Theorizing Affordance Actualization in Digital Innovation from a Socio-Technical Perspective: The case of the video game industry

Digital technology provides opportunities for new product development and innovation through affordances. However, in digital innovation, human actors are constrained by the design of technology and its interaction with different aspects of the socio-technical context. In this article, we investigate the relationship between digital technology and developers in a video game development company and its role in supporting and hindering digital innovation. We build on theory of affordances and constraints in answering the research question: How does the actualization of affordances in video game development influence the innovation process and outcome? Based on empirical analysis, we identify four affordances: Tool development, prototyping, user testing, and patching. We theorize affordance actualization and distinguish between innovation outcome and process innovation affordances. Furthermore, we theorize the dependencies between human actors, the organization, and technology in the affordance actualization process and mechanism

Organizational Change Perspectives on Software Process Improvement

Many software organizations have engaged in Software Process Improvement (SPI) and experienced the challenges related to managing such complex organizational change efforts. As a result, there is an increasing body of research investigating change management in SPI. To provide an overview of what we know and don’t know about SPI as organizational change, this paper addresses the following question: What are the dominant perspectives on SPI as organizational change in the literature and how is this knowledge presented and published? All journals on the AIS ranking list were screened to identify relevant articles and Gareth Morgan’s organizational metaphors (1996) were used to analyze this literature considering the following dimensions of each article: organizational perspective (metaphor), knowledge orientation (normative versus descriptive), theoretical emphasis (high versus low), main audience (practitioner versus academic), geographical origin (Scandinavia, the Americas, Europe, or the Asia-Pacific), and publication level (high versus low ranked journal). The review demonstrates that the literature on SPI as organizational change is firmly grounded in both theory and practice, and Scandinavia and the Americas are the main contributors to this research. The distribution of articles across Morgan’s metaphors is uneven and reveals knowledge gaps that present new avenues for research. The current literature offers important insights into organizational change in SPI from machine, organism, and brain perspectives. Practitioners may use these articles as a guide to SPI insights relevant to their improvement initiatives. In contrast, the impact of culture, dominance, psychic prison, flux and transformation, and politics in SPI have only received scant attention. We argue that these perspectives offer important insights into the challenges involved in managing change in SPI. Researchers are therefore advised to engage in new SPI research based on one or more of these perspectives. Overall, the paper provides a roadmap to help identify insights and specific articles related to SPI as organizational change.Software Process Improvement; Organizational Change; Organizational Metaphors; Images of Organization; Literature Review

The Value of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Data in Digital Healthcare: Using the How-R-you App as a PRO Instrument

This paper evaluates the value of using a mobile digital technology for the purpose of collecting Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) data. We compare the use of a paper-based questionnaire and a mobile application as two different PRO instruments. Based on analysis, we conclude that use of the mobile application allows for a more nuanced picture of patients\u27 health to be established. Implications for diagnosis and medical treatment are discussed along with the need for future research

Pluralist Theory Building: A Methodology for Generalizing from Data to Theory

We propose pluralist theory building as a methodology that leverages the power of multiperspective inquiry to develop new theory from data. The paper presents the rationale for the methodology, its combination of generalization and pluralism, and the process involved in its application. When researchers use pluralist theory building, they move between description and theory and between single and multiple perspectives through four iterative steps with specific deliverables: create perspective accounts, synthesize multiperspective account, create theory fragments, and synthesize pluralist theory. Drawing on a study that served as experiential background for developing the methodology, we offer insights into the challenges involved in using the methodology and the activities in which researchers may engage to address these challenges. In conclusion, we argue that pluralist theory building offers a novel and practically useful approach to empirically based theorizing that leverages Mingers’s pragmatic approach to pluralism (2001) and extends Lee and Baskerville’s (2003) generalization framework into a detailed iterative process with steps, deliverables, challenges, and activities

Informal Evaluation and Institutionalization of Neoteric Technology Ideas: The Case of Two Danish Organizations

