Emerging Trends of ICT Adoption in Innovation Contexts: A Network Framework

Given the growing prominence of innovation in service sciences and international competitiveness, the context of innovation has emerged in adoption research. This study explores emerging trends of ICT adoption in an innovation context. More specifically, given the increased importance of inter-organizational networks in fostering innovation, the study uncovers drivers of adoption of inter-organizational systems that support the innovation process. Particularly, to enhance understanding of innovations that are entrenched in networks of heterogeneous actors, this study employs an interdisciplinary approach as it applies network and relationships marketing literatures to the adoption and inter-organizational systems literatures. Based on qualitative research incorporating a focus group and sixteen in-depth interviews, the study provides a network framework for understanding key drivers of ICT adoption, including trust, commitment, coordination and communication efficiency, in innovation contexts

IOS project motivation as a determinant of project activities and business capabilities

This paper investigates how innovation of ICT based services takes place within existing infrastructures, including the whole network of technology, vendors and customers. Our research question is, how can an information infrastructure provide generative mechanisms for innovation of ICT based services? Building on a critical realist approach, our empirical evidence was a case study within an international airline, aiming to diversify its services. From our analysis we propose that there are two self-reinforcement mechanisms in information infrastructures. First, we identified the innovation reinforcement mechanism, resulting in new services. Second, there is the service reinforcement mechanism, resulting in more users and profits. The practical implication of our framework is to show that although ICT-based innovation cannot be planned and managed in detail, the innovation mechanism may help organisations to facilitate the innovation process in a structured way

“Caveat Emptor”: Cultural Assumptions in Information Technology Innovation

“Caveat emptor” in Latin or “let buyer beware” is a maxim from early common law that proposes that the buyer is responsible for using sound judgment in the purchase of goods and services based on their intended context of use. Used analogously for “ let the innovator beware” the paper looks at information technology (IT) innovation, with its adaptororiented nature, and puts into question the prepackaged artifact’s use across diverse cultures. If widespread adoption of IT is to persist we have to address the cultural assumptions that permeates IT literature. The emerging discourses on culture and social construction highlight the need for the inclusion of alternative views on the conceptualization, construction and development of culture. Using the historical socio-constructivist perspective of activity theory, the paper presents three assumptions designed to act as a sensitizing device and complement existing literature on IT innovation by providing a foundation for context-differentiated reasoning

Overcoming challenges for managing IT innovations in non-IT companies

Information technology (IT) impacts almost every business unit inside the enterprise. However, the role of the IT organization as an enabler of growth and driver of business innovation is mostly ignored. In this paper we introduce six non- IT companies which asses IT innovations as important for their strategy and competitive advantage. Four companies already created formalized structures for managing IT innovations. We describe the reasons why companies have chosen to create those structures and which challenges they experienced. Furthermore, we reveal reasons why companies do not create formalized structures, although IT innovations are important for their business. As a result we propose measures how companies can overcome these challenges to manage IT innovations. Approaching these steps will not only lead to successful IT innovations and improved processes, it will also strengthen the perception of the IT organization as an innovative partner

Information Technology Innovation Spirals in Cross-Cultural Collaboration: A Case of Software Localization in Africa

There is little doubt that IT innovation can be a driving force for economic growth. Economic theories promote the notion of innovation adoption, in which technological slipover from technologically advanced countries advance growth in less technologically advanced countries. The ability to adopt these technologies is often reliant on previous experience and knowledge. Thus capacity building has been proposed as a central driver to enable the adoption of IT innovation. However, the adoption of innovation and capacity building are subject to significant barriers, which are particular to the context. By viewing IT innovation as a process where IT gets adopted, diffused and assimilated into the organization, we present a conceptual framework that fosters innovation through collaborative innovation spirals. The framework is developed through the analysis of a case study conducted in Ethiopia. The resulting framework presents researchers and practitioners with a potential tool for cross-cultural innovation

Determinants of Blockchain Technology Introduction in Organizations: an Empirical Study among Experienced Practitioners

Blockchain is expected to enable new types of interorganizational relationships, new approaches to governance and new approaches to settlement and clearing processes. Neverthless, although the interest on blockchain is on the rise, there are not many blockchain implementations in organizations and there is limited empirical research investigating the reasons for this. This paper contributes to filling this gap by investigating the following research question: what are the impeding and motivating factors for organizational blockchain adoption? Data were collected through a survey based on pairwise comparisons of key factors identified in the literature. The data collected were analyzed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) which is a structured approach for deriving priorities among diverse elements. The results provide insights about the issues that matter the most for practitioners and show that infrastructural qualities (reliability, transparency, immutability) matter more than characteristics related to blockchain´s transformative potential (automation of transactions, decentralization). Furthermore, the results for impeding factors indicate that the most prominent concerns relate to maturity and scalability.publishedVersio

