Understanding knowledge management system usage antecedents: An integration of social cognitive theory and task technology fit

The factors influencing KMS usage are of major concern to the MIS community. Among the diverse theories employed to help understand this is task technology fit (TTF), which considers the needed technological characteristics of the task as a major factor determining usage. This theory, however, ignores the personal cognition dimension, which has been found to affect the use of an IS. By integrating TTF and social cognitive theory (SCT), we attempted to determine the key factors affecting KMS usage in IT, the organizational task, and personal cognition. Through a survey of 192 KMS users, task interdependence, perceived task technology fit, KMS self-efficacy, and personal outcome expectations were found to have substantial influences on KMS usage. Among the key factors, KMS self-efficacy was found to be especially important as it was substantially and positively correlated to perceived task technology fit, personal and performance-related outcome expectations, and KMS usage.     

The antecedents and consequences of technology standardizations in Korean IT small and medium-sized enterprises

With rapid changes in the business environment, leading or utilizing technology standards may help firms gain better performance through competitive advantage. Such activities related to technology standards are likely to provide numerous opportunities or benefits to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the highly technological divide among firms. However, few studies have paid attention to drivers, obstacles, and results of technology standards activities in SMEs. Consequently, this study bridges this research gap by identifying the factors influencing technology standardizations, which in turn contribute to firm performance in SMEs. The analytic results of survey data collected from 250 SMEs in the Korean IT sector reveal that all technology standardizations have an effect firm performance. Benefits from standards, R&D capability, and insufficient resources are influential factors of all technology standardizations. However, support of related institutes only affects inbound standardization. This study discusses theoretical and practical implications on technology standardizations in SMEs based on these findings.     

Exploring the antecedents of trust in virtual communities

Although previous research has established that interpersonal trust and system trust are critical in shaping individual behaviour in virtual settings, the two perspectives have not been examined by IS researchers in virtual communities (VCs) simultaneously. Drawing from prior literature on trust and VCs, a research model for understanding the importance of trust in members and trust in system and their antecedents in VCs is presented. Six trust-building factors were identified using three trust-building bases (calculative base, relationship base and technology base). Data were collected from 324 members of a technical VC to test the model. The study shows that trust in members and trust in system have significant influences on knowledge sharing intention. The study also indicates that knowledge growth, perceived responsiveness and shared vision affect trust in members positively, while knowledge quality influences trust in system significantly. The study discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of this study and proposes several future research directions.     

An examination of the antecedents and consequences of organizational IT innovation in hospitals

The healthcare industry is widely recognized as information-intensive and IT is considered to be an intrinsic component of the success of healthcare organizations such as hospitals. While both researchers and practitioners have argued that hospitals should aspire to be IT innovators, most tend to be IT laggards. An understanding of the factors that drive hospitals to become IT innovators remains an important phenomenon of interest. However, there is a lack of theory-driven empirical research that systematically investigates the factors that influence a hospital’s strategic choice to be an IT innovator and the influence of IT innovation on hospital performance. This study bridges the extant gaps in the literature by developing and testing an integrated model that seeks to understand why certain hospitals are IT innovators. Using IT innovation theory as our theoretical foundation, we examine three antecedents, including the chief information officer (CIO) strategic leadership, the top management team’s (TMT) attitude toward IT, and the hospital’s climate. Further, we examine the influence of IT innovation on the impact of IT within the hospital and the influence of IT impact on the hospital’s financial performance. The research model was tested using both survey and archival data from 70 matched pairs of hospital CIOs and executives. The quantitative analysis is supplemented with by interviews with 10 participating CIOs to further examine the relationship of the CIO to hospital IT innovation. The results suggest that the CIO strategic leadership and the TMT’s attitude toward IT are key factors that influence IT innovation; however, the influence of a hospital’s climate on organizational IT innovation is contingent upon the CIO’s level of strategic leadership. The results also suggest that hospitals that are IT innovators can generate greater impact from IT, which in turn results in greater performance for the hospital. Theoretical and practical implications as well as future research directions are discussed.     

Relating agility and electronic integration: The role of knowledge and process coordination mechanisms

Current competitive environments necessitate that firms pursue electronic integration in parallel to agility. However, most research to date has examined integration and agility relatively independently and has overlooked the relationship between them. Using coordination theory, this paper suggests that integration enables the two capabilities of agility (i.e., sensing and responding). Results from a study of 303 business unit operations of manufacturing organizations show that integration within business units and with outside partners is positively associated with process coupling of the value chain, both internally and externally. Further, both types of integration are positively associated with knowledge flow within and outside the business unit. In turn, both lead to higher capability to sense change in the business environment and respond to it with agility. This research helps us understand the integration-agility relation better by investigating the role of the knowledge and process capabilities.     

