Employees\u27 cognitive load and performance during multitasking use of Information Technology

Multitasking-based use of Information Technology, a term that we label MUIT, to accomplish work-related tasks has become a common behavior for employees in organizations. Despite this reality, most research to date has focused on studying either the use of one IT at a time or multi-tasking behaviors in experimental laboratory settings. As a result, this study aims to fill these gaps. Building upon cognitive load theory and multiple resource theory, this paper theorizes that MUIT positively influences cognitive load, which in turn, has a curvilinear (concave, in-verted U) relation with performance. In order to test our hypotheses, we employed the Experi-ence Sampling Method (ESM), a special form of diary study, to gather data on employees at multiple occasions for two weeks. The collected data are hierarchical (multiple observations within individuals), and thus, we employed multi-level regression to test the hypotheses. Results show, as hypothesized, a positive relation between MUIT and cognitive load, and an inverted U relation between cognitive load and performance. Therefore, this study demonstrates that in work settings although MUIT increases cognitive load, cognitive load is not always detrimental: some cognitive load has positive effects on performance until it reaches a tipping point where performance starts to suffer

Improving SMEs' Service Innovation Performance in the Face of Uncertainty Through IT Ambidexterity: A Configurational Approach

Taking a configurational approach, this paper investigates the causal configurations of IT ambidexterity, dynamic capabilities, and environmental uncertainty that are associated to service innovation performance in SMEs. Results from a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of 63 industrial service SMEs show that these firms attain service innovation performance when they dispose of an IT capability for exploration, accompanied by an IT capability for exploitation in one configuration, whereas the IT capability for exploitation is absent in other configurations. These results also support the implications of the configurational approach: different configurations of the three elements equally lead to service innovation performance, the same element can both enable or inhibit service innovation performance, configurations leading to the outcome are different than those leading to its absence, and configurations might show different permutations of peripheral conditions. Such results are discussed in light of the current literature and implications for research and practice are explained

A Complex Adaptive Systems View of Digital Ecodynamics for Business Performance among Manufacturing SMEs

Taking a complex adaptive systems approach, this paper investigates the different configurations of digital ecodynamics – IT capabilities, dynamic capabilities, and environmental conditions – associated to high levels of business performance in manufacturing SMEs. Results from a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of 126 manufacturing SMEs show that, as expected from our theoretical development, these firms attain high business performance when they dispose of at least one IT capability and one dynamic capability. More specifically, IT capabilities for innovation and flexibility along with dynamic capabilities for coordination and integration are necessary for high business performance since they appear in all high-performing configurations. Our study contributes to information systems research by taking a holistic approach to the IT capability-performance link in the specific context of SMEs

Improving SMEs\u27 Service Innovation Performance in the Face of Uncertainty Through IT Ambidexterity: A Configurational Approach

Taking a configurational approach, this paper investigates the causal configurations of IT ambidexterity, dynamic capabilities, and environmental uncertainty that are associated to service innovation performance in SMEs. Results from a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of 63 industrial service SMEs show that these firms attain service innovation performance when they dispose of an IT capability for exploration, accompanied by an IT capability for exploitation in one configuration, whereas the IT capability for exploitation is absent in other configurations. These results also support the implications of the configurational approach: different configurations of the three elements equally lead to service innovation performance, the same element can both enable or inhibit service innovation performance, configurations leading to the outcome are different than those leading to its absence, and configurations might show different permutations of peripheral conditions. Such results are discussed in light of the current literature and implications for research and practice are explained

IT Ambidexterity Configurations for Competitive Performance: An Exploratory Study of the Digital Ecodynamics of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

This paper examines the digital ecodynamics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a configurational approach to explain the competitive performance –innovation and internationalization performance – of these firms. Digital ecodynamics refer to the interplay between the triad of infor-mation technology (IT) ambidexterity, dynamic capabilities, and environmental uncertainty. A config-urational approach involves a systems perspective of IT ‘fit’ in which variables are viewed in combi-nation, forming configurations that generate the outcome of interest. The idea is to capture configura-tions of digital ecodynamics that account for the nonlinear complex interplay of its three constitutive elements as they jointly affect competitive performance. In doing so, we further distinguish between IT capabilities for exploitation that are oriented on the firm’s productivity, and IT capabilities for explo-ration that are oriented on innovation. This paper theoretically combines configurational theory with the resource-based view, fit, and ambidexterity. A survey of 140 SMEs serves to test the proposed hy-potheses. Three configurations characterize SMEs’ digital ecodynamics and have consequences for performance. Configurations I and III positively influence innovation performance whereas Configu-ration I positively influences internationalization performance, demonstrating the equifinal properties of configurational theory. Furthermore, configurations that give priority to exploration goals through their IT capabilities show better competitive performance

TANGIBLE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS AND ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY: AN INVESTIGATION OF MANUFACTURING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

This paper investigates the role of tangible IT infrastructure assets –the portfolio of specific applications to which a firm endows itself – in enabling organizational agility and business performance in the context of SMEs. Building upon past literature, we regroup tangible IT infrastructure assets into three categories: IT for flexibility, IT for innovation, and IT for integration. Each category includes a series of specific technologies (i.e., CNC, CAD and ERP). We theorize that tangible IT infrastructure assets positively influence organizational agility and business performance. We employ a survey methodology to test the proposed hypotheses. One hundred and twenty-six manufacturing SMEs completed the survey. The results support the hypothesized relations. This research complements previous research that has studied intangible abstract constructs as antecedents of organizational agility, it confirms the results of past research examining the agility-business performance link, and it addresses the scarcity of strategic IS research in SMEs

