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WORKAROUNDS IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH: A FIVE-YEAR UPDATE

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Ejnefjäll, Thomas; Ågerfalk, Pär; Hedrén, Andreas

Abstract: This paper complements an earlier (2019) literature review on workarounds in in ... Expand

Abstract: This paper complements an earlier (2019) literature review on workarounds in information systemsresearch by including research that has influenced or been published in core IS outlets during the last five years (2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022). Our study captures research that strengthened, widened, and challenged theoretical insights from the previous review. It also provides additional insights and develops seven themes of theoretical insight. The 31 new papers and our updated analysis are most evident in the three themes: Workarounds and power, Temporality of workarounds, and Managing workarounds. We also found additional studies using the term 'workaround' differently to the extent that they have not applied the term to the same empirical phenomena, which questions the validity of some theoretical claims. We also found significantly more studies that used quantitative data-collection methods than the previous review.Replicating Ejnefjäll and Ågerfalk's (2019) search approach, we searched for the following terms: workaround, workarounds, work-around, and work-arounds. The first search was performed across the AIS Senior Scholars' basket of eight and resulted in five new papers that included the term in their title, abstract, or keywords. In the second search, we scanned all literature cited in these five papers with the same search terms and identified 13 additional publications with titles, abstracts, or keywords containing the term. This scan ensured the inclusion of the most important workaround literature that has influenced or been published in the field of IS. We checked these 18 papers against the conference papers included by Ejnefjäll and Ågerfalk (2019) and found no duplicate studies. We also included papers in proceedings from the official AIS conferences between 2018 and 2022 to find knowledge in the emerging research area of workarounds not yet published in journals (Whitley and Galliers, 2007). We searched titles, abstracts, and keywords in the proceedings of the four official AIS conferences, which resulted in 13 additional full research papers. Our literature search thus resulted in 31 documents: 14 journal papers and 17 conference papers. The additional full-text searches performed by Ejnefjäll and Ågerfalk (2019) provided input to their conceptualization but provided few theoretical insights regarding workarounds. Since the primary purpose of this update is to capture additional theoretical insights, we only included searches that resulted in papers categorized as central (title, abstract, or keywords containing the term). We summarize our search methodology in Figure 2. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: enterprise information system unintended consequence privacy IS implementation success business process management

Methods: literature sample literature study survey event log theory development

Theories: theory of workarounds
Why Work Around the Process? Analyzing Workarounds Through the Lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior
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2023 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 1
Authors: Soffer, Pnina; Outmazgin, Nesi; Hadar, Irit; Tzafrir, Shay

Abstract: Workarounds are a common practice in a broad range of organizational and technol ... Expand

Abstract: Workarounds are a common practice in a broad range of organizational and technological contexts, which has received much attention in information systems research. They are sometimes considered negatively, associated with business risks and noncompliance, and sometimes positively, as a source of innovation and improvement. Although workaround-based process improvements typically adopt the workaround if its consequences are not harmful, this is not always the best option. The paper aims to pave the way for leveraging workarounds for process improvement by understanding problems that motivate them, so alternative solutions can be developed for these problems. Despite many proposed explanations, an in-depth understanding of the reasons underlying employee decisions that lead to workarounds is still needed. To this end, following a qualitative research approach, data were collected in six case study organizations, investigating workaround decisions made by employees through the lens of the theory of planned behavior. The principal unique theme running throughout the findings is that workaround motivation stems from perceived misalignment between organizational, local unit, or personal goals and their realization in business processes. Workarounds are enabled by various factors, including perceived workaround opportunities in the organization. These findings are abstracted to form an explanatory model as a contextual adaptation of the theory of planned behavior to explain workaround intentions. The proposed model explains workaround decisions in a way that can leverage this understanding to promote concrete process improvements. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: business process improvement process mining business process management organizational context data security

Methods: qualitative interview case study modeling language business process model and notation triangulation

Theories: theory of workarounds theory of planned behavior technological frames of reference institutional theory activity theory
The coordination of workarounds: Insights from responses to misfits between local realities and a mandated global enterprise system
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2021 | Information & Management | Citations: 0
Authors: Davison, Robert M.; Wong, Louie H.M.; Ou, Carol X.J.; Alter, Steven

Abstract: We investigate how employees react when confronted with an enterprise system (ES ... Expand

