The role of system-use practices for sustaining motivation in crowdsourcing: A technology-in-practice perspective

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Alam, Sultana Lubna; Sun, Ruonan

Abstract: The success of crowdsourcing (CS) systems depends on sustained participation, wh ... Expand

Abstract: The success of crowdsourcing (CS) systems depends on sustained participation, which is an ongoing challenge for the majority of CS providers. Unfortunately, participants are frequently demotivated by technical difficulties and the incorrect use of CS systems, which can result in CS failure. Although the literature generally assumes that sustained participation in CS is determined by a shift between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the role of system-use practices in facilitating such a shift remains unknown. We explore how CS system-use practices influence participants' sustained motivation, evolving from initiation to progression to sustention. Using the notion of technology-in-practice as a lens, we develop and examine a process model using an in-depth case study of a large-scale ongoing CS project, the Australian Newspaper Digitisation Program. The findings suggest that CS participants' motivation is shaped by an evolving combination of three basic components (i.e., contextual condition, outcome and action intensity) and mediated by two types of system-use practice (i.e., passive and active). Passive-use practices facilitate sustaining motivation from initiation to progression, whereas active-use practices have a key role in sustention. Our study contributes to the emerging literature on the substantial role of system-use practices in sustaining motivation, resulting in sustained participation. The findings also offer actionable insights into improving the viability of CS systems in retaining and motivating continuous and increased contributions from participants. Collapse

Topics: information system use strategic management intrinsic motivation

Methods: qualitative interview case study business process modeling theory development synthesis

Theories: technology acceptance theory

When (Non)Differences Make a Difference: The Roles of Demographic Diversity and Ideological Homogeneity in Overcoming Ideologically Biased Decision Making

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Solomon, Brittany C.; Hall, Matthew E. K.

Abstract: Increasing demographic diversity is undoubtedly important and can aid in debiasi ... Expand

Abstract: Increasing demographic diversity is undoubtedly important and can aid in debiasing decision makers. Yet, the promises of demographic diversity are not always realized due to social integration problems. We consider why and for whom differences combined with homogeneity make a difference for groups in terms of integratively complex thinking and ideological decision making. Although research has shown that decision makers often rely on political biases, that work has not addressed when and why decision-making groups are able to overcome these biases—a pervasive concern in today’s politically polarized social milieu. Drawing on the common in-group identity model and research on integrative complexity, we theorize that demographic diversity ultimately yields less ideological decision making because it prompts integrative complexity; however, demographic diversity only accrues this benefit in the presence of ideological homogeneity. We also reason that the relationship between integrative complexity and reduced ideological decision making emerges for more conservative (versus more liberal) groups. We find support for our expectations using a natural experiment of judges on the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Supplemental analyses indicate that working within a demographically diverse and ideologically homogeneous group also positively predicts integrative complexity in future decision-making groups. Finally, we find that demographic and ideological diversity can substitute for one another, but no additional integrative complexity benefits accrue when both are present. We discuss implications of this research in light of the ongoing conversation about the value of diversity and today’s polarized political climate. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1647. Collapse

Topics: decision making social influence logistics management corporate social responsibility

Methods: theory development natural experiment qualitative content analysis experiment regression analysis method

Reflections on SEM: An Introspective, Idiosyncratic Journey to Composite-based Structural Equation Modeling

2021 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Hair, Joseph F.

Abstract: For almost 40 years structural equation modeling (SEM) has been the statistical ... Expand

Abstract: For almost 40 years structural equation modeling (SEM) has been the statistical tool of choice for the assessing measurement and structural relationships in the social sciences. During the initial 30 years almost all applications of SEM utilized what has become known as covariance-based SEM. But in the past ten years an alternative structural equation modeling method, composite-based SEM, has increasingly been applied. In fact, a substantial number of social sciences scholars consider composite-based SEM the method of choice for structural equation modeling applications. In this paper, I provide an overview of the evolution of SEM, from the early years when factor-based SEM was the dominant method to the more recent years as composite-based methods have become much more prevalent. I also summarize several relevant composite-based topics including the emergence of composite-based SEM, confirmatory composite analysis (CCA), and a new method of generalized structured component analysis (GSCA). In the final section I propose some observations about current developments and future opportunities for composite-based SEM methods. Collapse

Topics: IT security new product development

Methods: structural equation modeling partial least squares path modeling partial least squares regression PLS tool computational algorithm

Not Registered? Please Sign Up First: A Randomized Field Experiment on the Ex Ante Registration Request

2021 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 6

Authors: Huang, Ni; Mojumder, Probal; Sun, Tianshu; Lv, Jinchi; Golden, Joseph M.