Exploring predictors and consequences of embitterment in the workplace

Abstract

Research on the feeling of embitterment at work is still in its infancy. The present study investigated the predictors and consequences of the feeling of embitterment at work. It was hypothesised that organisational injustice as well as over-controlling supervision would predict embitterment at work and that embitterment would be associated with work-related rumination. Three hundred and thirty-seven employees completed an online survey. Regression analysis revealed that procedural injustice and over-controlling supervision were significant predictors of embitterment and that embitterment contributed significantly to the prediction of increased affective rumination and reduction in detachment. Mediation analysis indicated that embitterment at work was a significant mechanism through which organisational injustice and over-controlling supervision exerted their effect on affective rumination, which is indicative of insufficient recovery from work. Findings suggest that breaches in organisational justice can generate feelings of embitterment at work, which in turn can interfere with employees’ ability to adequately recover from work.

Practitioner Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors and consequences of embitterment in the workplace using an online questionnaire. Findings suggest that perceived unfairness, because of structural and organisational aspects, predicts feelings of embitterment and that feeling embittered at work can prevent employees from adequately recovering from work.     

Exploring the antecedents of team performance in collaborative learning of computer software

As teamwork becomes common in computer software learning, there is an increasing need to study factors contributing to team performance. To this pursuit, the concept of collective efficacy offers great potential to researchers of information systems (IS). Drawing upon social cognitive theory (SCT), this study examines the relationships among computer collective efficacy (CCE), outcome expectations and team performance in the context of collaborative learning. Computer collective efficacy is further divided into two constructs, general CCE and specific CCE. Their causal relationships with two other constructs, performance and outcome expectations, are then investigated using longitudinal data collected from 188 groups of students of an 18-week computer software course. The results indicate that a team’s software learning performance is strongly influenced by specific CCE and outcome expectations, which in turn are influenced by prior performance and general CCE. Finally, prior performance of a group has no direct impact on its subsequent performance.     

Organizational and knowledge management related antecedents of knowledge use: the moderating effect of ambiguity tolerance

To leverage their knowledge resources, many organizations deploy knowledge management systems (KMS), which contain at their core a knowledge repository. Successful use of the knowledge/repository depends largely on knowledge workers who must contribute to the knowledge base as well as use those knowledge objects. We develop and validate an empirical model that explains mechanisms required to reduce knowledge gaps in a firm or business unit, through knowledge contribution and use or reuse. Using the theory of planned behavior and its derivative the technology acceptance model, we find that a feature rich user friendly KMS combined with extrinsic rewards (or incentives) and knowledge self-efficacy are critical to KM success. Tolerance of ambiguity (a personal trait) is a key influence in the causal relationship between incentives and knowledge gaps as well as knowledge self-efficacy and knowledge gaps. The main findings of this study are (1) for ambiguity intolerant individuals, incentives and self-efficacy are as important as the KMS as motivators for knowledge sharing and use, (2) for this group, it is necessary to stress the importance of KM as a means of social persuasion in building knowledge self-efficacy, (3) for the ambiguity tolerant, incentives are not required, and self efficacy is self-determined i.e., KM champions are not required to highlight the importance of KM; in fact the technology (KMS) is all important, a finding that negates conventional wisdom that technology is merely an enabler. In summary, a one-size fits all mindset is not effective, a firm must carefully consider the ambiguity tolerance levels of employees before forging ahead with KM efforts. This becomes all the more important to practitioners because of the recently highlighted differences in ambiguity tolerance between “Millennials” and” Generation Xers”. In addition to theory testing in KM, this research also informs KM practice.     

产教融合背景下信息技术基础立体化课程建设及教学改革实践

针对目前信息技术基础课程教学困境,通过引进5Y网络平台,拓展教学资源,加强课堂管理和课后追踪;根据专业岗位需求和核心能力制作SPOC课程,紧密联系专业;与思科公司产教融合协同育人,提升学生实践动手能力;实施多元全方位评价,提升学生课堂参与度,构建立体化课程及教学模式.实践证明,这些改革提高了教学质量.     

KnowledgeScope: managing knowledge in context

Knowledge repositories have been implemented in many organizations, but they often suffer from non-use. This research considers two key design factors that cause non-use: the extra burden on users to document knowledge in the repository, and the lack of a standard knowledge structure that facilitates knowledge sharing among users with different perspectives. We propose a design of a knowledge management system called KnowledgeScope that addresses these problems through (1) an integrated workflow support capability that captures and retrieves knowledge as an organizational process proceeds, i.e., within the context in which it is created and used, and (2) a process meta-model that organizes that knowledge and context in a knowledge repository. In this paper, we describe this design and report the results from implementing it in a real-life organization.     

Determinants of pull-based development in the context of continuous integration

The pull-based development model, widely used in distributed software teams on open source communities, can efficiently gather the wisdom from crowds. Instead of sharing access to a central repository, contributors create a fork, update it locally, and request to have their changes merged back, i.e., submit a pull-request. On the one hand, this model lowers the barrier to entry for potential contributors since anyone can submit pull-requests to any repository, but on the other hand it also increases the burden on integrators, who are responsible for assessing the proposed patches and integrating the suitable changes into the central repository. The role of integrators in pull-based development is crucial. They must not only ensure that pull-requests should meet the project’s quality standards before being accepted, but also finish the evaluations in a timely manner. To keep up with the volume of incoming pull-requests, continuous integration (CI) is widely adopted to automatically build and test every pull-request at the time of submission. CI provides extra evidences relating to the quality of pull-requests, which would help integrators to make final decision (i.e., accept or reject). In this paper, we present a quantitative study that tries to discover which factors affect the process of pull-based development model, including acceptance and latency in the context of CI. Using regression modeling on data extracted from a sample of GitHub projects deploying the Travis-CI service, we find that the evaluation process is a complex issue, requiring many independent variables to explain adequately. In particular, CI is a dominant factor for the process, which not only has a great influence on the evaluation process per se, but also changes the effects of some traditional predictors.     