Dynamic Capabilities in Information Systems Research: A Critical Review, Synthesis of Current Knowledge, and Recommendations for Future Research

Over the past twenty years, the dynamic capabilities view (DCV) has gained prominence in the IS field as a theoretical perspective from which to explain competitive advantage in turbulent environments. While there are quite a few review studies of dynamic capabilities (DCs) in the strategic management domain, research on DCs in the IS area has not been synthesized nor critically analyzed. The result is that the role that IT plays in the DCV remains largely ambiguous, and the way we think and conduct IS research on DCs is unquestioned. Addressing this, we conducted a critical review of DCs in IS research based on 136 papers. Our review provides a synthesis of contemporary knowledge on DCs that emphasizes the role of IT in this research, and a critical analysis of the assumptions underlying this literature. In addition, we develop a minimum DC definition for future research as a solution to the conceptual issues that we uncovered via the critical analysis. We further leverage the remaining findings of our critical review by providing a detailed research agenda for future investigations on DCs by IS scholars

NeuroIS—Alternative or Complement to Existing Methods? Illustrating the Holistic Effects of Neuroscience and Self-Reported Data in the Context of Technostress Research

Recent research has made a strong case for the importance of NeuroIS methods for IS research. It has suggested that NeuroIS contributes to an improved explanation and prediction of IS phenomena. Yet, such research is unclear on the source of this improvement; while some studies indicate that NeuroIS constitutes an alternative to psychometrics, implying that the two methods assess the same dimension of an underlying IS construct, other studies indicate that NeuroIS constitutes a complement to psychometrics, implying that the two methods assess different dimensions of an IS construct. To clarify the role of NeuroIS in IS research and its contribution to IS research, in this study, we examine whether NeuroIS and psychometrics/psychological methods constitute alternatives or complements. We conduct this examination in the context of technostress, an emerging IS phenomenon to which both methods are relevant. We use the triangulation approach to explore the relationship between physiological and psychological/self-reported data. Using this approach, we argue that both kinds of data tap into different aspects of technostress and that, together, they can yield a more complete or holistic understanding of the impact of technostress on a theoretically-related outcome, rendering them complements. Then, we test this proposition empirically by probing the correlation between a psychological and a physiological measure of technostress in combination with an examination of their incremental validity in explaining performance on a computer-based task. The results show that the physiological stress measure (salivary alpha-amylase) explains and predicts variance in performance on the computer-based task over and above the prediction afforded by the self-reported stress measure. We conclude that NeuroIS is a critical complement to IS research

Encouraging Sustainable Energy Use in the Office with Persuasive Mobile Information Systems

Faced with growing pressures to be more environmentally sustainable, many companies are increasingly exploring innovative ways to incorporate “green” practices into their business processes. We focus on employees and their potential contributions to organization-wide sustainability goals through their pro-environmental behaviours. This article reports on current progress with a multi-year study targeting the use of mobile media to encourage pro-environmental behaviours. To do so, we provide employees with feedback on their computer-based energy usage. We discuss our combined design science and experimental approach to developing and studying a mobile application with embedded persuasive characteristics. Our future interventions will use this persuasive media platform to examine the impact of social-psychological theories on encouraging more sustainable energy use by employees

Advancing laboratory medicine in hospitals through health information exchange : a survey of specialist physicians in Canada

Background: Laboratory testing occupies a prominent place in health care. Information technology systems havethe potential to empower laboratory experts and to enhance the interpretation of test results in order to bettersupport physicians in their quest for better and safer patient care. This study sought to develop a better understanding ofwhich laboratory information exchange (LIE) systems and features specialist physicians are using in hospital settings toconsult their patients’laboratory test results, and what benefit they derive from such use. Methods: As part of a broader research program on the use of health information exchange systems for laboratorymedicine in Quebec, Canada, this study was designed as on online survey. Our sample is composed of 566 specialist physicians working in hospital settings, out of the 1512 physicians who responded to the survey (response rate of 17%).Respondents are representative of the targeted population of specialist physicians in terms of gender, age and hospital location.Results: We first observed that 80% of the surveyed physicians used the province-wide interoperable electronic health records (iEHR) system and 93% used a laboratory results viewer (LRV) to consult laboratory test results and most (72%) useboth systems to retrieve lab results. Next, our findings reveal important differences in the capabilities available in eachtype of system and in the use of these capabilities. Third, there are differences in the nature of the perceived benefits obtained from the use of each of these two systems. Last, the extent of use of an LRV is strongly influenced by the ITartefact itself (i.e., the hospital’s LRV available capabilities) while the use of the provincial iEHR system is influenced by its organizational context (i.e. the hospital’s size and location). Conclusions: The main contribution of this study lies in its insights into the role played by context in shaping physicians’ choices about which laboratory information exchange systems to adopt and which features to use, and the different perceptions they have about benefits arising from such use.One related implication for practice is that success of LIE initiatives should not be solely assessed with basic usage statistics