Theorizing Organizational Benevolence

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Beveridge, ‘Alim J.; Höllerer, Markus A.

Abstract: We extend research on stakeholder orientation by introducing and conceptualizing ... Expand

Abstract: We extend research on stakeholder orientation by introducing and conceptualizing “organizational benevolence”—a notion that refers to a firm’s inclination to pursue the welfare of an external stakeholder group as an end in itself manifested in a behavioral tendency in which benefiting the “other” is the ultimate goal of action. Employing a microfoundational approach, we propose a theoretical framework and a process model that explain how firms develop such a posture and how it eventually can become an enduring feature of these organizations. We build our framework on the core notion of collective commitment to the well-being of an external constituency by elaborating on the processes through which such collective commitment is mobilized, translated into collective intention, and stabilized in a behavioral tendency. Our article develops several propositions highlighting the crucial roles that emotionality and rhetoric play in these processes, alongside an enabling sociocognitive infrastructure. Overall, our work goes substantially beyond current theorizing and provides a detailed account for why some firms not founded with a prosocial mission nonetheless act consistently to benefit an external constituency in the absence of instrumental reasons to do so. Collapse

Methods: theory development business process modeling

Theories: stakeholder theory organizational theory

Corporate Social Responsibility in the IT Industry: A Stakeholder Perspective

2023 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Boudreau, Marie-Claude

Abstract: There has been a shift in the business world where many companies now consider ... Expand

Abstract: There has been a shift in the business world where many companies now consider their responsibilities to diverse stakeholders (such as employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and the environment) on par with that of shareholders. This trend bolsters expectations for companies to report on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), i.e., on their environmentally and socially oriented claims and commitments. The IT industry (software and hardware) faces conflicting motivations to engage in CSR, and it is not clear how it fares compared to other industries. In this research project, we plan to leverage stakeholder theory to better understand how companies from this industry balance pressures from a dominant stakeholder (i.e., the employees, who have legitimacy and power) versus a dependent stakeholder (i.e., the environment, who has legitimacy and urgency). We seek to understand these stakeholders' influence on CSR initiatives, specifically within the IT industry. Collapse

Topics: computer hardware

Methods: qualitative comparative analysis mixed method personal interview

Theories: stakeholder theory

How can Blockchain technology support patent management? A systematic literature review

2023 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Denter, Nils M.; Seeger, Fabian; Moehrle, Martin G.

Abstract: Patent management tasks involve many stakeholders from diverse disciplines and h ... Expand

Abstract: Patent management tasks involve many stakeholders from diverse disciplines and hierarchies as well as from inside and outside the organization. By drawing on the transaction cost and stakeholder theories, Blockchain technology offers new opportunities to rethink the way in which stakeholders are organized and collaborate. Although Blockchain technology receives considerable attention from both the public and academia, the question of how Blockchain technology leverages patent management in particular has so far been neglected, although it holds great promise. Consequently, this is what we choose to be our basic research question. In response to it, we conduct a systematic literature review, following a procedure in three steps. Out of an initial sample of 714 articles, we select 52 as being particularly relevant, and classify them in accordance with the dimensions of the 7D Patent Management Maturity Model. Three main foci regarding the use of Blockchain technology emerge – i. e. for the generation, the enforcement, and the exploitation of patents. This study contributes to scholarship and management by showing that Blockchain technology mitigates environmental and behavioral uncertainty, while stimulating new governance forms and business models by reorganizing or discarding stakeholders. Collapse

Topics: blockchain database system Bitcoin anonymity design thinking

Methods: literature sample literature study structured literature research topic model qualitative content analysis

Theories: transaction cost economics stakeholder theory

The emergence of smart service ecosystems—The role of socio-technical antecedents and affordances

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Herterich, Matthias M.; Dremel, Christian; Wulf, Jochen; vom Brocke, Jan

Abstract: As physical products are increasingly augmented with digital technology, manufac ... Expand

Abstract: As physical products are increasingly augmented with digital technology, manufacturing firms have become part of the development of so-called smart products and smart services. As such, manufacturing firms are challenged by new market participants and ecosystem partners, particularly from the software development industry, and by the dynamic nature of business relationships. While the academic literature on the distinctive characteristics of ecosystems, particularly digital ecosystems, is rich, the effect of smart service ecosystems' emergence on the foundation of smart products remains uncertain. This study reports on case study research based on 47 semi-structured interviews with four companies that participate in an industrial smart service ecosystem. Taking an affordance-theoretic perspective, we uncover the antecedents of and the process of emergent smart service ecosystems. We find that smart service ecosystems have three socio-technical antecedents: a shared worldview, structural flexibility and integrity, and architecture of participation. We explain the emergence of smart service ecosystems as the result of specialisation in shared affordances and integration of idiosyncratic affordances into collective affordances. We derive seven propositions regarding the emergence of smart services, outline opportunities for further research, and present practical guidelines for manufacturing firms. Collapse

