Attitude, aptitude, ability and autonomy: ther emergence of "off-roaders", a special class of nomadic worker

This is an electronic version of an article published in Harmer, B. M., & Pauleen, D. J. (2010). Attitude, aptitude, ability and autonomy: the emergence of ‘offroaders’, a special class of nomadic worker. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2010.489117 Behaviour & Information Technology is available online at: www.tandfonline.comFreedom to choose when, where and on what to work might be viewed as mere telework. However, when we mix the adoption of ubiquitous technologies with personalities that take pleasure in problem solving and achievement for its own sake, a strong need for autonomy, the freedom to work wherever and whenever the mood strikes, and add a dash of entrepreneurial spirit, then perhaps we are seeing an emergent class of worker, and even the possibility of new organisational forms. This research draws on adaptive structuration theory to search for evidence of a different way of working, hidden among otherwise familiar patterns. It concludes by considering what implications the employment of such individuals might have for management processes with organisations

Studying Human-Centered IT Innovation Using a Grounded Action Learning Approach

This paper describes how two research methodologies, grounded theory and action learning, were combined to produce a rigorous yet creative and flexible method for field study of a recent IT-based innovation, virtual teams. Essentially, an action learning program was used to train facilitators of virtual teams and generate research data while grounded theory techniques were used to analyze and interpret the data. This paper shows how this combined method can be used to develop local and practical theory for complex, human-centered areas of information technology. The implications of this grounded action learning approach for practice and research in IS will be discussed

Working Toward Wisdom in IS Education: Developing an Integral Knowledge-to-Wisdom Teaching Framework

The success of tertiary teaching depends much on teachers’ approach to teaching. Although the suitability of university teachers is often measured by teachers’ qualifications, publications in the relevant discipline, and teaching experience, a teacher’s understanding of the nature of what is taught in the classroom may more significantly influence students’ learning experience and future contribution to society. This commentary is based on Integral Theory, specifically the conceptualization of a wisdom meta-competencies model. We have developed an integral “knowledge-to-wisdom” teaching framework that proposes an integral set of pedagogical strategies for introducing wisdom-based teaching into Information Systems education. Implications of the study are presented as well as limitations and areas of future research

A Grounded Theory of Virtual Facilitation: Building Relationships with Virtual Team Members

The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the issues facing virtual team facilitators as they implement and facilitate virtual teams. The study asked the following research question: How do facilitators of virtual teams build relationships with their virtual team members? Because virtual teams are a new form of highly dynamic and ambiguous collaborative interaction, a major challenge of this study was the need to generate relevant data and analyze it in an appropriate manner. To achieve this, a research framework involving a training program format was instituted based on methods developed in Action Learning (AL), with data collection and analysis based on grounded theory approaches (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The AL-based 'virtual team facilitation' training program used in this study was designed to achieve the following three goals: to generate interest and incentive for would-be participants, to give participants information and skills to initiate and facilitate their own virtual teams, and to generate data for analysis. After being recruited, participants were broadly interviewed to determine their prior experience with virtual teams and their perceived needs and concerns in implementing and facilitating their own virtual team. The researcher then developed a ten-week training program to meet these needs. A pilot program and two subsequent training programs were held. During the training programs, each participant planned for, or actually initiated and facilitated a virtual team within their own organizational context. Every two weeks the participants met with the researcher to investigate issues related to initiating and facilitating virtual teams and to discuss issues that were arising in their own virtual teams. In all seven participants from a variety of New Zealand organizations took part in the study. The seven participants formed a diverse group, from the managing director of a one-man, global virtual organization who worked exclusively in global virtual team settings to a self-employed consultant managing a local virtual work team. The participants were in various stages of their virtual team lifecycle, from planning through initiation to full-scale facilitation and evaluation of a just-completed virtual team project. The participants' virtual team project tasks ranged from managing a political campaign on the other side of the world to developing and running a national web-based academic assessment center. A unique feature of this study is that it involves organizational professionals as opposed to students. Data was collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews, group discussions and e-mail correspondences. Data collection extended to several months beyond the end of the training sessions. Using grounded theory techniques, the data was analyzed using "a general method of (constant) comparative analysis". Data was collected and coded simultaneously over the course of the training sessions, with subsequent coding confirming, refining, extending and modify the data. The data showed very clearly that the facilitators considered it essential to build some level of personal relationship with their virtual team members before commencing a virtual working relationship. Further, a unifying framework of three inter-related theoretical steps in the overall process a virtual facilitator goes through when building relationships with virtual team members was inductively derived from this study. These three steps are Assessing Conditions, Choosing Level of Relationship, and Creating Strategies. This study is the first to identify the steps a virtual team facilitator undertakes when building relationships with virtual team members. It has implications for virtual team practice, research and training

