Reasons behind ERP package adoption: a diffusion of innovations perspective

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages have been widely adopted and it is becoming clear that this is driven by multiple rationales that may be simultaneously at odds and complimentary. In this paper, we aim to develop a greater understanding of these rationales by taking ERP packages to be innovations and analysing their adoption with reference to the theory of diffusion of innovations. In particular, we consider the attributes of ERP packages that may affect their adoption such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexiblity, trialability and observability. We argue that users’ perceptions of these attributes are not always accurate and these ’misconceptions’ can further explain reasons for ERP adoption or rejection. Although our analysis aims to provide rich insights into the adoption of ERP packages, the results of the study are arguably of further interest to the more general study of packaged software and the more established literature on custom development

Interpretive flexibility along the innovation decision process of the UK NHS Care Records Service (NCRS): Insights from a local implementation case study

Interpretive flexibility is a term used to describe the diverse perspectives on what a technology is and can or can not do during the process of technological development. In this article, we look at how interpretive flexibility manifests through the diverse perceptions of stakeholders involved in the diffusion and adoption of the NHS Care Records Service (NCRS). Our analysis shows that while the policy makers acting upon the application of details related to the implementation of the system, the potential users are far behind the innovation decision process, namely at the knowledge or persuasion stages. We use data from a local heath authority from a county close to London. The research explores, compares, and evaluates contrasting views on the systems implementation at the local as well as national level. We believe that our analysis is useful for NCRS implementation strategies, in particular, and technology diffusion in large organisations, in general

The diffusion of IP telephony and vendors' commercialisation strategies

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in the Journal of Information Technology. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available at the link below.The Internet telephony (IP telephony) has been presented as a technology that can replace existing fixed-line services and disrupt the telecommunications industry by offering new low-priced services. This study investigates the diffusion of IP telephony in Denmark by focusing on vendors’ commercialisation strategies. The theory of disruptive innovation is introduced to investigate vendors’ perceptions about IP telephony and explore their strategies that affect the diffusion process in the residential market. The analysis is based on interview data collected from the key market players. The study's findings suggest that IP telephony is treated as a sustaining innovation that goes beyond the typical voice transmission and enables provision of advanced services such as video telephony

Interview with Kenneth Arrow

Arrow argues that the biggest failures of economic theory are: our failure to explain the business cycle; the missing explanations for the size of fluctuations of prices; our failure to explain the causes of growth and of the spread of innovation. He then discusses several of the existing alternatives to the rational expectations paradigm. He tells the story of his dissertation, and how Koopmans wanted to decline his Nobel Prize.Finally, he discusses health care reform, and malaria in Africa.Health Care; Business Cycles; Fluctuations

Organizational knowledge transfer through creation, mobilization and diffusion: A case analysis of InTouch within Schlumberger

There is a paucity of theory for the effective management of knowledge transfer within large organisations. Practitioners continue to rely upon ‘experimental’ approaches to address the problem. This research attempts to reduce the gap between theory and application, thereby improving conceptual clarity for the transfer of knowledge. The paper, through an in-depth case analysis conducted within Schlumberger, studies the adoption of an intranet-based knowledge management (KM) system (called InTouch) to support, strategically align and transfer knowledge resources. The investigation was undertaken through the adoption of a robust methodological approach (abductive strategy) incorporating the role of technology as an enabler of knowledge management application. Consequently, the study addressed the important question of translating theoretical benefits of KM into practical reality. The research formulates a set of theoretical propositions which are seen as key to the development of an effective knowledge based infrastructure. The findings identify 30 generic attributes that are essential to the creation, mobilisation and diffusion of organisational knowledge. The research makes a significant contribution to identifying a theoretical and empirically based agenda for successful intranet-based KM which will be of benefit to both the academic and practitioner communities. The paper also highlights and proposes important areas for further research

Principles in Patterns (PiP) : Piloting of C-CAP - Evaluation of Impact and Implications for System and Process Development