Topics: affordance smart device value creation user experience innovation management

Methods: qualitative interview qualitative coding case study focus group personal interview

Theories: theory of affordance stakeholder theory service-dominant logic

UNBOXING THE ROLE OF E-COMMERCE ECOSYSTEMS TO ADDRESS GRAND CHALLENGES

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Wulfert, Tobias; Woroch, Robert; Strobel, Gero; Schoormann, Thorsten; Bahn, Leonardo

Abstract: The modern world is confronted with grand challenges, such as those codified by ... Expand

Abstract: The modern world is confronted with grand challenges, such as those codified by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. As single organizations are often not capable of addressing a broad set of goals on their own, they are increasingly concerned with creating ecosystems. This is also the case in the domain of e-commerce. Owners of focal platforms in e-commerce ecosystems have the power to implement sustainability initiatives and therefore need to be equipped with an overview of possible initiatives and actionable guidance. To unbox how e-commerce ecosystem participants consider sustainability, we conducted a multi-case study with 99 initiatives collected from sustainability reports. We found that (1) sustainability initiatives particularly focus on reducing inequality and managing climate change as well as (2) manufacturers, sellers, and service providers are the most involved ecosystem participants. Based on our findings, we (3) synthesized six categories of sustainability initiatives as measurements. Collapse

Topics: electronic commerce organizational success climate change electronic market IS discipline

Methods: case study multiple case study synthesis triangulation machine learning

Theories: resource based view of the firm stakeholder theory

Shaping a Smart Transportation System for Sustainable Value Co-Creation

2023 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Zhang, Jun; Li, Shuyang; Wang, Yichuan

Abstract: The smart transportation system (STS) leverages ubiquitous and networked computi ... Expand

Abstract: The smart transportation system (STS) leverages ubiquitous and networked computing to improve the efficiency of urban mobility. Whilst existing IS work has explored various factors influencing STS development, there is a lack of consideration of how value can be created for building a more sustainable STS. Drawing upon the value co-creation theory and stakeholder theory, we seek to understand the socio-technical shaping of the STS ecosystem and how government, firms and citizens collaboratively create sustainable value for designing and implementing STS initiatives. To reach this aim, we carry out a longitudinal case study over 2016–2018 in Shijiazhuang, China. We offer both theoretical and practical explanations on (i) key value facets with regard to sustainable STS design and implementation; and (ii) a holistic view of iterative value co-creation process pushed by key stakeholders. This study makes particular contributions to the IS, marketing and transportation literature by offering a critical understanding of the social dynamics for shaping a big data-driven STS ecosystem. Collapse

Topics: participatory design smart city big data marketing management innovation management

Methods: design methodology longitudinal research qualitative interview longitudinal case study design process

Theories: stakeholder theory socio technical theory

IS diffusion: A dynamic control and stakeholder perspective

2022 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Ahmed, Zafor; Eryilmaz, Evren; Alzahrani, Ahmed Ibrahim

Abstract: Our research uses a novel perspective of control balancing and stakeholder orien ... Expand

Abstract: Our research uses a novel perspective of control balancing and stakeholder orientation to explore an information system (IS) phenomenon called enterprise IS diffusion. Employing a case-based, grounded theory approach, we analyze four large-scale IS implementation projects in a Canadian government organization. Our findings offer a synergistic approach to IS diffusion by integrating a dynamic control configuration perspective with stakeholder engagement, stakeholder sensitivity, and the impact of shifting stakeholder orientations on IS diffusion stages.We draw from control, control balancing, and stakeholder theories. Moreover, we refer to the IS implementation and IS diffusion literature to develop our argument. In doing so, this research develops a new and vital con­ struct—stakeholder orientation—for IS implementation projects. We also identify the existence of four distinct stakeholder orientations, a combination of stakeholder engagement with stakeholder sensitivity in large ISD projects: (a) strategic, (b) responsibility, (c) best interest, and (d) economic cost.Through analysis and synthesis, we establish vital relationships among shifting control configurations, stakeholder engagement, stakeholder sensitivity, and IS diffusion stages, where maintaining an optimal stakeholder orientation, facilitated by appropriate control configuration, leads to a successful IS diffusion outcome. Furthermore, we propose an extension to the existing control balancing theory by identifying missing links and trigger factors. Collapse

