Design Theory for Societal Digital Transformation: The Case of Digital Global Health

2023 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Braa, Jørn; Sahay, Sundeep; Monteiro, Eric

Abstract: With societal challenges, including but not limited to human development, equit ... Expand

Abstract: With societal challenges, including but not limited to human development, equity, social justice, and climate change, societal-level digital transformation (SDT) is of imminent relevance and theoretical interest. While building on local-level efforts, societal-level transformation is a nonlinear extension of the local level. Unfortunately, academic discourse on digital transformation has largely left SDT unaccounted for. Drawing on more than 25 years of intensive, interventionist research engagement with the digital transformation of public healthcare information management and delivery in more than 80 countries in the Global South, we contribute to theorizing SDT in the form of a design theory consisting of six interconnected design principles. These design principles articulate the interplay and tensions of accommodating over time increased diversity and flexibility in digital solutions, while simultaneously connecting local, national, and regional/ global efforts. inception in three townships in post-apartheid South Africa, different versions and configurations of the DHIS have been adopted by more than 80 countriesincluding all but two African countries south of the Sahara, Norway, and other "developed" countriesthrough the efforts of universities, ministries of health, international organizations, funding, and various other agencies. Its ambition highlights the concerns of equity, inclusiveness, and ideology-that is, making design "that matters" (Bødker & Kyng, 2018) for society.According to Markus and Rowe (2021), the study of SDT to date remains underresearched (cf. also Vial, 2019), despite its tremendous significance in the different facets of social life globally. This mirrors the general critique that Jørn Braa is a professor at the University of Oslo, Norway, where he has spent much of his professional career initiating, cultivating, and promoting interventionist research on and around the DHIS2/ HISP efforts. He is the "father" of the project. His work has been published in outlets including the MIS Quarterly, The Information Society, Information Technology for Development, and in books.Sundeep Sahay is a professor at the University of Oslo, Norway and for the last couple of decades has been engaged in the DHIS2/ HISP project, with a main focus on Asia in general and India in particular. His work has been published in outlets including MIS Quarterly, Information and Organization, Information Systems Research, and in books.Eric Monteiro is a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and an adjunct professor at the University of Oslo. He has a long-term, low-intensity engagement with DHIS2/ HISP spanning more than two decades. His work has been published in outlets including MIS Quarterly, European Journal of Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, and a recent book. Collapse

Topics: public good digital transformation digital innovation information management health information system

Methods: design theory synthesis theory development theoretical contribution longitudinal research

Measuring the Big Data Readiness of Developing Countries – Index Development and its Application to Africa

2023 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Joubert, Anke; Murawski, Matthias; Bick, Markus

Abstract: The use of big data promises to drive economic growth and development and can th ... Expand

Abstract: The use of big data promises to drive economic growth and development and can therefore be a value-adding factor, but compared to private or public organisations, the country level is rarely investigated, and that is even more evident for developing countries. Another topic hardly ever considered in the big data research field is ‘big data readiness’, which means the level of preparation and willingness to exploit big data. We address these shortcomings in the literature and focus on the big data readiness of developing countries. Thus, the first research question is: what components are required for an index measuring big data readiness, and how can such an index be designed? We use a design science approach to develop the “Big Data Readiness Index” (BDRI), which is then applied to all African countries to answer our second research question: how do African countries perform in terms of the BDRI? Our analysis yields country rankings that show relatively high BDRI scores for coastal countries, such as South Africa, Kenya and Namibia, and for islands, such as Mauritius. Related implications for both research and policy are discussed. Collapse

Topics: big data missing data open data research and development telephone

Methods: design science cluster analysis hierarchical clustering literature study design process

Social value creation through digital activism in an online health community

2021 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 8

Authors: Chamakiotis, Petros; Petrakaki, Dimitra; Panteli, Niki

Abstract: The study explores how online health communities produce social value by uniting ... Expand

