To Stem the Tide: Organizational Climate and the Locus of Knowledge Transfer

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Di Stefano, Giada; Micheli, Maria Rita

Abstract: Prior work has maintained that organizations benefit from managing the transfer ... Expand

Abstract: Prior work has maintained that organizations benefit from managing the transfer of proprietary knowledge. Transfer is often advantageous within organizational boundaries but may be harmful across them, because it might erode competitive advantage. Hence, we ask: How can organizations affect the direction in which knowledge flows? We examine the role of organizational climate as a governing mechanism for knowledge transfer. Our empirical strategy consists of a mixed-methods approach leveraging qualitative and experimental data over two cycles of theory building and theory testing. We start with an extensive field study of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), leveraging the insights from desk research, field observations, 53 interviews, and a laboratory-in-the-field experiment involving 518 physicists. We then provide a causal test of the emerging framework by means of two laboratory experiments with 389 participants. Our findings suggest employees are more likely to transfer knowledge to their colleagues when they identify as an integral part of the organization, but they would rather transfer knowledge to outside competitors when their organization encourages them to outperform coworkers. In the presence of an organizational climate that is unfavorable to preventing knowledge spillovers, we argue, organizations can redirect the locus of knowledge transfer internally by acting upon an individual employee’s job design and socialization regime.History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.Funding: The authors acknowledge generous financial support from Bocconi University, the HEC Foundation of HEC Paris, and IESEG School of Management.Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1551. Collapse

Topics: knowledge sharing electronic mail pandemic knowledge spillover strategic management

Methods: experiment qualitative interview field study theory development laboratory experiment

Theories: organizational theory

Improving the governance of information technology: Insights from the history of Internet governance

2022 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 2

Authors: Pandey, Neena; Dé, Rahul; Ravishankar, MN

Abstract: Governance of the Internet is a matter of global importance and concern. The mu ... Expand

Abstract: Governance of the Internet is a matter of global importance and concern. The multi-stakeholder (MS) and multilateral (ML) forms have been presented as two competing and plausible models of Internet governance. Drawing on actor-network theory (ANT) and building on an interpretive case study of rich archival data, this paper examines how the focal actor's (i.e. the U.S. government's) beliefs influence the choice of Internet governance form. It further explores the strategies of the focal actor to translate the interests of the ML network's supporters, with a view to enrolling them in the MS governance network. The analysis shows how the focal actor has established the MS governance form through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as an Obligatory Passage Point to keep the Internet successfully operational. The analysis also illuminates the combination of structural and collaborative strategies employed to allay the growing dissatisfaction with the MS governance form. The paper suggests that whilst the protocols and technical standards of the Internet are increasingly relegated to the background, the social and political network that Internet artefacts draw together in a meta-form has grown in prominence. It also argues that there may be a hierarchy of beliefs, which influence how actors enact their translation strategies. Finally, the paper discusses parallels between the MS/ML forms of Internet governance and IT governance in organizational contexts. Collapse

Topics: IT governance internet technology organizational context IS impact email spam

Methods: archival research design artifact case study structured literature research literature study

Theories: actor network theory

Online discrete choice models: Applications in personalized recommendations

2019 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 3

Authors: Danaf, Mazen; Becker, Felix; Song, Xiang; Atasoy, Bilge; Ben-Akiva, Moshe

Abstract: This paper presents a framework for estimating and updating user preferences in ... Expand

Abstract: This paper presents a framework for estimating and updating user preferences in the context of app-based recommender systems. We specifically consider recommender systems which provide personalized menus of options to users. A Hierarchical Bayes procedure is applied in order to account for inter- and intra-consumer heterogeneity, representing random taste variations among individuals and among choice situations (menus) for a given individual, respectively. Three levels of preference parameters are estimated: population-level, individual-level and menu-specific. In the context of a recommender system, the estimation of these parameters is repeated periodically in an offline process in order to account for trends, such as changing market conditions. Furthermore, the individual-level parameters are updated in real-time as users make choices in order to incorporate the latest information from the users. This online update is computationally efficient which makes it feasible to embed it in a real-time recommender system. The estimated individual-level preferences are stored for each user and retrieved as inputs to a menu optimization model in order to provide recommendations. The proposed methodology is applied to both Monte-Carlo and real data. It is observed that the online update of the parameters is successful in improving the parameter estimates in real-time. This framework is relevant to various recommender systems that generate personalized recommendations ranging from transportation to e-commerce and online marketing, but is particularly useful when the attributes of the alternatives vary over time. Collapse

Topics: personalization usability recommender system willingness to pay mobile application