Topics: technology diffusion systems implementation database system IT project records management system

Methods: qualitative interview case study grounded theory synthesis triangulation

Theories: stakeholder theory agency theory control theory lemon market theory

Is Organizational Commitment to IT Good for Employees? The Role of Industry Dynamism and Concentration

2022 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 1

Authors: Engelen, Andreas; Rieger, Verena; Wehner, Marius; Heidemann, Fabian

Abstract: While research on the consequences of organizational commitment to IT has focuse ... Expand

Abstract: While research on the consequences of organizational commitment to IT has focused on outcomes of interest to shareholders, such as profitability and firm value, recent research has also considered other stakeholders that might benefit from an increased organizational commitment to IT, especially customers. We extend this line of the literature by investigating the benefits of a firm’s organizational commitment to IT for firms’ employees, a stakeholder group that uses and depends heavily on IT in its daily work. This exploratory study links a firm’s organizational commitment to IT with the nonmonetary employee metrics of job satisfaction and work-life balance and embeds these associations in the industry’s dynamism and concentration. We test our research model with a multi-industry dataset of 523 firms from the S&P 500 (2008-2017 period). Our findings indicate that an organizational commitment to IT may facilitate job satisfaction and work-life balance but only when industry dynamism and industry concentration are low. Additional analyses show that IT commitment’s influence on these outcomes depends on the firm’s commitment to particular IT technologies; for instance, organizational commitments to cloud technology and remote technology are particularly positively associated with work-life balance. Collapse

Topics: organizational commitment job satisfaction cloud computing computer supported cooperative work remote work

Methods: Compustat robustness check survey regression analysis method Anderson-Darling test

Theories: stakeholder theory theory of job satisfaction resource based view of the firm

Socially Irresponsible Employment in Emerging-Market Manufacturers

2022 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Distelhorst, Greg; McGahan, Anita

Abstract: Are socially irresponsible employment practices, such as abusive discipline and ... Expand

Abstract: Are socially irresponsible employment practices, such as abusive discipline and wage theft, systematically tied to manufacturing outcomes in emerging-market countries? Drawing on a stream of stakeholder theory that emphasizes economic interdependencies and insights from the fields of industrial relations and human resource management, we argue that working conditions within a firm are facets of a systemic approach to value creation and value appropriation. Some manufacturers operate “low road” systems that rest on harmful practices. Others operate “high road” systems in which the need to develop employees’ human capital deters socially irresponsible employment practices. To test the theory, we conduct a large-scale study of labor violations and manufacturing outcomes by analyzing data on over four thousand export-oriented small manufacturers in 48 emerging-market countries. The analysis demonstrates that socially irresponsible employment practices are associated with inferior firm-level manufacturing outcomes even after controlling for the effects of firm size, industry, product mix, production processes, host country, destination markets, and buyer mix. The theory and results suggest an opportunity for multinational corporations to improve corporate social performance in global value chains by encouraging their suppliers to transition to systems of value creation that rely on the development of worker human capital. Funding: A. McGahan received funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [Grant 435-2016-0075]. Collapse

Topics: human resource management supply chain management value creation productivity manufacturing information system

Methods: theory development descriptive statistic robustness check statistical hypothesis test regression analysis method

Theories: stakeholder theory theory of economic development

Employee perspectives on value realization from data within data-driven business models

2022 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 0

Authors: Förster, Matthias; Bansemir, Bastian; Roth, Angela

Abstract: Firms are innovating data-driven business models (DDBMs) to realize value from d ... Expand

Abstract: Firms are innovating data-driven business models (DDBMs) to realize value from data. Yet, making DDBMs work is challenging, and DDBMs often fall short of expected value realization. One reason for this shortfall is that firms do not know how employees, who decisively influence a DDBM’s value realization, view this complex and multi-facetted topic. We think it is necessary to understand the employees’ perspectives, the dimensions that build these perspectives and the characteristics employees are particularly interested in regarding value realization from data. We address this research gap by applying the Q-methodology to examine the perspectives among 70 employees across twelve DDBMs at a German automotive manufacturer. This yields eight perspectives, e.g., data advocacy, data caution or data practical. By exploring these perspectives, we provide a first groundwork on how employees view and appraise value realization from data which adds to the strive for mastering value realization from data within DDBMs. Collapse

Topics: anonymity organizational value innovation management analytical information system data-driven business model

Methods: qualitative interview factor analysis Q methodology qualitative coding archival research

Theories: stakeholder theory