Can IT Hurt Productivity? An Investigation of IT Addiction

While IT is generally found to augment productivity, recent evidence indicates that excessive and compulsive usage of IT is likely to have some adverse consequences. Given the prevalence of IT addiction, it becomes increasingly important to study this phenomenon. We seek to investigate the adverse effects of IT addiction, especially on productivity, in work settings. We propose a model showing that two types of factors (related to individual differences and technology features) could have an impact on addictive IT use, which in turn will affect work productivity. A quantitative cross-sectional design will be used to test the model; as needed, survey instruments will be developed and/or validated. Our study will contribute to the IS discipline by proposing a model of IT addiction to identify and explain its significant antecedents and impacts. For managers, the findings will help understanding the formation of addictive IT behaviors and their effects

The Role of Organizational Internal Communication on Individuals\u27 Reactions to New Information

The study aims at furthering our understanding of impacts of organizational communication on individuals\u27 reactions to new IT. Research suggests that reactions to the announcement of a new IT implementation are related to their eventual acceptance of such IT. Though a critical issue for organizations investing significant financial resources in IT, we do not know how organizational communication influences user reactions. By investigating the role of organizational communication on acceptance, resistance, ambivalence and their related behavioral manifestations, we will contribute to explain how and why users might react differently to new IT. Exploring the dynamics of user reactions will allow us to link antecedents (e.g. organizational communication strategy), behavioral manifestations and outcomes together. It will lead to a better understanding of individual reactions over time by revealing the process individuals go through in terms of their reactions to IT implementation and by identifying their triggers and associated impacts

The Role of Online Communities in Vaccine Controversies

Vaccines play a key role in public health intervention, contributing to dramatic declines in morbidity and mortality rates. While medical knowledge delivery has been traditionally made by physicians (traditionally considered the best source of credible knowledge), patients can now widely access scientific and non-scientific information resources. There has been considerable research on knowledge delivery. However, we currently know little about healthcare knowledge delivery in online communities. In this research, we draw on material-discursive practices to conduct a qualitative study on knowledge delivery, with a focus on pro- and anti-vaccination movements. Our findings show that as knowledge delivery practices in offline settings and in online communities have different materializations, they can influence each other via their performative outcomes. We created a timeline to show important events regarding the influence of offline and online knowledge delivery practices on each other. We finally highlight the study contributions for research and practice

Information Technology and Social Loafing:A Qualitative Investigation

While IT-supported teams are increasingly popular, most suffer from an anti-social behavior called social loafing (SL). SL is the tendency to withhold one’s effort when working with others. Past research has examined various determinants and mechanisms of SL but the relationships between IT and SL have remained largely unexplored. Our objectives are to identify the key factors that play a role in SL in IT-supported groups and to investigate how IT can influence SL. Drawing from the literature and on the basis of seven case studies, we identified four categories of factors related to personal, group, organizational and task issues. We will conduct additional cases to advance our theory development on the influence of IT on SL. The implications for research are important since this study provides a better understanding of the determinants of SL and the role IT can play in influencing such behaviors in teams and organizations

Compliance with IS-Security-Policies: A Socio-Material Perspective Towards Security

In the face of ever-growing IS-security breaches and their substantial impacts on organizations and societies, the necessity of enhancing organizational IS-security becomes paramount. Meanwhile, the employees’ compliance with organizational IS-security policies (ISSP) is known to be critical for ensuring security. However, the extant knowledge about ISSP-compliance has remained scattered and inconclusive, and the social aspects of compliance are mostly underexplored despite their importance and impact. Moreover, there is a need for more studies that bridge the gap between the design side and the behavioral sides of IS-security; such a gap has created both conceptual and practical shortfalls within the literature. In this paper, we address these gaps by first introducing an enhanced unified framework of ISSP-compliance and, second, by theorizing a model where we propose that transparency of use enacts four distinct social practices, which, in turn, increase the employees’ compliance with ISSP. Future avenues of research are also suggested

