lead to better entrepreneurial team pe ... Expand

Abstract: Scholars have suggested that autonomy can lead to better entrepreneurial team performance. Yet, there are different types of autonomy, and they come at a cost. We shed light on whether two fundamental organizational design choices—granting teams autonomy to (1) choose project ideas to work on and (2) choose team members to work with—affect performance. We run a field experiment involving 939 students in a lean startup entrepreneurship course over 11 weeks. The aim is to disentangle the separate and joint effects of granting autonomy over choosing teams and choosing ideas compared with a baseline treatment with preassigned ideas and team members. We find that teams with autonomy over choosing either ideas or team members outperform teams in the baseline treatment as measured by pitch deck performance. The effect of choosing ideas is significantly stronger than the effect of choosing teams. However, the performance gains vanish for teams that are granted full autonomy over choosing both ideas and teams. This suggests the two forms of autonomy are substitutes. Causal mediation analysis reveals that the main effects of choosing ideas or teams can be partly explained by a better match of ideas with team members’ interests and prior network contacts among team members, respectively. Although homophily and lack of team diversity cannot explain the performance drop among teams with full autonomy, our results suggest that self-selected teams fall prey to overconfidence and complacency too early to fully exploit the potential of their chosen idea. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on organizational design, autonomy, and innovation.History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.Funding: The authors are grateful for funding from the Innovation Growth Laboratory, the Peter Curtius Foundation, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [Grant CRC TRR 190].Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1520. Collapse

Topics: team productivity entrepreneurship missing data intrinsic motivation evaluation criteria

Methods: experiment experimental group survey causal mediation analysis field experiment

From transformation to normalisation: An exploratory study of a large-scale agile transformation

2023 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 0

Authors: Carroll, Noel; Conboy, Kieran; Wang, Xiaofeng

Abstract: Following the highly pervasive and effective use of agile methods at the team le ... Expand

Abstract: Following the highly pervasive and effective use of agile methods at the team level, many software organisations now wish to replicate this success at the organisational level, adopting large-scale agile methods. However, an analysis of extant literature reveals (i) a lack of theoretically grounded studies of large-scale agile transformations; (ii) weak assumptions underpinning those that do exist; and (iii) an overly simplistic and often problematic over-reliance on simple adherence to agile methods. In addition, there is a lack of insights on why large-scale agile transformations fail. To explore this, we apply normalisation process theory (NPT) to examine key challenges in normalising (i.e. the process of embedding and sustaining) large-scale agile methods. We present an in-depth case study of large-scale agile transformation and demonstrate how failing to normalise a large-scale agile method can unravel an organisation’s transformation efforts. There are four key contributions from this research. First, this study shows that the standard focus on initial adoption is one of the main reasons for the widespread failure of digital transformations and in this case a large-scale agile transformation. Second, this is the first study to introduce and empirically apply NPT to information system development (ISD) as an illustrative guide for those across information systems field to follow. Third, we present key recommendations based on NPT to guide researchers and practitioners on the normalisation of large-scale transformations. Fourth, we present an agenda for future research on large-scale agile transformations. Collapse

Topics: Spotify digital service agile software development sensemaking digital transformation

Methods: case study design methodology qualitative interview qualitative coding literature study

Theories: information systems theory sociological theory dynamic capabilities theory

The Agency to Implement Voice: How Target Hierarchical Position and Competence Changes the Relationship Between Voice and Individual Performance

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Burris, Ethan R.; McClean, Elizabeth J.; Detert, Jim R.; Quigley, Tim J.

Abstract: Although voice is communication that is intended to benefit the performance of c ... Expand

Abstract: Although voice is communication that is intended to benefit the performance of collectives, little is known about the benefits or costs to individual task performance and what mechanisms drive these effects. Our research offers new theory to articulate and illustrate the conditions under which voice has positive versus negative effects on individual task performance by directly acknowledging that employees have many options for where to direct their ideas. We introduce an agency perspective on voice by theorizing that one fundamental reason why employees speak up is to generate the implementation of corrective action for issues affecting themselves and to the extent targets of voice have agency to facilitate action through implementation of voice, voicing employees should be more likely to realize performance benefits from speaking up. In a first field study, we present evidence that two characteristics—the hierarchical position of the voice target (boss versus peer) and the competence of the voice target—alter the relationship between voice and the voicing employee’s task performance. In a second field study, using an event-contingent design, we provide evidence of the unique mechanisms underlying how competent managers (via their resources) and competent peers (via their efficacy to act) affect how upward and sideways voices lead to idea implementation. We discuss the theoretical implications of these ideas and findings by highlighting how voice target characteristics influence not just the incidence of voice but also, its outcomes. Funding: This research benefited from financial support through the McCombs Research Excellence Grant. Collapse

Topics: task productivity team productivity individual productivity personality human resource management

Methods: survey statistical hypothesis test qualitative interview chi squared test factor analysis

Theories: social cognitive theory

Exploring Teams' Temporal Factors for Determining Process Tailoring that Promotes the Evolution of Agilebased Software Development