In this paper, we explore the complex process of how ideas evolve in organizations that are engaged in developing and using information technology (IT)-based systems. We put forward a framework emphasizing the interconnection between creativity and institutionalization. We argue that ideas are embedded in existing institutionalized technologies in organizations and that emerging technologies introduce neoteric ideas to them. Furthermore, we argue that, when attempting to introduce technology-based ideas, human actors will focus their attention on ideas embedded in existing institutionalized technologies while informally evaluating and making sense of these ideas. Moreover, we suggest that conflicts between competing frames of reference during this evaluation may result in the rejection, adoption, or multiplication of new technology ideas. Drawing on information systems (IS)-based theories of creativity, Scandinavian institutionalism, and empirical data from two Danish organizations, we investigate the interplay between creativity, technology, and human sensemaking in the process of translating and transforming technology ideas into full-fledged technological innovations

Benefits of Cloud Computing: Literature Review in a Maturity Model Perspective

Cloud computing is drawing attention from both practitioners and researchers, and its adoption among organizations is on the rise. The focus has mainly been on minimizing fixed IT costs and using the IT resource flexibility offered by the cloud. However, the promise of cloud computing is much greater. As a disruptive technology, it enables innovative new services and business models that decrease time to market, create operational efficiencies and engage customers and citizens in new ways. However, we are still in the early days of cloud computing, and, for organizations to exploit the full potential, we need knowledge of the potential applications and pitfalls of cloud computing. Maturity models provide effective methods for organizations to assess, evaluate, and benchmark their capabilities as bases for developing roadmaps for improving weaknesses. Adopting the business-IT maturity model by Pearlson & Saunders (2007) as analytical framework, we synthesize the existing literature, identify levels of cloud computing benefits, and establish propositions for practice in terms of how to realize these benefits

"Det er lidt snyd, er det ik?" En kvalitativ undersøgelse af specialevejledning som forskningspraktik

I denne artikel undersøger vi muligheder og begrænsninger ved en konkret vejledningsmodel, som en specialevejleder har udviklet, hvori studerende tilbydes partnerskab i form af tæt samarbejde og medforfatterskab på en artikel. Vi tager afsæt i litteraturen om "studerende som partnere" og placerer modellen teoretisk inden for denne litteratur som en radikal og elitær udgave af forskningssamarbejde med studerende. Datagrundlaget er longitudinale fokusgruppe-interviews og individuelle interviews med fire specialestuderende. Analysen viser, at de studerende oplever muligheder for et stort læringsudbytte, intens sparring og større jobafklaring. Samtidig viser analysen, at modellen er ressourcekrævende og appellerer til særligt ambitiøse studerende og vejledere. Artiklen bidrager med nye fund om de indre spændinger mellem styring og selvstændighed, der kan opstå i vejledningen, når vejlederen har flere roller, nemlig rollen som både vejleder, bedømmer og projektleder. Artiklen afsluttes med en række råd til, hvad man bør være opmærksom på i implementeringen af denne type vejledning

The Impact of IT on Team Situational Awareness during In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Interventions: Implications for Team Coordination

Effective team coordination during in-hospital cardiac arrest interventions is central to improving treatment outcomes. However, research highlights many obstacles to effective coordination during resuscitation attempts, including communication breakdowns and lack of information sharing. These factors are also associated with degradation in team situational awareness. Furthermore, resuscitation teams must interact with many IT to provide adequate treatment. While IT use supports the creation of task-oriented knowledge, the extent to which it enables shared knowledge and team situational awareness is not clear. Our study reveals that IT promotes team situational awareness in two ways: by providing shared access to information, and by aligning members’ higher-level situational awareness. However, some team-oriented processes may be hindered by IT featuring high data density and detailed information displays. Our results contribute to IS literature on team coordination by revealing the role of IT in enabling team situational awareness and coordination in dynamic and complex environments

The Anatomy of Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems

In this article, we look at the history of the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS), its publication record, place in the Scandinavian IS tradition, and future directions. We show how the journal has evolved by looking at its readership, authorship, and publications over the years. We include former editor’s perspectives on SJIS as a basis for outlining the journal’s editorial focus and policy now and in the future. We provide guidance to prospective authors considering submitting their manuscripts to the journal in terms of types of studies and submissions that we welcome.Peer reviewe