Abstract: Online commerce websites often request users to register in the online shopping ... Expand

Abstract: Online commerce websites often request users to register in the online shopping process. Recognizing the challenges of user registration, many websites opt to delay their registration request until the end of the conversion funnel (i.e., ex post registration request). Our study explores an alternative approach by asking users to register with the website at the beginning of their shopping journey (i.e., ex ante registration request). Guided by a stylized analytical model, we conducted a large-scale randomized field experiment in partnership with an online retailer in the United States to examine how the ex ante request affects users’ registration decisions, short-term customer conversions, and long-term purchase behaviors. Specifically, we randomly assigned the new users in the website’s incoming traffic to one of two experimental groups: one with an ex ante registration request preceding the ex post request (treatment) and the other with only an ex post registration request (control). Our results show that the ex ante request leads to an increased probability of user registration; that is, the users in the treatment group, on average, are 58.08% relatively more likely to register with the website than those in the control group. Furthermore, the ex ante request leads to significant increases in customer purchases in the long run. Based on our estimation of the local average treatment effects, the ex ante registered users are 10.89% relatively more likely to make a purchase, place a 16.76% relatively greater number of orders, and generate 13.22% relatively higher total revenue for the firm in the long run. Finally, the ex ante request also does not impact customer conversion in the short-term. Further investigation into the long-term and short-term effects provides suggestive evidence on several potential mechanisms, such as firm-initiated interaction and screening of low-interest users. Our study provides managerial implications to the e-commerce websites on customer acquisition and contributes to the research on IT artifact design. Collapse

Topics: website electronic commerce electronic mail business-to-consumer marketing management

Methods: experimental group experiment mathematical model field experiment randomized field experiment

Innovation Outcomes of Digitally Enabled Collaborative Problemistic Search Capability

2021 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 33

Authors: Karhade, Prasanna; Dong, John Qi

Abstract: A firm's use of boundary-spanning information systems (BSIS) can be beneficial ... Expand

Abstract: A firm's use of boundary-spanning information systems (BSIS) can be beneficial for innovation by providing access to market-facing information. At the same time, BSIS use can give rise to information overload, making it difficult for firms to leverage the most pertinent information for innovation. Although there has been progress in developing the understanding of the role of IS in innovation, it is unclear what capabilities firms need to develop to facilitate innovation in the presence of information overload from BSIS (IO-BSIS). We maintain that firms are increasingly experiencing IO-BSIS and therefore a thorough investigation of firm-level capabilities to facilitate innovation while coping with IO-BSIS is needed. To address this important gap, we broaden the theory of problemistic search for innovation by proposing a digitally enabled collaborative problemistic search (CPS) capability. We propose that a cross-stream CPS effect-the interaction of CPS with customers (CPS-C) and CPS with suppliers (CPS-S)-can enable firms to reinvigorate their internal knowledge for innovation by engaging customers and suppliers in filtering and interpreting market-facing information. Further, we theorize that the presence or absence of IO-BSIS is a contingency factor that affects whether the cross-stream CPS effect is likely to be beneficial or detrimental to innovation. Based on the analysis of data collected from 227 firms, we find that the crossstream CPS effect is beneficial for innovation when firms face IO-BSIS and detrimental to innovation when firms do not experience IO-BSIS. We thus open the black box of the digitally enabled innovation activity by shedding light on specific collaborative activities that advance innovation while enabling firms to cope with information overload.[The] real design problem is not to provide more information to people but to allocate the time they have available for receiving information so that they will get only the information that is most important and relevant to the decisions they will make. The task is not to design information-distributing systems, but intelligent information-filtering systems (Simon 1996, p. 144, discussing the importance of filtering information).What is left unspecified are ... how interpretations and meanings ... were made more explicit, as a result of concrete activities (Weick 1995, p. 8, discussing the importance of interpreting information). Collapse

Topics: innovation management information overload information system use research and development boundary spanning

Methods: survey descriptive statistic theory development Q methodology survey design

Theories: theory of bounded rationality

Bad Company: Shifts in Social Activists’ Tactics and Resources After Industry Crises

2021 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: McDonnell, Mary-Hunter; Odziemkowska, Kate; Pontikes, Elizabeth

Abstract: Social movement organizations (SMOs) are increasingly using collaborative tactic ... Expand

Abstract: Social movement organizations (SMOs) are increasingly using collaborative tactics to engage firms. Implications of this are not well understood by researchers. This study investigates one risk that looms over such collaborations: if the corporate partner is later implicated in an industry scandal. Ideas are investigated in the context of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. First, we find that industry scandals differentially affect contentious and collaborative SMOs’ ability to mobilize resources. SMOs that had collaborated with the oil and gas industry before the spill suffered from reduced public support after the spill, and those that had contentiously interacted with the industry enjoyed increased contributions. Second, we find that industry scandals affect SMOs’ willingness to collaborate with firms in the future. We show that the Horizon oil spill produced a broad chilling effect on environmental SMOs’ collaborations with firms both within and outside of the oil and gas industry. Our findings show that there are risks inherent to a collaborative strategy that cannot be fully mitigated. Further, we demonstrate that industry scandals represent critical exogenous events that affect social activists’ tactical repertoires for engaging in private politics. Collapse

Topics: database system

Methods: qualitative interview theory development experimental group difference in differences ordinary least square

Theories: organizational theory social contagion theory

How Managers Maintain Control Through Collaborative Repair: Evidence from Platform-Mediated “Gigs”

2021 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Rahman, Hatim A.; Valentine, Melissa A.

