Institutional Logics of IT-enabled Organizational Performance in Resource Constrained EMS Organizations

Previous research in information systems (IS) have used Institutional theory to explain how various institutional forces influence the use of information technology (IT) to support organizational performance in healthcare organizations. In this study, we use the institutional logics lens to theorize the institutional logics of IT-enabled organizational performance in the context of resource constrained emergency medical services (EMS) organizations. Our study is informed by the critical realist philosophy and uses interviews, participant observation and organizational data collected from a single case study to develop explanations of the institutional logics of IT-enabled organizational performance. From a CR perspective, institutional logics correspond to the structures which are situated in the domain of real. At this level, an institutional logics lens is considered an appropriate lens for such analysis. To identify and explain the institutional logics embedded in the EMS case, the study adapts Berente and Yoo (2012) framework for characterizing institutional logics. The study contributes to literature on the mechanisms that influence organizational performance in resource constrained healthcare organizations

Top Management Lead Entrepreneurship in Handling Competing Institutional logics for DHIS-2 Adoption in Ethiopian Public Health Care Context

IT governance matters in information system implementation. However, managers are left with generative strategies to address contradictory issues in health information system(HIS) implementation. The prescriptive and unilateral IT governance framework is inadequate to design appropriate IT governance mechanisms in complex HIS where diversified actors with different IT perspectives are in play. IS research advocate to employ collaborative and loose coupling strategies to address contradictory issues in complex health setting, yet it is rarely depicting how managers employ collaborative and loose coupling strategies to incorporate all stakeholders. This study aimed to explore how managers design IT governance mechanism in the case of District Health Information System 2(DHIS-2) adoption in public health care setting where multiple stakeholders are in play. Institutional logic concept is used to understand how stakeholders’ principles, assumptions and goal influenced IT governance mechanism design. The finding depicts first how lack of resource and technical capacity generate dominant actors and later how these dominant actors’ institutional logic shaped IT governance mechanism design. The study highlighted how high level official new to the context with decision right guided senior managers to devise various proactive IT governance mechanisms (stakeholders’ participation, experience sharing, demonstration, training, piloting, internal and external system evaluation, delaying) to consider new alternatives. These IT governance mechanisms enabled managers and actors to distance from the prevailing institutional logics, garnered more actors with resource and technical capacity to the new system, weakening the dominant institutional logics and used as a foundation to make prompt decision. On the other hand the study highlighted how dominant institutional logics challenged this entrepreneurship with country wide established network for decade. The study highlighted the importance of high level official distance from the prevailing institutional logics and guidance to enable senior managers designing better IT governance mechanism which incorporates all stakeholders for system adoption

Generative mechanisms of IT-enabled organisational performance in resource-constrained Emergency Medical Services organisations in South Africa

Problem Statement: Emergency medical services (EMS) organisations have one of the highest levels of dependence on and use of information technology (IT) to support delivery of emergency medical services. The need for EMS organisations to provide efficient and effective emergency medical services has emphasised the importance of performance management. Organisational performance which is monitored and evaluated through key performance indicators (KPIs) plays an important role in EMS organisations. Organisational performance helps to monitor, evaluate and communicate outcomes in the form of KPIs. Empirical evidence shows that quantitative KPIs have been designed with little in-depth understanding of the underlying IT usage mechanisms that influence organisational performance. Unfortunately, such quantitative KPI reports have been limited in explaining organisational performance underpinned by IT. Purpose / rationale of the research: The purpose of this research study was to identify the generative mechanisms associated with IT-enabled organisational performance and to explain how these mechanisms interact. In the context of resource-constrained EMS organisations, quantitatively defined KPIs are not suitable for explaining the underlying causes of performance variations and outcomes. The lack of empirical evidence on IT-enabled organisational performance as well as the lack of theoretical explanations of the underlying mechanisms provided the primary rationale for this study. In addition, this study sought to provide answers to the following research question: What generative mechanisms explain IT-enabled organisational performance in resource-constrained EMS organisations? Theoretical approach/methodology/design: This study was informed by the critical realist philosophy of science and used the complex adaptive systems theory together with institutional theory as the theoretical lenses to investigate the research question in a manner that jointly explained the generative mechanisms. Using interviews, participant observation, organisational performance data and documents collected from a single case study, the study used abduction and retroduction techniques to explicate the mechanisms of IT-enabled organisational performance. Findings: Findings indicate that the IT-enabled organisational performance mechanisms can be categorised into two types of generative mechanisms. These are structural and coordination mechanisms. The explanation of the mechanisms developed in this study take into consideration three important elements: (1) the technological, cultural and structural mechanisms that influence IT-enabled organisational performance; (2) the unpredictable, non-linear, adaptive nature of emergency medical services environments; and (3) the complexities that arise in the interactions between EMS organisations and their environments. Originality/contribution: In respect of IT-enabled organisational performance this study contributes to both organisational and health information systems literature by developing a multi-level research framework that is informed by the realist philosophical stance. The framework plays an explanatory role which relates to its inherent ability to offer explanatory insights into the necessary mechanisms that give rise to organisational performance. This framework has the potential to guide empirical research and provide theoretical explanations of different domains or disciplines that are concerned with identifying IT usage mechanisms which influence organisational performance. These include the significance of the coordination and structural mechanisms which, under differing conditions of uncertainty, produce variations in performance outcomes. Implications: Findings from this study can be integrated into broader emergency medical policy planning and health programme management. The model developed by the study provides a fresh understanding of the underpinning mechanisms enabling performance in resource-constrained EMS organisations. It can be used to assist emergency medical institutions and practitioners in South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries, especially Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to improve emergency medical service delivery to the public. The findings provide a guide for improving management of emergency medical situations and resources in their respective resource-constrained contexts. Furthermore, findings from the study can also guide improved design and implementation strategies and policies of EMS systems initiatives in South Africa and sub-Saharan developing countries