The Principles in Patterns (PiP) project is leading a programme of innovation and development work intended to explore and develop new technology-supported approaches to curriculum design, approval and review. It is anticipated that such technology-supported approaches can improve the efficacy of curriculum approval processes at higher education (HE) institutions, thereby improving curriculum responsiveness and enabling improved and rapid review mechanisms which may produce enhancements to pedagogy. Curriculum design in HE is a key "teachable moment" and often remains one of the few occasions when academics will plan and structure their intended teaching. Technology-supported curriculum design therefore presents an opportunity for improving academic quality, pedagogy and learning impact. Approaches that are innovative in their use of technology offer the promise of an interactive curriculum design process within which the designer is offered system assistance to better adhere to pedagogical best practice, is exposed to novel and high impact learning designs from which to draw inspiration, and benefits from system support to detect common design issues, many of which can delay curriculum approval and distract academic quality teams from monitoring substantive academic issues. This strand of the PiP evaluation (WP7:38) attempts to understand the impact of the PiP Class and Course Approval Pilot (C-CAP) system within specific stakeholder groups and seeks to understand the extent to which C-CAP is considered to support process improvements. As process improvements and changes were studied in a largely quantitative capacity during a previous but related evaluative strand, this strand includes the gathering of additional qualitative data to better understand and verify the business process improvements and change effected by C-CAP. This report therefore summarises the outcome of C-CAP piloting within a University faculty, presents the methodology used for evaluation, and the associated analysis and discussion. More generally this report constitutes an additional evaluative contribution towards a wider understanding of technology-supported approaches to curriculum design and approval in HE institutions and their potential in improving process transparency, efficiency and effectiveness

Displaced but not replaced: the impact of e-learning on academic identities in higher education.

Challenges facing universities are leading many to implement institutional strategies to incorporate e-learning rather than leaving its adoption up to enthusiastic individuals. Although there is growing understanding about the impact of e-learning on the student experience, there is less understanding of academics’ perceptions of e-learning and its impact on their identities. This paper explores the changing nature of academic identities revealed through case study research into the implementation of e-learning at one UK university. By providing insight into the lived experiences of academics in a university in which technology is not only transforming access to knowledge but also influencing the balance of power between academic and student in knowledge production and use, it is suggested that academics may experience a jolt to their ‘trajectory of self’ when engaging with e-learning. The potential for e-learning to prompt loss of teacher presence and displacement as knowledge expert may appear to undermine the ontological security of their academic identity

What is being Reinvented? Toward a Conceptual Model of Reinvention

Reinvention is a key process in innovation diffusion, but often underexplored compared to other innovation concepts. Several theoretical issues emerge, such as the perception of a reinvention black box, or the ambiguity of reinvention processes. This theoretical paper looks into those issues, specifically focusing on the nature of the reinvented innovation, and the processes involved. Innovation is conceptualized to include three elements: ideas, objects, and practices. Furthermore, three prominent reinvention processes are suggested: translation, modification, and adaptation. A conceptual model of reinvention is proposed to outline the relationships between innovation ideas, objects and practices under reinvention processes over time. The paper contributes to prior studies on post-adoption behaviors, as well as general innovation adoption studies and their quest for breakthroughs and new paradigms

Towards an Appropriation Infrastructure: Supporting User Creativity in IT Adoption

Research on the adoption of information systems (IS) often stated technology as a fixed entity. Following the ’practical turn’ in IS we argue that information technology artefacts are mainly ’cultural artefacts’, which are shaped in a social process of appropriation where software usage is accompanied by processes of interpretation, negotiation or change in organizations. We elaborate on a (neo-)Marxian interpretation of appropriation from a design-oriented perspective in order to investigate the possibilities of technological support of activities of appropriation work. To capture the different facets of appropriation, we combine theoretical concepts of social capital and activity-based learning. With the help of this theoretical orientation, we systemize empirical evidence from several research projects in order to detect recurring patterns. We use these patterns to develop a generic architecture for actively supporting the social activity of appropriating the cultural artefact in context of its usage