Abstract: The study explores how online health communities produce social value by uniting individuals under a common purpose, to advance healthcare in post-conflict states. We selected MedicineAfrica – a digital platform known for creating social value by providing medical education in regions with under-resourced healthcare systems – and drew on multiple data collection methods. We found that it is through a unique form of digital health activism that social value is created in this context. Drawing on a sociological understanding of digital health activism, we make the following contributions: First, we identify three types of non-economic, social value: cognitive, professional and epistemic. Second, we indicate that social value creation is enabled by three emergent forms of digital health activism (ie, philanthropic, moral and reciprocal activity). Third, we elicit three enabling mechanisms explaining how these forms of activism are technically and socially afforded through the platform's connective capacity and emerging collective practices in tandem with its members' growing commitment. Our article contributes to the growing IS literature on digital activism by offering a framework that elucidates how digital health activism relates to social value creation. The article provides practical implications as to how platforms can enable sustainable online (health) communities. Collapse

Topics: health information system value creation digital platform online community IT career

Methods: qualitative interview case study literature study qualitative content analysis theoretical contribution

Theories: theory of affordance

Oppositional Logics and the Antecedents of Hybridization: A Country-Level Study of the Diffusion of Islamic Banking Windows, 1975–2017

2020 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Boone, Christophe; Özcan, Serden

Abstract: Little is known about when and where hybrid organizations diffuse. We argue that ... Expand

Abstract: Little is known about when and where hybrid organizations diffuse. We argue that neo-institutional perspectives, which stress the constraining role of market categories and institutional logics, have to be complemented with demand-side perspectives that stress the enabling force of economic incentives to explain the origins of hybrids. We develop theory to predict the country-level diffusion of hybrid forms in Islamic banking in the 1975–2017 period, during which many conventional banks invaded the domain of Islamic banking by starting to sell Islamic banking services, or so-called “Islamic windows.” Our findings underscore the relevance of simultaneously studying the impact of constraining and enabling forces. Consistent with neo-institutional theory, we find strong evidence that a lack of constitutive legitimacy of the window form—only in countries where Muslims make up a large share of the population—and the ideological polarization of local audiences reify the ideological boundaries between the oppositional banking logics, which in turn hampers the diffusion of windows in the focal country. At the same time, however, it appears that the failure of local credit markets and country-level economic globalization, the latter even more in countries with a Muslim majority, provide potent economic incentives for the diffusion of windows. By stressing the role of utilitarian incentives and material exchange as drivers of hybridization, we bridge the gap between neo-institutional and more rationalist approaches of institutional change. Collapse

Topics: database system website digital media social identity

Methods: hazard function descriptive statistic robustness check regression analysis method likelihood-ratio test

Theories: institutional theory dominant logic

Avocados crossing borders: The problem of runaway objects and the solution of a shipping information pipeline for improving international trade

2018 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 3

Authors: Jensen, Thomas; Vatrapu, Ravi; Bjørn‐Andersen, Niels

Abstract: This paper investigates the case of shipments of containers with avocados from f ... Expand

Abstract: This paper investigates the case of shipments of containers with avocados from farmers in Africa to grocery store shelves in the European Union. We find 3 predominant challenges to containerized shipping that effectively become trade barriers: international trade cost, lead time uncertainty, and security risks. We use activity theory to describe, understand, and analyze the shipping activity in the international trade ecosystem with focus on physical objects and their related information. We find that the shipment becomes problematic and can be characterized as a runaway object in the heterogeneous and multiple organizational setting of international trade. Our analysis of shipping reveals (1) inefficient collaboration across loosely coupled activity systems and (2) fragmented information infrastructures. We propose the solution of Shipping Information Pipeline, a shared information infrastructure, thus facilitating collaboration in containerized shipping and contributing to lowering trade barriers. Shipping Information Pipeline can significantly improve containerized shipping resulting in estimated potential benefits of up to 4.7% growth in global GDP. Collapse

Topics: electronic data interchange extensible markup language supply chain management electronic mail enterprise resource planning

Methods: case study qualitative interview focus group design theory design principle

Theories: boundary objects theory activity theory transaction cost economics

Inclusive Innovation in the Private Sector: The Case of East African Technology Start-Ups

2017 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Koskinen, Kari

Abstract: Inclusive innovation argues for the inclusion of societally marginalised groups ... Expand

Abstract: Inclusive innovation argues for the inclusion of societally marginalised groups into the innovation process in order for them to better benefit from the innovations. In the literature on the topic, the main actors behind these innovations are multinational enterprises or entities from the public or third sector. However, in a developing country context, inclusive innovation might be equally relevant for small private sector entities, as they often target the same users, for example the non-profit sector. Collapse

Topics: innovation management societal context

Methods: qualitative interview participant observation qualitative content analysis

Decision support for long-range, community-based planning to mitigate against and recover from potential multiple disasters

2016 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Chacko, Josey; Rees, Loren Paul; Zobel, Christopher W.; Rakes, Terry R.; Russell, Roberta S.; Ragsdale, Cliff T.