Abstract: This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using ... Expand

Abstract: This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using platform labor markets to hire and manage workers—attempt to maintain control when managing skilled contractors. We conducted an inductive field study analyzing interactions between client managers and contractors in software development “gigs” mediated by a platform labor market. The platform provided multiple tools client managers could use for control, including in response to unexpected events. We found that, when managers used the tools to exert coercive control over contractors acting unexpectedly, it backfired and contributed to uncompleted project outcomes. In contrast, when they refrained from using the tools for coercive control in such circumstances and instead engaged in what we call collaborative repair, their actions contributed to completed project outcomes. Collaborative repair refers to interactions that surface misaligned interpretations of a situation and help parties negotiate new, reciprocal expectations that restore trust and willingness to continue an exchange. Client managers’ attempts at collaborative repair yielded fuller understanding of project-related breakdowns and shared investment in new expectations, facilitating effective control and completed projects. This study extends prior theories of control by characterizing the new client manager role created by platforms and demonstrating how initiating repair is integral for managers’ capacity to accomplish control in these comparatively brittle work relationships. Collapse

Topics: digital platform systems development platform work IT development project IT project

Methods: qualitative interview archival database qualitative coding field study constant comparative analysis

Evaluating Enterprise Architecture Frameworks Using Essential Elements

2017 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 10

Authors: Bui, Q Neo

Abstract: Enterprise architecture (EA) frameworks offer principles, models, and guidance t ... Expand

Abstract: Enterprise architecture (EA) frameworks offer principles, models, and guidance to help one develop an EA program. Due to EA’s flexible and abstract nature, there is a proliferation of EA frameworks in practice. Yet, comparison studies to make sense of them are far from satisfactory in that they lack a theoretical foundation for comparison criteria and do not meaningfully interpret the differences. In this paper, I propose a comparison approach using EA essential elements—the underlying key features of EA programs—to distinguish EA frameworks. Based on the extant literature, I identify eight elements, each with its own theoretical justification and empirical evidence. I illustrate how to use these elements to evaluate eight popular EA frameworks. The results show three ideal types of EA frameworks: technical, operational, and strategic EA. Each type has a different focus, set of assumptions, and historical context. The essential elements offer a more systematic way to evaluate EA frameworks. In addition, they shift attention from the maturity models often used in EA development to focus on particular EA elements being implemented by organizations. Collapse

Topics: enterprise architecture database system website organizational productivity internet technology

Methods: cluster analysis archival database ANOVA parametric test maturity model

Implications of Alter Project Resources and Participant Roles for Open Source Software Project Commercial Success

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Daniel, Sherae L.; Stewart, Katherine J.

Abstract: An open source software (OSS) project’s connections to other projects influences ... Expand

Abstract: An open source software (OSS) project’s connections to other projects influences its success. This paper extends the prior work on network effects by taking a more comprehensive view of the types of ties that connect projects and accounting for variations in the resources held by alter projects. Drawing on the attention literature, we argue that garnering attention from key stakeholders (e. g. , active users) is a crucial aspect of success for projects. We hypothesize that projects will therefore benefit more from connections to alter projects that are rich in attention than those that are attention-poor. Further, we develop hypotheses about how the roles occupied by the individual forming a tie between projects (i. e. , whether that person is a contributor or an active user) impacts the extent to which the tie draws attention to the focal project. Three hypotheses are empirically supported in a sample of 250 OSS projects. Collapse

Topics: accounting social network programming language internet technology Java

Methods: robustness check statistical hypothesis test descriptive statistic archival research logarithmic transformation

Theories: theory of bounded rationality

Alternative Designs in Widespread Innovation Adoption: Empirical Evidence from Enterprise Architecture Implementation in US State Governments

2015 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 3

Authors: Bui, Quang Neo; Markus, M; Newell, Susan

Abstract: The dominant design theory posits that widespread innovation adoption, at least ... Expand

Abstract: The dominant design theory posits that widespread innovation adoption, at least for product innovations, happens when a vendor shakeout occurs and subsequently a dominant design of the product emerges. This paper examines how the dominant design theory holds for non-product innovations: could we expect widespread adoption to occur with alternative designs? Through the widespread adoption of Enterprise Architecture in fifty US state governments, we illustrate that both premises of the dominant design theory do not apply well. Despite the widespread adoption of Enterprise Architecture, there is no sign of a shakeout in the vendor community, nor any sign of a dominant design implemented among state governments. On the contrary, alternative designs may have been more helpful to the diffusion process of Enterprise Architecture. The findings suggest research opportunities to look at organizational profiles that promote certain innovation designs, or to identify conditions and trajectories under which alternative designs are plausible. Collapse

Topics: innovation management IS management enterprise architecture website organization structure

Methods: design theory archival database mixed method multiple case study qualitative interview

Theories: theory of dominant design