Demystifying the Role of the Steward

This study seeks to enhance understanding regarding the public sector stewardship of integrated services delivery initiatives in joined-up digital government, with a particular focus on understanding the nature of the steward’s role in practice. This specifically includes the skills required of those performing stewardship, and the key challenges stewards faced. Eight interviews supplemented by the use of reflective journals were completed with stewards of the New Zealand public sector to understand their practice and perception of the steward concept. Three tiers of stewardship practice were identified: (1) Internal Stewardship, (2) Inter-Agency Stewardship, and (3) Stewardship as a Governance Model. Each tier exhibited unique challenges. Participants overcame these challenges through performing two complementary sub-roles: Navigator and Storyteller. Understanding the operational challenges of the stewardship tiers and how the stewardship roles were enacted has implications for both practitioners and researchers

The Effect of Total Quality Management on Firm Performance with the Mediating Roles of Innovation and Knowledge Management in Small Medium Enterprises

In the present era, the policy and decision makers are quite concerned regarding quality, hence the firms are more intricate and facing questions concerning which quality management practice would be adopted to increase the firm’s performance. The primary objective of this paper was to identify the effect of total quality management on firm’s performance through the mediating roles of innovation and knowledge management in the SME’S of Pakistan. A sum of 280 respondents was selected for data collection from various SME’S and employing a structural equation modelling for data analysis. It was summed up that a statistically significant causal correlation has been found among the TQM, innovation, knowledge management and firm’s performance. This article is established on theories like resource based theory and institutional theory. The results give cognitive understandings regarding how the modern as well as present SME’s would accomplish higher performance and consistent competitiveness through the interplay of these variables in the local and international market

EXPANDING BUSINESS FROM PRODUCTS TO DIGITAL SERVICES: VALUE DIMENSIONS OF DIGITAL SERVICES ENABLED BY EMBEDDED TECHNOLOGY

Manufacturing firms are now embedding digital technology into products to offer digital services to their customers. Digital services create opportunities for firms to add new value dimensions to their businesses as firms now can expand their businesses from tangible products to digital services. Existing research explains three value dimensions. ‘Value-in-exchange’ is traditionally followed by manufacturing firms where they determine monetary value for their products and exchange the value with customers. Recent research argues that ‘value-in-exchange’ does not emphasize on interacting with customers and value is determined through ‘value-in-use’ and ‘value-in-cocreation’. With the utilization of embedded digital technology in products, new digital services are rendered and new value dimensions are emanating. Existing research informs little about the value dimensions of digital services that result from the combination of digital technology and tangible products. Therefore, in this research, we seek answer to the question, ‘What are the value dimensions of digital services enabled by embedded digital technology in tangible products?’ A qualitative study has been conducted to investigate Remote Diagnostics Services (RDS) for vehicles. Along with the three known value dimensions, that is, value-in-exchange, value-in-use and value-in-cocreation, this research contributes to knowledge by showing two new value dimensions: ‘value-in-connectivity’ and ‘value-inarchitecture’

The micro processes underlying small firms'integration into territorial innovation dynamics - a knowledge based perspective

The paper is concerned with the process of SMEs' insertion into innovation projects within regional clusters. The objective is to contribute to a better understanding of this process by examining the underlying mechanisms of territorial innovation dynamics. A particular attention is given to the interplay between the features of territorial dynamics of innovation identified, and SMEs' capacity to participate to collaborative innovation projects. In this perspective, the article analyse the front-end process of territorial inter-organizational innovation, the early stage during which partners negotiate and establish collaborative innovation projects. Rather than investigating how clusters facilitate the access to new resources and knowledge, the crucial question here is how clusters allow the combination of different component of knowledge among heterogeneous actors. First, our findings reveal the key underlying role of architectural knowledge in local innovation processes. Second, they suggest that the nature of architectural knowledge inside the cluster influences the capacity and the motivation of SMEs to participate to local innovation projects. These findings contribute to theory by developing a grounded model of territorial dynamics of innovation and of SMEs integration into localised innovation projectsclusters; SMEs; architectural innovation; knowledge; local innovation projects