Cause or Cure: Technologies and Work-Life Balance

Knowledge workers whose employers allow them the freedom to access organizational resources from outside the premises, and/or outside normal working hours, are able to reach a new equilibrium in the balance between work and life. This research uses narrative method to obtain stories from a number of such knowledge workers in New Zealand, and observes how the participants make sense of the choices open to them, and reach decisions about them The research finds that despite expressed resentments, such people have tended to move the equilibrium in ways that accommodate more work. Implications of this research are that despite the short term productivity gains, organizations would do well to ensure that these well motivated staff are managed for their long term well being and continued contribution to the organization

Development of a Taxonomy to be used by Business-IT Alignment Researchers

The nexus between Business and IT research is complex. Due to extended research over time, the context of business-IT alignment has resulted in many different conceptualisations that can be applied to ongoing research. It is challenging to select and adopt a suitable approach to study business-IT alignment across any given field due to the variability of the existing conceptualisations. This study reviews the existing literature to identify alignment conceptualisations and contributes to both theory and practice. Theoretically, through the uncovering of gaps in the literature a taxonomy has been developed which can be used as a guide to select an appropriate alignment lens for business-IT alignment studies. In practice, it is expected that this taxonomy will be beneficial for conceptualising the structure and philosophies underpinning future alignment studies. To validate the taxonomy, the paper presents a case study in healthcare applying the developed taxonomy to investigate alignment of big data in health

Cultural Bias in Information Systems Research and Practice: Are You Coming From the Same Place I Am?

This article summarises an ICIS panel discussion held on December 2005 in Las Vegas on the influence of national (or ethnic) culture on IS research and practice. Based on the views of the panel members and the question and answer time with the wider audience, it was generally agreed that culture has a tremendously significant influence on IS research and practice. This influence is expressed in a bias in how research is conducted and published and how practice is conducted. The bias is usually in favour of the dominant cultural perspective. The effects of these biases, both positive and negative, are discussed and possible solutions discussed

Being "virtually" there: the role of social capital in networked consultancy

The development of intellectual capital has assumed ever greater strategic importance in organisational thinking. A New Zealand based case study illustrates the role of social capital in enabling people in a virtual environment to develop and use distributed intellectual capital

A Grounded Theory of Virtual Facilitation: Building Relationships with Virtual Team Members

The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the issues facing virtual team facilitators as they implement and facilitate virtual teams. The study asked the following research question: How do facilitators of virtual teams build relationships with their virtual team members? Because virtual teams are a new form of highly dynamic and ambiguous collaborative interaction, a major challenge of this study was the need to generate relevant data and analyze it in an appropriate manner. To achieve this, a research framework involving a training program format was instituted based on methods developed in Action Learning (AL), with data collection and analysis based on grounded theory approaches (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The AL-based 'virtual team facilitation' training program used in this study was designed to achieve the following three goals: to generate interest and incentive for would-be participants, to give participants information and skills to initiate and facilitate their own virtual teams, and to generate data for analysis. After being recruited, participants were broadly interviewed to determine their prior experience with virtual teams and their perceived needs and concerns in implementing and facilitating their own virtual team. The researcher then developed a ten-week training program to meet these needs. A pilot program and two subsequent training programs were held. During the training programs, each participant planned for, or actually initiated and facilitated a virtual team within their own organizational context. Every two weeks the participants met with the researcher to investigate issues related to initiating and facilitating virtual teams and to discuss issues that were arising in their own virtual teams. In all seven participants from a variety of New Zealand organizations took part in the study. The seven participants formed a diverse group, from the managing director of a one-man, global virtual organization who worked exclusively in global virtual team settings to a self-employed consultant managing a local virtual work team. The participants were in various stages of their virtual team lifecycle, from planning through initiation to full-scale facilitation and evaluation of a just-completed virtual team project. The participants' virtual team project tasks ranged from managing a political campaign on the other side of the world to developing and running a national web-based academic assessment center. A unique feature of this study is that it involves organizational professionals as opposed to students. Data was collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews, group discussions and e-mail correspondences. Data collection extended to several months beyond the end of the training sessions. Using grounded theory techniques, the data was analyzed using "a general method of (constant) comparative analysis". Data was collected and coded simultaneously over the course of the training sessions, with subsequent coding confirming, refining, extending and modify the data. The data showed very clearly that the facilitators considered it essential to build some level of personal relationship with their virtual team members before commencing a virtual working relationship. Further, a unifying framework of three inter-related theoretical steps in the overall process a virtual facilitator goes through when building relationships with virtual team members was inductively derived from this study. These three steps are Assessing Conditions, Choosing Level of Relationship, and Creating Strategies. This study is the first to identify the steps a virtual team facilitator undertakes when building relationships with virtual team members. It has implications for virtual team practice, research and training