Methods: conjoint analysis experiment Gibbs sampling Markov chain survey

Design and Validation of the Bright Internet

2018 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 38

Authors: Lee, Jae Kyu; Cho, Daegon; Lim, Gyoo Gun

Abstract: Bright Internet research was launched as a core project of the AIS Bright ICT In ... Expand

Abstract: Bright Internet research was launched as a core project of the AIS Bright ICT Initiative, which aims to build an ICT-enabled Bright Society. To facilitate research on the Bright Internet, we explicitly define the goals and principles of the Bright Internet, and review the evolution of its principles. The three goals of the Bright Internet are: the realization of preventive security, the provision of the freedom of anonymous expression for innocent netizens, and protection from the risk of privacy infringement that may be caused by preventive security schemes. We respecify design principles to fulfill these seemingly conflicting goals: origin responsibility, deliverer responsibility, identifiable anonymity, global collaboration, and privacy protection. Research for the Bright Internet is characterized by two perspectives: first, the Bright Internet adopts a preventive security paradigm in contrast to the current self-centric defensive protective security paradigm. Second, the target of research is the development and deployment of the Bright Internet on a global scale, which requires the design of technologies and protocols, policies and legislation, and international collaboration and global governance. This research contrasts with behavioral research on individuals and organizations in terms of the protective security paradigm. This paper proposes validation research concerning the principles of the Bright Internet using prevention motivation theory and analogical social norm theory, and demonstrates the need for a holistic and prescriptive design for a global scale information infrastructure, encompassing the constructs of technologies, policies and global collaborations. An important design issue concerns the business model design, which is capable of promoting the propagation of the Bright Internet platform through applications such as Bright Cloud Extended Networks and Bright E-mail platforms. Our research creates opportunities for prescriptive experimental research, and the various design and behavioral studies of the Bright Internet open new horizons toward our common goal of a bright future. Collapse

Topics: internet technology social norm privacy IT security information technology infrastructure

Methods: design science design principle design artifact experiment field study

Theories: motivation theory general deterrence theory neutralization theory social bond theory protection motivation theory

Preventing State-Led Cyberattacks Using the Bright Internet and Internet Peace Principles

2018 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Shin, Young; Lee, Jae; Kim, Myungchul

Abstract: The Internet has engendered serious cybersecurity problems due to its anonymity, ... Expand

Abstract: The Internet has engendered serious cybersecurity problems due to its anonymity, transnationality, and technical shortcomings. This paper addresses state-led cyberattacks (SLCAs) as a particular source of threats. Recently, the concept of the Bright Internet was proposed as a means of shifting the cybersecurity paradigm from self-defensive protection to the preventive identification of malevolent origins through adopting five cohesive principles. To design a preventive solution against SLCAs, we distinguish the nature of SLCAs from that of private-led cyberattacks (PLCAs). We then analyze what can and cannot be prevented according to the principles of the Bright Internet. For this research, we collected seven typical SLCA cases and selected three illustrative PLCA cases with eleven factors. Our analysis demonstrated that Bright Internet principles alone are insufficient for preventing threats from the cyberterror of noncompliant countries. Thus, we propose a complementary measure referred to here as the Internet Peace Principles, which define that the Internet should be used only for peaceful purposes in accordance with international laws and norms. We derive these principles using an approach that combines the extension of physical conventions to cyberspace, the expansion of international cybersecurity conventions to global member countries, and analogical international norms. Based on this framework, we adopt the Charter of the United Nations, the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, Recommendations by the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts, the Tallinn Manual, and Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and others as reference norms that we use to derive the consistent international order embodied by the Internet Peace Principles. Collapse

Topics: internet technology IT security privacy computer crime denial of service attack

Methods: case study archival research

Design Drift and Reflective Conversation in Design Science Research: A Case Study of Problem Formulation

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Amaye, Alexis; Neville, Karen; Pope, Andrew

Abstract: Design Science Research is a well-established theoretical and methodological ap ... Expand

Abstract: Design Science Research is a well-established theoretical and methodological approach to design, build, and evaluate IS artefacts. However, research suggests that the engagement of subjective and ethereal processes of design are not well documented in literature, highlighting a significant challenge to understanding design praxeology, or the study of practices and processes of design. This paper explores the artefact conceptualization stages of DSR using a case study focused on the utilization of emergency management information systems to propose two approaches to understanding and presenting the design process. Design drift and reflective conversation are proposed and applied to a DSR project to create a conceptual design for a mindfulness-based evaluation framework for EMIS supported decision making. By removing some of the mysticism often associated with abductive reasoning, the study demonstrates ways researchers can be more effective in using cognitive mapping tools and communicating approaches to illustrate the inferential processes that are unique to DSR Collapse

