THE DESIGN OF COMPUTER BASED SUPPORT FOR TASK COMMUNICATION WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

Task communication plays an important role within organizations, facilitating the conversion of inputs to outputs and the coordination and control of internal activities. An important function of several computer based information technologies is to support task communication. However, information systems designers do not have a framework that can help them select information technology that will provide efficient and effective communication support. This paper integrates the organization and information systems literatures in order to develop guidelines for the selection of appropriate communication support technology

The Effectiveness of Virtual Worlds for Education: An Empirical Study

Despite the widespread popularity of using virtual worlds for education, only a few studies have compared learning outcomes in virtual worlds versus other, less resourceintensive media. A withinsubjects study examined cognitive and affective learning outcomes when using a virtual world and voiceover slide presentations to learn about the Forbidden City in China. Results show that learners consistently reported higher perceived learning and satisfaction with learning in the virtual world than when using voiceover presentations, even when scores on tests of declarative knowledge were lower when learning in the virtual world if the virtual world was used first. An interaction effect between learning method and learning method order indicates that simply using a virtual world is not sufficient to improve cognitive learning outcomes

Gender Effects in Directed versus Incidental Learning in a 3D Virtual World Simulation

Virtual worlds have the potential to enable and enhance online learning outcomes. Because learning in three-dimensional (3D) designed learning spaces depends on learners’ spatial processing abilities, we need to understand how these abilities may affect online learning outcomes. Building on the hunter-gatherer theory of gender difference in spatial abilities, we examined how gender interacts with learning type (directed vs. incidental) to affect learning in virtual world (VR) simulations of objects. Specifically, we theorized that men’s and women’s spatial abilities would lead to differential outcomes based on the type of learning that the instructor designed. Using a between-subjects 2 x 2 factorial design (directed vs. incidental learning and male vs. female), we found that incidental learning benefited women and that directed learning benefited men. Our findings counter the traditional view that males outperform females in learning tasks that engage spatial abilities in a virtual world. We urge educators to consider such gender effects on learning when employing VR simulations of objects

Unique Challenges of Decision-Making Process on Crowdfunding Platforms - An Exploratory Study

Crowdfunding gives opportunities to novice entrepreneurs to raise funding for their novel ideas. However, lack of monitoring of projects and funds coupled with the lack of experience of project initiators create high levels of uncertainty for potential funders. In this study, we aim to examine how funders’ decision making process is affected by different types of uncertainty related to the project initiators. Unlike traditional e-commerce where consumers buy a finished product, in patronage based crowdfunding platforms, funders invest in and buy a product that is yet to be finished. This creates a unique uncertainty based on project initiators’ competence. Our results show that uncertainty based on project initiators’ competence and opportunism increase product performance uncertainty. Moreover, the dynamics of project initiator and product uncertainty are affected by the complexity of the product

Meeting Impacts of Two Types of EMS Anonymity and Initial Difference in Opinions

A laboratoryexperiment was conducted to study the effects of two types of anonymityin an electronic meeting system (EMS) setting (source anonymity: participants know who their group members are but do not know the source of any comment, and participant anonymity:, participants do not know who their group members are), initial difference in opinions, and their interaction on participation and satisfaction. Results suggest that the effects of participant anonymityshould not be considered as similar in nature to but stronger than those of source anonymity. The extent to which source and participant anonymitymake a group salient to its members is proposed as a crucial determinant of the effects of source and participant anonymity

Investigation of How IT Leadership Impacts IT-Business Alignment through Shared Domain Knowledge and Knowledge Integration

Using full range leadership model and the knowledge-based view of organizations, we develop and test a model linking Information Technology (IT) leadership to IT-business alignment. Specifically, we examine how transformational IT leadership behaviors influence IT-business alignment through mechanisms that develop shared domain knowledge between IT and business personnel and mechanisms that integrate specialized IT and business knowledge. We also examine how the former mechanisms influence the efficiency of the latter. This study contributes to the existing literature by suggesting transformational leadership and mechanisms related to knowledge integration as key factors in IT-business alignment

Virtual World Collaboration and Leadership: Effects on Team Process and Outcomes

While the use of virtual worlds for business collaboration has increased, there has been no systematic research to date that examines the effects of virtual worlds on socio-emotional communication, which is considered to influence team performance variables, such as consensus and group cohesion. To increase our understanding of the effects of virtual worlds, this study seeks to explore: 1) the effects of communication medium (Second Life versus instant messaging) and leadership style (transformational versus transactional) on supportive and critical communication, and 2) the effects of supportive and critical communication on cohesion, consensus, and group efficacy. Through two experiments of small, ad hoc groups performing a management decision-making task, we found an interaction effect between communication medium and leadership style on the expression of support. We also found that greater expression of support can lead to higher group cohesion, post-discussion consensus, and group efficacy whereas critical communication can lead to lower efficacy and group cohesion. We discuss implications of these results for both theory and practice

IS Leadership and Strategy Realization

With alignment of Information Systems (IS) strategy with business strategy, organizations can fully realize full potential of information technology (IT) resources. We view IS leadership as a core enabler to lead IS unit to contribute to organizational performance. Using upper echelons theory, we look at the effects of two characteristics of an IS leader, transformational leadership and gender, on IS unit’s teamwork capability and how this capability, in turn, affects the realization of IS unit’s strategy. We also investigate how the effect of teamwork capability on IS strategy realization is contingent on IS strategy. Consistent with prior studies, the results show that transformational IS leadership is effective in enhancing an IS unit’s teamwork capability, which in turn significantly influences the realization of IS strategy to the extent the IS unit seeks to create systems that enable the organization to be flexible

Guiding the Herd: The Effect of Reference Groups in Crowdfunding Decision Making

Despite their popularity, crowdfunding platforms are experiencing negative headlines as fully funded projects continue to fail delivering the products on time. Current literature postulates that funders make decisions by following the decisions of the crowd, and this herd behavior leads to less than optimal decisions. One explanation of the negative externalities of such behavior is the misfit between the information provided by the crowd and the information needed by funders. Especially in patronage crowdfunding, funders are investors and buyers at the same time. This duality coupled with the lack of supervision of projects creates unique challenges. In addition to opportunism uncertainty, funders face competence uncertainty. This study provides evidence that social information gathered from reference groups decrease these uncertainties. Further investigation showed that different reference groups provide different types of social information and product complexity plays a role in the uncertainties experienced and the importance given to different reference groups

The Unique Challenges of Seller Uncertainty in Sharing Economy-A Decision Making Perspective

The goal of this paper is to answer features of sharing economies such as the types of uncertainty users face while making decisions under sharing economy, reactions to those uncertainties, and the way customers cope when making an informed decision