Antecedents and Consequences of Information Systems Planning Integration

Successful utilization of the firm's information technology (IT) investments continues to be a difficult but important task for senior business and information systems managers. This paper focuses on one potentially important determinant of IT investment outcomes-integration of business and IT planning. Integration is examined using three kinds of participation: business managers' participation in IT planning, IT managers' participation in business planning, and top managers' participation in IT resource allocation. Based on considerations of knowledge sharing and commitment, a theoretical model linking these three aspects to three potential consequences-quality of IT plans, IT project problems, and IT-based organization performance-and two antecedents-top managers' perception of IT importance and environmental heterogeneity-is developed. The model is tested using data collected through a survey of 274 chief information officer (CIO) respondents. Results of structural equation modeling analysis support 12 of the 15 hypotheses. Surprisingly, top managers' participation in resource allocation had a stronger association with IT-based organizational performance than either quality of IT plans or the absence of IT project problems. This implies that the role of IT planning and alignment might be weakened when investments reflect top managements' selection. Implications of the study for practice and future research are examined.     

Diffusion of knowledge in social media networks: effects of reputation mechanisms and distribution of knowledge roles

Social media platforms serve as important tools for diffusing knowledge within organizations. The factors affecting knowledge diffusion through social media networks (SMNs) need to therefore be better understood. Accordingly, this paper focuses on two SMN‐specific characteristics – reputation mechanisms and the distribution of knowledge roles – which are argued to enhance and enable, respectively, the smooth transfer of knowledge in a SMN. To examine their effects, we distinguish between two types of reputation mechanisms – adaptive and objective – and across three distinct knowledge roles in SMNs: seekers, contributors and brokers. We argue that the extent of knowledge diffusion in the SMN depends on the type of mechanism and the relative distribution of these three roles. Using data collected through an agent‐based simulation, we find that (a) the distribution of knowledge roles affects knowledge diffusion, with distributions consisted of more brokers outperforming others and (b) objective reputation mechanisms outperform adaptive mechanisms. Furthermore, we find that reputation mechanisms and distribution of knowledge roles interact to influence knowledge diffusion. The study's implications for future research and practice are discussed in the light of its limitations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Integrating specific knowledge: insights from the Kennedy Space Center

This paper presents a theoretical model of knowledge integration, by developing a classification of types of specific knowledge (context-specific, technology-specific, and context-and-technology-specific) and examining the effects of four knowledge integration mechanisms (exchange, direction, socialization, and internalization) on the integration of these knowledge types. Based on prior literature, we argue that: 1) different types of specific knowledge are characterized by different levels of common knowledge; 2) different knowledge integration mechanisms require different levels of common knowledge; and 3) integration mechanisms can be matched with knowledge types based on efficiency/effectiveness considerations. Empirical research at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, which involved two rounds of interviews and a questionnaires survey of 159 individuals, explores the relationships among the four knowledge integration mechanisms, the three types of specific knowledge, and satisfaction with knowledge integration. Results indicate that exchange, socialization, and internalization support the integration of context-specific, technology-specific, and context-and-technology-specific types of knowledge, respectively. Direction and internalization, but not exchange and socialization, influence satisfaction with knowledge integration. Implications for practice and future research are examined.     

How Do Knowledge Management Announcements Affect Firm Value? A Study of Firms Pursuing Different Business Strategies

The importance of knowledge management (KM) efforts is well recognized in the popular and academic press. However, KM efforts do not always lead to improved firm performance. This paper argues that different kinds of KM efforts may be appropriate for firms pursuing different business strategies, and the impact of a KM effort on firm performance would depend on whether the effort is aligned with the firm's business strategy. Prior literature on organizational learning, KM, and business strategy is used to develop these arguments, and also to identify the nature of KM efforts that would be most appropriate for firms pursuing Defender, Analyzer, and Prospector business strategies. An event study is used to evaluate the stock market reaction to a firm's public announcement of the KM effort. The empirical results, based on 103 KM announcements from 1995 to 2002, are consistent with the theory-based expectations, showing alignment between the KM effort and business strategy to be positively associated with impact on firm value. Some of the implications of these results for practice and future research are examined.     

A taxonomy of political processes in systems development

Significant resources invested in information system development (ISD) are wasted due to political manoeuvres. Prior research on ISD politics has contributed mainly through theoretical development and case studies. This has enhanced understanding of relevant concepts, political tactics and conditions facilitating politics. However, there is limited understanding of the different processes through which politics unfold. This paper uses 89 ISD projects to develop a taxonomy of political processes in ISD. The taxonomy includes three distinct processes: Tug of War, wherein multiple parties strive to gain project control; Obstacle Race, which involves efforts to resist and pursue the project; and Empire Building, wherein the project is used as an instrument to enhance political or resource bases. The taxonomy is explained using the non‐proponents' view of the project and the balance of power between system's proponents and non‐proponents. We also discuss the emergent taxonomy's implications for how politics can be managed and studied.     

The development of strategic information systems: some case studies and research proposals

The strategic potential of information systems (IS) is widely recognised. However, there is a need to understand better the process leading to strategic IS applications and the way in which it may be affected by the context. This paper presents four case studies of the decision making, design and development, and implementation processes leading to strategic, intra-organizational systems. These cases are used to develop a set of general and contingency propositions about the strategic IS development process. The general propositions represent a longitudinal model of the role of senior management during various phases of the process, while the contingency propositions relate the nature of the process to four contextual factors, namely the organization's size, environmental uncertainty, the sector to which the organization belongs, and the maturity of its IS function. These propositions should serve as a basis for future empirical research on strategic IS development.     

An empirical investigation of the antecedents of telecommunication-based interorganizational systems

Interorganizational information systems (IOS) utilising telecommunications technology are commonly used to gain a strategic advantage or to compete with IOS developed by the firm's competitors. The use of telecommunication-based links with customers and suppliers provides such potential benefits as improved internal operations, greater interorganizational efficiency and increased bargaining power. Although this importance of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers is widely recognised, there has been little empirical research on the factors that may affect the use of telecommunication-based IOS. In this paper we investigate the effects of four key factors – environmental uncertainty, product information intensity, value chain information intensity and information system (IS) maturity – on the use of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers, and the impact such links have on organizational performance. Nine hypotheses relating these antecedent variables to the use and impact of interorganizational telecommunication links are proposed. Data were collected through a survey of eighty-four medium-sized companies. In addition, the measures of the impact of telecommunication links on organizational performance and environmental uncertainty were validated using a second respondent and secondary data respectively. Results suggest that environmental uncertainty permits the use of telecommunication links with suppliers. Product information intensity and value chain information intensity were positively associated with the use of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers respectively. IS maturity did not seem to enhance the use of interorganizational telecommunication links, but it did facilitate the impact these links had on organizational performance. Some implications of this study for future research and practice are examined.