Individual agency in the social construction of Green Public Procurement: Emergence and implications in Stavanger Municipality

Given the urgent global climate challenges we face today, it is imperative for actors at all levels - international, national, and local - to take decisive action. In this context, green public procurement (GPP) emerges as a valuable environmental policy tool employed by public authorities. GPP involves the procurement of goods and services that have a reduced environmental impact compared to alternatives that serve the same purpose. This thesis examines the institutionalization of GPP at the municipal level through a case study of Stavanger Municipality in Norway. Concepts from institutional theory were used to deepen the understanding of the current situation of GPP in Stavanger. Expert interviews and document analysis, as well as a comprehensive examination of 32 tenders from six sectors, provide a broad empirical foundation that is used to gain an understanding of GPP at the municipal level. The findings reveal a disconnect between the municipality's ambitious emission targets and its actual actions, leading to a decoupling of commitments and behavior relating to climate and environmental efforts, including the strategic use of GPP. The analysis highlights the importance of individual competence and motivation in a complex institutional environment and suggests that leadership should invest in individuals with environmental expertise to accelerate sustainability transitions. By identifying weaknesses in current practices and opportunities for improvement, this study provides valuable insights into how GPP could be used more strategically to align with municipal environmental goals.Given the urgent global climate challenges we face today, it is imperative for actors at all levels - international, national, and local - to take decisive action. In this context, green public procurement (GPP) emerges as a valuable environmental policy tool employed by public authorities. GPP involves the procurement of goods and services that have a reduced environmental impact compared to alternatives that serve the same purpose. This thesis examines the institutionalization of GPP at the municipal level through a case study of Stavanger Municipality in Norway. Concepts from institutional theory were used to deepen the understanding of the current situation of GPP in Stavanger. Expert interviews and document analysis, as well as a comprehensive examination of 32 tenders from six sectors, provide a broad empirical foundation that is used to gain an understanding of GPP at the municipal level. The findings reveal a disconnect between the municipality's ambitious emission targets and its actual actions, leading to a decoupling of commitments and behavior relating to climate and environmental efforts, including the strategic use of GPP. The analysis highlights the importance of individual competence and motivation in a complex institutional environment and suggests that leadership should invest in individuals with environmental expertise to accelerate sustainability transitions. By identifying weaknesses in current practices and opportunities for improvement, this study provides valuable insights into how GPP could be used more strategically to align with municipal environmental goals

Knitting Circular Ties: Empowering Networks for the Social Enterprise-led Local Development of an Integrative Circular Economy

Circular economy (CE) discourse primarily focuses on business-as-usual and resource-related economic processes whilst overlooking relational-spatial aspects, especially networking for local development. There are, however, many mission-driven social enterprises (SEs) engaging in short-loop activities at the neighbourhood and city scales (e.g., reuse, upcycling, refurbishing or repair). Such localised activities are often overlooked by mainstreampolicies, yet they could be vital to the local development of the CE into a more socio-environmentally integrated set of localised social structures and relations. This paper examines the role of SEs, their networks and structures in building a more socially integrated CE in the City of Hull (UK). Drawing upon the Social Network Analysisapproach and semi-structured interviews with 31 case study SEs representing variegated sectors (e.g., food, wood/furniture, textiles, arts & crafts, hygiene, construction/housing, women, elderly, ethnic minorities, homeless, prisoners, mentally struggling), it maps SEs’ cross-sector relationships with private, public and socialsector organizations. It then considers how these network constellations could be ‘woven’ into symbiotic relationships between SEs whilst fostering knowledge spillovers and resource flows for the local development of a more socially integrative CE. We contend that integrating considerations of SEs’ organizational attributes andtheir socio-spatial positioning within networks and social structures offers new insights into the underlying power relations and variegated levels of trust within the emergent social-circular enterprise ecosystem. These aspects are presented in the form of a comprehensive heuristic framework, which reveals how respective organizational and network characteristics may impact SEs’ performance outcomes and, ultimately, a more integrated approach to local CE development