Topics: decision making mindfulness group decision support system team productivity information system use

Methods: design artifact survey simulation design process case study

Theories: social practice theory theory of abduction theory of task technology fit

Drivers of Durable Peace: The Role of Justice in Negotiating Civil War Termination

2017 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 0

Authors: Wagner, Lynn; Druckman, Daniel

Abstract: Attaining durable peace after a civil war has become a major challenge, as many ... Expand

Abstract: Attaining durable peace after a civil war has become a major challenge, as many negotiated settlements relapse into violence. How can civil war negotiations be conducted and peace agreements formulated so as to contribute to lasting, durable peace? Previous research has focused on the durability of peace agreements, measured as the absence of violence. This study develops an index to measure durable peace for a period of 8 years after the agreement had been reached, and evaluates the new measure using an existing data set. We ask whether impacts on durable peace are similar or different to those found for the durability of agreements. This question suggests a number of hypotheses that are evaluated with 16 cases of peace agreements. Stable agreements are shown to mediate the relationship between equality provisions in peace agreements and durable peace, and to also mediate the relationship between procedural justice and the reconciliation component of durable peace. Interestingly, economic stability is not a dividend of peace agreements. Collapse

Topics: armed conflict

Methods: mediation analysis descriptive statistic path analysis correlation analysis longitudinal research

Theories: distributive justice theory theory of economic development

Designing the Shift from Information Systems to Information Services Systems

2015 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 0

Authors: Ralyté, Jolita; Khadraoui, Abdelaziz; Léonard, Michel

Abstract: Service-oriented paradigm is emerging as a promising solution to handle enterpri ... Expand

Abstract: Service-oriented paradigm is emerging as a promising solution to handle enterprise information systems (IS) complexity, interoperability, and evolution issues. However, the shift from a conventional IS architecture to a service-oriented one is not an easy task. Various approaches have been proposed in the literature and most of them deal with either business strategic service design or a technical level IS transformation and migration. There is a need for approaches forming the link between these two levels and designing the information level transformations. In the paper, the concepts of information service and information services system (ISS) are promoted and three different ways to design information services and ISS are proposed taking into account enterprise legacy IS evolution. The three approaches are illustrated with examples taken from industrial projects and case studies. Collapse

Topics: enabling capability systems development interorganizational system

Methods: design science metamodel case study conceptual modelling information extraction

Risk perception and risk management in cloud computing: Results from a case study of Swiss companies

2013 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 34

Authors: Brender, Nathalie; Markov, Iliya

Abstract: a b s t r a c tIn today's economic turmoil, the pay-per-use pricing model of cl ... Expand

Abstract: a b s t r a c tIn today's economic turmoil, the pay-per-use pricing model of cloud computing, its flexibility and scalability and the potential for better security and availability levels are alluring to both SMEs and large enterprises. However, cloud computing is fraught with security risks which need to be carefully evaluated before any engagement in this area. This article elaborates on the most important risks inherent to the cloud such as information security, regulatory compliance, data location, investigative support, provider lock-in and disaster recovery. We focus on risk and control analysis in relation to a sample of Swiss companies with regard to their prospective adoption of public cloud services. We observe a sufficient degree of risk awareness with a focus on those risks that are relevant to the IT function to be migrated to the cloud. Moreover, the recommendations as to the adoption of cloud services depend on the company's size with larger and more technologically advanced companies being better prepared for the cloud. As an exploratory first step, the results of this study would allow us to design and implement broader research into cloud computing risk management in Switzerland. Collapse

Topics: cloud computing risk management

Methods: survey qualitative interview case study

Collective agility, paradox and organizational improvisation: the development of a particle physics grid

2011 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 42

Authors: Zheng, Yingqin; Venters, Will; Cornford, Tony

Abstract: This paper examines systems development in a global collaborative community of h ... Expand

Abstract: This paper examines systems development in a global collaborative community of high-energy physics and offers insights and implications for agile systems development in other large scale and distributed settings. The paper studies the ongoing construction of the UK's computing grid for particle physics (GridPP), a grid that is itself part of the world's largest grid, the Large Hadron Collider Computing Grid. We observe in this project a collective, agile and distributed performance through which the Grid is constructed. We express this through the concept of ‘collective agility’ which captures a large distributed performance rather than the more conventional sense of agility as small-group and deliberate systems development practices. The collective agility of GridPP is analysed as a process of ‘enacted emergence’ expressed through the dynamics of six improvisation paradoxes. Collapse

Topics: systems development agile software development organizational productivity virtual teamwork system development method

Methods: qualitative interview case study participant observation ontological modelling survey