Vertical IS standards deployment and integration: A study of antecedents and benefits

We drew on institutional and learning theories to develop a research model assessing how organizations influence standards deployment and integration by creating institutional pressures and learning opportunities. We also examined how standards deployment and integration differentially influenced operational and strategic benefits. Survey data was collected from organizations in China who have implemented RosettaNet. Overall, the study extended research on standards adoption by examining how the learning perspective complemented institutional pressures, generating an integrated view of how pressures and learning from other organizations influence standards deployment and integration as important dimensions of standards use, as well as the benefits arising from their use.     

Utilizing knowledge context in virtual collaborative work

The understanding of knowledge can be impaired if it is isolated from the proper context. Despite the importance of contextual information, there has been limited support for utilizing context in current knowledge management and collaborative systems. This paper presents a knowledge context model, called KC-V, which facilitates the use of contextual information in virtual collaborative work. Four benefits of using KC-V are suggested: evolutionary accumulation of knowledge aligned with collaborative activities, supporting the virtual team lifecycle, improved understanding by rich navigation paths, and searching for knowledge with similar context. A web-based collaboration system called VWSS is developed using KC-V.     

基于特征的CAD知识集成技术研究

目前,许多CAD系统是基于特征造型的系统,但这些特征系统普遍存在产品信息不全、产品数据中缺乏制造、装配和评价后续过程的相关信息以及特征定义的一致性差,导致特征识别的难度大等问题;针对上述问题,提出了基于特征的零件信息建模方法,实现了基于STEP标准的、可实现自动特征识别的零件信息集成系统,并且给出了具体的基于特征设计的CAX系统。     

Task-driven learning: The antecedents and outcomes of internal and external knowledge sourcing

The degree to which individuals leverage knowledge resources influences their effectiveness and may shape their organizations’ competitive advantage. We examine the ways in which tasks with different characteristics affect individuals’ use of internal and external knowledge and the outcomes of such behaviors. Our analysis reveals that interdependent and non-routine tasks drive internal knowledge sourcing, while complex tasks motivate external knowledge sourcing. Internal and external knowledge sourcing activities contribute to individuals’ cognitive adaptation and innovation, with a negative interaction between them, while cognitive replication benefits only from internal knowledge sourcing. These findings can help managers better satisfy individuals’ knowledge needs and achieve intended organizational outcomes.     

工程教育专业认证背景下融合"雨课堂"和"虚拟仿真"的课程教学改革

随着对通信技术人才需求的不断增加,如何培养具有扎实理论功底和创新能力的通信技术人才一直是专业教育十分重视的问题.为了顺应新的教育形势,提出了工程教育专业认证背景下融合"雨课堂"和"虚拟仿真技术"的"信息论与编码"课程的混合式教学模式.它以工程教育三大核心理念为导向,以能力培养为主线,加强实践环节;以教学内容优化、教学方法改革和考核方法改革三个方面作为抓手进行改革,取得了很好的教学效果.     

Information technology and the management of knowledge

The social sciences lack concepts and theories for an understanding of what new information technology is doing to our society. The article sketches the outlines of a broad historical and comparative approach to this issue: an anthropology of information technology. At the base is the idea ofexternalisation of knowledge as a historical process. Three main epochs are characterised by externalisation of knowledge through a) spoken language and a social organisation of specialists, b) writing and c) computer programming. The impact of expert systems on learning is also discussed.     

Time integration in the context of energy control and locking free finite elements

Summary In the present paper two main research areas of computational mechanics, namely the finite element development and the design of time integration algorithms are reviewed and discussed with a special emphasis on their combination. The finite element techniques are designed to prevent locking and the time integration schemes to guarantee numerical stability in non-linear elastodynamics. If classical finite element techniques are used, their combination with time integration schemes allow to avoid any modifications on the element or algorithmic level. It is pointed out, that on the other hand Assumed Stress and Enhanced Assumed Strain elements have to be modified if they are combined with energy conserving or decaying time integration schemes, especially the Energy-Momentum Method in its original and generalized form. The paper focusses on the necessary algorithmic formulation of Enhanced Assumed Strain elements which will be developed by the reformulation of the Generalized Energy-Momentum Method based on a classical one-field functional, the extension to a modifiedHu-Washizu three-field functional including enhanced strains and a suitable time discretization of the additional strain terms. The proposed method is applied to non-linear shell dynamics using a shell element which allows for shear deformation and thickness change, and in which the Enhanced Assumed Strain Concept is introduced to avoid artificial thickness locking. Selected examples illustrate the locking free and numerically stable analysis.