Design with a Positive Lens: An affirmative approach to designing information and organizations

Design forms one critical paradigmatic view that pervades organizational studies, management, and information systems research. Building on the discussions in the First Working Conference on Designing Information and Organizations with a Positive Lens, we chart the potential contribution of positive design to the shaping of organizations, work processes, artifacts, communication networks, and information technologies. The figure of speech "Design with a Positive Lens," or in short, "Positive Design," connotes here a distinctive perspective on design that is less focused on the detection of errors associated with gaining control and more concerned with human-centered design associated with the shaping of hopeful organizations and a thriving future. The paper examines how positive design can contribute to the design of information systems and organizations as related to five broad-scale areas: design of high performance work processes; positive design methods and techniques: cooperation and collaboration across boundaries to promote positive change; positive organizational design, and design science and practice. In this paper we aspire to promote the emerging cross-disciplinary discourse between scholars and designers that will foster positive organizational and technological design

Competitive Benchmarking: An IS Research Approach to Address Wicked Problems with Big Data and Analytics

Wicked problems like sustainable energy and financial market stability are societal challenges that arise from complex socio-technical systems in which numerous social, economic, political, and technical factors interact. Understanding and mitigating them requires research methods that scale beyond the traditional areas of inquiry of Information Systems (IS) “individuals, organizations, and markets” and that deliver solutions in addition to insights. We describe an approach to address these challenges through Competitive Benchmarking (CB), a novel research method that helps interdisciplinary research communities to tackle complex challenges of societal scale by using different types of data from a variety of sources such as usage data from customers, production patterns from producers, public policy and regulatory constraints, etc. for a given instantiation. Further, the CB platform generates data that can be used to improve operational strategies and judge the effectiveness of regulatory regimes and policies. We describe our experience applying CB to the sustainable energy challenge in the Power Trading Agent Competition (Power TAC) in which more than a dozen research groups from around the world jointly devise, benchmark, and improve IS-based solutions

Proteasome inhibition for treatment of leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and sleeping sickness

Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness affect 20 million people worldwide and lead to more than 50,000 deaths annually. The diseases are caused by infection with the kinetoplastid parasites Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma brucei spp., respectively. These parasites have similar biology and genomic sequence, suggesting that all three diseases could be cured with drugs that modulate the activity of a conserved parasite target. However, no such molecular targets or broad spectrum drugs have been identified to date. Here we describe a selective inhibitor of the kinetoplastid proteasome (GNF6702) with unprecedented in vivo efficacy, which cleared parasites from mice in all three models of infection. GNF6702 inhibits the kinetoplastid proteasome through a non-competitive mechanism, does not inhibit the mammalian proteasome or growth of mammalian cells, and is well-tolerated in mice. Our data provide genetic and chemical validation of the parasite proteasome as a promising therapeutic target for treatment of kinetoplastid infections, and underscore the possibility of developing a single class of drugs for these neglected diseases

The Role of Social Capital and ICT in Inter-Firm Collaboration on Syndicated Development Loans: An Empirical Study of the Finance Industry in Sri Lanka

Social capital is an influential concept in understanding why and how some organisations do better in inter-organisational relations. It has been recognized as an important factor in developing relationships of trust, forming the foundation for greater collaboration among individuals, groups, and organisations. This paper presents findings from an empirical study that investigates the effect of multiple dimensions of Social Capital and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on inter-bank strategic collaboration in a developing context. Moreover, the study explores the moderating role of ICT capability in the inter-bank industry domain. This paper develops and presents a new theory on how social capital and ICT drive inter-firm partnerships. The theoretical model is validated using a quantitative approach to analyse survey and secondary data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The findings of this study suggest that there is a strong positive combined effect of social capital and ICT towards inter-firm strategic alliances. The results contribute to both social capital theory and theories of ICT for development. It will also contribute to a more holistic perspective that incorporates social, technical, and organisational aspects for building effective strategies

The Role of Social Capital and ICT in Corporate Social Responsibility in a Developing Economy: An Empirical Study of the Finance Industry in Sri Lanka

Social Capital (SC) has been recognised as an important factor in developing relationships of trust, providing the foundation for greater collaboration among individuals, groups, organisations, industries or countries, which is essential for enabling developing economies. Similarly, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is touted as a key enabler of both organisational performance and of sustainable development, which are also essential for developing economies. Moreover, SC has significance as the basis for and the development of stakeholder relationships, which are essential to CSR. Information Systems (IS) researchers have become increasingly interested in exploring SC in relation to Information and Communications Technology (ICT). However, the combined effect of SC and ICT on the CSR in developing contexts remains unexplored. What role, if any, does ICT play in strengthening the relationship between SC and CSR? This study investigates the relationships between SC, ICT, and CSR in the developing economy context. Using a quantitative approach combining network science and structured equation modelling (SEM) to analyse both primary and secondary data, the study develops a model of the significant relationships theorised and confirmed in the analysis. The findings of this study provide new knowledge in both social capital theory and network theory, contributing to a more holistic perspective that incorporates social, technical and organisational aspects and provides insights useful for building effective strategies in similar developing contexts