Social enterprise-led local development of the circular economy : socio-spatial networks and value-impact scaling pathways

The circular economy (CE) paradigm has emerged to challenge a predominantly linear economic development model by extracting and retaining the highest possible value from existing resources through their recirculation. While CE-related literature and policy discourse continue to grow, there is limited research on socio-spatial mechanisms shaping alternative circular economic development trajectories in the local development context. This thesis considers how the ecological and extra economic premises of CE thinking can be harnessed through mission-driven social enterprises (SEs) aimed at locally tackling poverty, inequality and/or waste. It investigates the extent to which 50 case study SEs operating in three different socio-spatial and institutional contexts (Hull, UK; Santiago, Chile; and Graz, Austria), and across diverse sectors (food, wood, textiles, housing, among others), stimulate and potentially could stimulate the development of a local and socially inclusive CE. In so doing, firstly, it untangles complex socio-material circuits of value and corresponding feedback loops associated with flows of (in)tangible resources across co-existing mainstream and alternative economic spaces of exchange, production and consumption. Secondly, this research adopts a Social Network Analysis approach to map and examine the broader social circular enterprise ecosystem in the City of Hull. It explores how the broader network constellations not only embody, but also could embody symbiotic relationships between environmentally-/CE-, socially- and/or commercially oriented enterprises to foster inclusive CE development. It then offers a heuristic framework illustrating the interplay of factors shaping collaborative ties in the development of inclusive CE. Finally, it explores diverse social-circular impact scaling strategies and develops an Integrated Social-Circular Value-Impact Scaling(ISCIRVIS) framework for academia and context-adaptable toolkit for entrepreneurs. The toolkit is designed to help entrepreneurs to create, deepen and/or broaden the scale and scope of environmental-circular, social and/or economic value outcomes/impacts associated with existing or implementable (circular) activities, yet in the light of potential costs/risks

Interagency Babble: Institutional logics and information flow in catastrophic disasters

Recent catastrophic disasters have highlighted the enormous human, economic, and material costs of information flow breakdown. This study explores how significant information flow problems in catastrophic disaster response arise from fundamental, but critical, differences in institutional logics among the collection of organizations that are involved. Documents will be analyzed using qualitative methodology to identify salient features of two of the institutional logics seen in disaster response and develop a framework relating the outcomes of the first responders' actions to the logic employed. This study identified the existing gaps in the publically-available accessible information about previous disaster response efforts and considers how this information can potentially be used to better understand the problems the United States faces in terms of effective disaster response. This study has the potential to inform policy makers and organizations within disaster response in crafting better ways of utilizing information to minimize loss of life and property

To the letter vs the spirit: A case analysis of contrasting environmental management responses

Purpose: This paper examines why firms governed by the same environmental management standards within an industry exhibit contrasting responses, with some adhering to the letter and others achieving the spirit behind the standards. Design: Using Arena et al. (2010) as an analytical schema to examine the institutional dynamics behind such contrasting responses, the paper analyses archival and interview data relating to firm strategy, control technology and human expertise in two contrasting Australian forestry firms. Findings: The embedding and decoupling of environmental standards with a firm’s environmental management practices is influenced, first, by the extent to which founder directors and senior management integrate environmental responsibility with the underlying business motives and, second, by the use of organisational beliefs and values systems to institutionalise the integrated strategic rationality throughout the firm. Finally, informed by the institutionalised strategic rationality, the participation and expertise of actors across the organisational hierarchy determines the level to which the design and execution of the eco-control technologies move beyond merely monitoring compliance, and act to facilitate continuous improvement, knowledge integration and organisational learning at the operational level. Originality: This paper responds to institutional theorists’ call for a holistic explanation that considers the interactions among several intra-organisational factors to explain the dynamics behind why some firms decouple while others do not, even though the firms exist in the same social and regulatory context.Campbell Heggen, VG Sridharan and Nava Subramania