Abstract: This paper discusses a new mathematical model for community-driven disaster plan ... Expand

Abstract: This paper discusses a new mathematical model for community-driven disaster planning that is intended to help decision makers exploit the synergies resulting from simultaneously considering actions focusing on mitigation and efforts geared toward long-term recovery. The model is keyed on enabling long-term community resilience in the face of potential disasters of varying types, frequencies, and severities, and the approach's highly iterative nature is facilitated by the model's implementation in the context of a decision support system. Three examples from Mombasa, Kenya, East Africa, are discussed and compared in order to demonstrate the advantages of the new mathematical model over the current ad hoc mitigation and long-term recovery planning approaches that are typically used. Collapse

Topics: decision support system tsunami decision making terrorist incident emergency management

Methods: mathematical model simulation optimization model

Online Prosocial Microlending Decision Making: A Natural Experiment of Ebola Outbreak

2016 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Ding, Yi; Xu, Haifeng; Yang, Lusi; Tan, Bernard C Y

Abstract: In 2014, a devastating Ebola virus epidemic burst in West Africa, which tremendo ... Expand

Abstract: In 2014, a devastating Ebola virus epidemic burst in West Africa, which tremendously impaired the economies in the affected areas. During this crisis, in addition to traditional donations, some new forms of prosocial behaviors, such as online prosocial microlending, were adopted to help people in and near the affected areas. In this study, we extend the spotlight and gradient model to investigate people’s online prosocial microlending decision making after natural disasters, which is both financial (rational) and prosocial (irrational) in nature. By leveraging the Ebola outbreak in 2014, we design a natural experiment to compare lender’s online prosocial microlending behavior before and after the disaster. We find that the average amount of online prosocial microlending in unaffected areas increases after the natural disaster and the increase is negatively related to the distance between the borrower and the affected areas. Collapse

Topics: natural hazard decision making website

Methods: experimental group Student's t-test parametric test natural experiment difference in differences

Theories: cognitive attention theory

Ships & Roses: A Revelatory Case Study of Affordances in International Trade

2015 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 3

Authors: Jensen, Thomas; Vatrapu, Ravi

Abstract: International trade involves crossing several organizational boundaries. This re ... Expand

Abstract: International trade involves crossing several organizational boundaries. This revelatory case study follows fresh cut roses’ journey from the growers in Kenya to the retail distribution in Holland and shows relatively high barriers related to the associated activities, information and documents, etc. Our empirical findings reveal the serious limitation that existing inter-organizational system (IOS) only facilitates actor-to-actor information forwarding in a communication chain of peer-to-peer communication along the supply chain and has no provision for persistent and simultaneous exchange of information between multiple actors. To address this limitation, we conducted a comparative analysis of affordances of the existing vs. future inter-organizational information systems with a focus on sharing critical information. Our extended analysis shows that modern IT features supporting affordances could be useful for the actors’ collaboration in the trade lane of the roses. We discuss some of the benefits of our proposed approach (e.g. lower transaction cost and real time information) but also raise some concerns (e.g. about trust and governance) which calls for further research. Collapse

Topics: supply chain management affordance information technology infrastructure interorganizational system electronic mail

Methods: case study design artifact theoretical contribution ontological modelling literature study

Theories: theory of affordance activity theory transaction cost economics theory of economic growth

Profiling Existing Research on Social Innovation in the Public Sector

2014 | Information Systems Management | Citations: 1

Authors: Rana, Nripendra P.; Weerakkody, Vishanth; Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Piercy, Niall C.

Abstract: This study explores the progress of social innovation research in a public secto ... Expand

Abstract: This study explores the progress of social innovation research in a public sector context by systematically analyzing its existing body of knowledge to identify areas of societal impact and reveal areas of limitations and potential further research. The findings revealed that most of the studies on social innovation in the public sector are conceptual in nature. The article presents propositions based on the diagnosed limitations of research in the area. Collapse

Topics: innovation management entrepreneurship intrapreneurship energy information system disruptive innovation

Methods: literature sample theoretical contribution case study structured literature research literature study

Theories: actor network theory