Achieving strategic alignment: a decision-making perspective

Beyond studies related to the importance of strategic alignment between business strategy and IS strategy as well as establishing a number of enablers and inhibitors, there is a paucity of research on how organizations actually achieve strategic alignment. We conceptualize the process of achieving strategic alignment from a decision-making perspective by deductively drawing upon extant literature on strategic alignment and decision-making. Preliminary data collection from two case studies, out of four theoretically selected research sites, followed by data analysis based on analytic induction uncovers evidence in support of the conceptual framework. New insights reveal that the structure of the decision-making process inherent in achieving strategic alignment is shaped by organizational and decisional factors. In addition, the nature of the IT artifact and the availability of slack resources at the organizational level shape the rigor and the due-diligence associated with achieving strategic alignment, potentially suggesting the existence of additional decision-making routines

An Organizational Culture-Based Theory of Clinical Information Systems Implementation in Hospitals

We propose an organizational culture-based explanation of the level of difficulty of clinical information system (CIS) implementation and of the practices that can contribute to reduce the level of difficulty of this process. Adopting an analytic induction approach, we developed initial theoretical propositions based on a three-perspective conceptualization of organizational culture: integration, differentiation, and fragmentation. Using data from three cases of CIS implementation, we first performed a deductive analysis to test our propositions on the relationships between culture, CIS characteristics, implementation practices, and the level of implementation difficulty. Then, applying an inductive analysis strategy, we re-analyzed the data and developed new propositions. Our analysis shows that four values play a central role in CIS implementation. Two values, quality of care and efficiency of clinical practices, are key from an integration perspective; two others, professional status/autonomy and medical dominance, are paramount from a differentiation perspective. A fragmentation perspective analysis reveals that hospital users sometimes have ambiguous interpretations of some CIS characteristics and/or implementation practices in terms of their consistency with these four values. Overall, the proposed theory provides a rich explanation of the relationships between CIS characteristics, implementation practices, user values, and the level of difficulty of the implementation process

Apparatuses of Knowledge Delivery to Patients: The Role of Social Media in Vaccine Controversies

The practice of knowledge delivery to patients has long been performed by healthcare professionals, who were seen as trustable sources of healthcare knowledge. However, healthcare knowledge is now being distributed widely online and in particular on social media, by numerous individuals who are sharing a mixture of scientific/non-scientific information grounded in personal perspectives and experiences. In the shift to healthcare knowledge delivery on social media, traditional practices of knowledge delivery to patients are challenged. This study draws on material-discursive practices, known as apparatuses, to examine two notable material-discursive practices in vaccine administration. This research is expected to make two contributions to the IS literature. First, it aims to identify significant differences in the two knowledge delivery practices and their outcomes. Second, it aims to investigate the ongoing interaction and tension between traditional and new knowledge delivery approaches. We provide preliminary insights and a roadmap for further developing this research

The Influence of Organizational Communications on IS Users’ Perceptions of Change

The ultimate goal of this research is to provide a new and fine-grained understanding of how the IT users’ perceptions of a new system are shaped by organizational communication (OC). While OC has been acknowledged as having a key influence in IT projects, researchers have not yet provided a clear understanding of its role vis-à-vis user perceptions. In this research in progress paper, we highlight our initial results, which detail the role of sensemaking and sensegiving practices in shaping user perceptions. As of today, we have conducted a preliminary analysis of 32 interviews and examined organizational documentation. The interviews were conducted with the personnel of a major courier service provider in North America, who were mandated to use a new information system. Using a qualitative approach for analyzing the data, our preliminary results reveal the process through which the organizational internal communications initiate a specific set of sensegiving practices. These practices, in turn, shape the users’ sensemaking properties as reflected in their IT-related mental frames of reference, and in turn, in their perceptions. Once completed, the main contributions of this study will be to create a knowledge bridge between organizational communication and IT implementation. In addition to the implications for research and theory, we aim to help managers in tailoring out appropriate organizational communications in times of technological changes and as a result, paving the way for successful and efficient IT implementation and use

The Process of Habit Formation In IS Post-adoption

This paper proposes a process model for habit formation in IS post-adoption. On the basis of extant literature (in IS and other fields), we provide insights into five important constructs that play a role in the formation of IS-use habits: satisfaction, reinforcement, frequency, extent of use, and stability in context. Our proposed model is dynamic in nature and highlights the relative roles of habit and intention as antecedents of IS post-adoption use. The proposed model was developed in three phases. Phase I explains the initial interaction of users with the system, which may pave the way to habit formation. Phase II sheds light on the actual development of habits and highlights the balance between habits and intention as antecedents of IS use. Phase III provides insights on how a habit can crystallize. The paper closes with a discussion of implications for researchers and practitioners