2023 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen, Chung-Yang; Lee, Jung-Chieh

Abstract: In contemporary software development, software process tailoring (SPT) refers to ... Expand

Abstract: In contemporary software development, software process tailoring (SPT) refers to the continual planning and adjustment of the development process, which evolves to better accommodate dynamics and meet customer needs. SPT is a critical teamwork involving the differences in time-related perceptions among team members when tailoring to adjust and refine the development. This is particularly true in agile-based projects that promote iterative development over shorter cycle times for early release; thus, temporality is critical to efficiently and effectively determine a process solution for the next iteration of time-bound development. In this regard, this study theorizes a temporal model to explore how teams' temporal leadership, temporal reflexivity and shared temporal cognitions (STC) collectively determine SPT performance in agile environments. Based on an empirical examination, we suggest facilitating the role of temporal leadership in agile development, as the results demonstrate that it not only directly increases SPT performance but also stimulates both temporal reflexivity and STC in their collateral influences on effectual development planning. Notably, the results also show that team reflexivity does not exert the same favorable effect in SPT as in the distributed team environment. Theoretical implications are considered, and practical applications of the findings are provided. Collapse

Topics: agile software development virtual teamwork co-located work systems development collaborative work

Methods: survey partial least squares regression design methodology theory development longitudinal research

Intellectual capital and team resilience capability of information system development project teams

2023 | Information & Management | Citations: 16

Authors: Cheng, Kuang-Ting; Hsu, Jack Shih-Chieh; Li, Yuzhu; Brading, Ryan

Abstract: Adversities are inherent in the information system development (ISD) process and ... Expand

Abstract: Adversities are inherent in the information system development (ISD) process and often put projects to a halt. However, it is unclear what capabilities the team needs to resist and bounce back from adverse events. The purpose of this study is to propose that team resilience capability (TRC), containing affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors is vital for effective project performance. Further, by adopting the conservation of resource perspective, we theorize that intellectual capital, including human capital, technology capital, and political capital fosters TRC. Survey data collected from 149 ISD project teams confirmed our ideas that TRC is strongly tied with project performance and is more affected by human capital, followed by political capital and tech­ nology capital. Collapse

Topics: human resource management project productivity systems development information technology capability pandemic

Methods: survey partial least squares regression regression analysis method literature study business process modeling

Rising Above vs. Falling Below: When and Why Status Change Affects Interpersonal Helping in Workgroups

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Doyle, Sarah P.; Lount, Robert B.

Abstract: The current research sheds new light on how and why status hierarchies impact in ... Expand

Abstract: The current research sheds new light on how and why status hierarchies impact interpersonal helping by examining people’s reactions to recently experienced status change. Specifically, we incorporate findings from research on the self-serving attributional bias to theorize about how the direction of status change (i.e., a gain or a loss) can shape the extent to which people accept or deflect personal responsibility for their change in status, which we argue will then impact other-concern and, thus, their willingness to help. Further, we identify status change legitimacy as a key contingency that will strengthen or weaken the psychological and behavioral effects of status change. Among firefighter teams (Study 1), participants in the laboratory (Studies 2 and 3), and student teams (Study 4), we show that (1) status change impacts interpersonal helping through its impact on changes in other-concern and (2) status change legitimacy moderates the effect of status change on both other-concern and interpersonal helping. Additionally, we document an asymmetry with regards to the effects of status change on both other-concern and helping behavior (i.e., with the negative impact of a status loss being stronger than the positive impact of a status gain). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Collapse

Topics: team productivity missing data accounting

Methods: survey polynomial regression parametric test survey design two-way ANOVA

How “What you think you know about cybersecurity” can help users make more secure decisions

2023 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Fard Bahreini, Amir; Cavusoglu, Hasan; Cenfetelli, Ronald T.

Abstract: The increasing use of information technology artifacts in daily life makes secur ... Expand

Abstract: The increasing use of information technology artifacts in daily life makes security a shared responsibility of both users and companies. In recent years, increasing a user’s objective (i.e., actual) security knowledge and providing applications with more secure default settings appear among the most ubiquitous tools companies use to broaden their efforts to help users make more secure decisions. Examining both solutions matters because they are widely used, cost effective, and understood by many security practitioners. Additionally, default settings and users’ objective knowledge provide anchors for decision-making. However, human errors and insecure default settings are increasing and raising further questions about the efficacy of such efforts. Using the theory of bounded ra­ tionality, we investigated the role of objective, subjective (i.e., self-assessed) security knowledge, and default settings security level on the overall decision security. We found that objective security knowledge can lead to secure decisions when paired with high subjective security knowledge. In the absence of the latter, objective security knowledge is unable to lead to better security decisions. Furthermore, subjective security knowledge reduces the extent to which users fully accept default security settings, thereby mitigating bias toward insecure default settings. Collapse

Topics: mobile application data security decision making self efficacy mobile application market

Methods: survey descriptive statistic structural equation modeling literature study post-hoc analysis

Theories: theory of bounded rationality