Abstract: We investigate how employees react when confronted with an enterprise system (ES) that does not fit with work processes dictated by local realities. We draw on interview data (n = 31) from a multinational company to reveal how employees devised and coordinated workarounds that were not compliant with corporate IT policy, but enabled the completion of essential activities, thereby creating value for the firm and its customers. The coor dination of these workarounds proved essential to their persistence. We discuss both the theoretical implications of our findings regarding workarounds and the practical contributions associated with the idea that noncompliance can be beneficial. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: enterprise information system IT policy spreadsheet sensemaking Chief Information Officer

Methods: qualitative interview theory development case study literature study theoretical contribution

Theories: theory of workarounds work systems theory
Information-sharing Workarounds in Enterprise Social Networks: Privacy-related Triggers

2021 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Seguel, Pedro

Abstract: Given current trends in digitalization and the increased need to understand way ... Expand

Abstract: Given current trends in digitalization and the increased need to understand ways to improve remote work, it's imperative for IS to understand the emergence of noncompliant behaviors of workers to ESN implementation. This research-in-progress proposed a model into how privacy concerns might trigger workarounds while implementing Enterprise Social Networks (ESN), expanding our understanding of the types of information-sharing workarounds that might be pursued and the steps that might explain such decision process. The model focuses on privacy triggers that might react to this visualization affordances of these technologies. The proposed model emphasizes the important role of privacy management and the alternative responses to managerial trends that favor openness and transparency for organizing. It contributes to the literature on how privacy and transparency jointly affect human behavior and, more specifically, technological use. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: privacy information exchange social media information privacy concern enterprise social network

Methods: business process modeling cross sectional research theory development

Theories: theory of workarounds privacy calculus theory theory of multilevel information privacy
Microfoundations of Organizational Agility: A Socio-Technical Perspective
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2020 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Crick, Charles; Chew, Eng K.

Abstract: To be agile, organization need to be able to quickly reconfigure their internal ... Expand

Abstract: To be agile, organization need to be able to quickly reconfigure their internal resources in order to respond to changes occurring in their environment. In this paper, we draw on the theories of organizational routines and technology affordances to explicate the internal socio-technical “machinery”—the people, processes, and technology—that, in response to an external change, an organization must reconfigure and redirect to achieve new organizational imperatives. The paper contributes a novel multi-level theory that recognizes behavior at the human individual (micro-) level as a causal factor in the macro-level phenomenon of agility. We illustrate and validate the theoretical model with case studies that represent three large organizations that exist in dynamic business environments that demand agility. The research suggests that business processes in the organization evolve both via top-down design and bottom-up practice routinization and further that the need for flexibility drives the tension between them. By elucidating microfoundational mechanisms, the theory defines a stronger causality model for explaining organizational agility phenomena. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: business process management affordance spreadsheet innovation management knowledge representation

Methods: case study theory development conceptual modelling qualitative interview ontological modelling

Theories: dynamic capabilities theory theory of workarounds dominant logic actor network theory sociomaterialism theory
Conceptualizing Workarounds: Meanings and Manifestations in Information Systems Research
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2019 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 6
Authors: Ejnefjäll, Thomas; Ågerfalk, Pär J.

Abstract: We reviewed papers in core IS outlets that defined the term workaround or presen ... Expand

Abstract: We reviewed papers in core IS outlets that defined the term workaround or presented an example of a workaround. In the analysis, we used Ogden and Richard’s triangle of reference as a theoretical framework to analyze the relationship between 1) the term workaround; 2) theories, definitions, and use of the term; and 3) their empirical basis and empirical workaround behavior that the papers describe. First, we summarize the existing theoretical insights regarding workarounds and investigate their validity. Second, we show that studies have defined and used the term workaround differently to the extent that they have not always applied it to the same empirical phenomena, which raises questions about some theoretical insights’ validity. Third, we suggest a definition for workarounds that we inductively derived from empirical accounts of workaround behavior and, therefore, that adequately describes how researchers commonly use the term and makes it possible to distinguish workarounds from other similar phenomena. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: enterprise information system search engine systems design enterprise resource planning implementation business process design

Methods: literature sample literature study theory development qualitative coding survey

Theories: semiotic theory theory of workarounds
CONCEPTUALIZING THE IMPACT OF WORKAROUNDS – AN ORGANIZATIONAL ROUTINES' PERSPECTIVE

2019 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Wolf, Verena; Beverungen, Daniel

Abstract: Employees' acceptance and resistance of new technology and social structure are ... Expand

Abstract: Employees' acceptance and resistance of new technology and social structure are frequently examined in Information Systems research. Resistance is expressed in various forms, including a lack of cooperation, workarounds, and physical sabotage. Workarounds, in particular, have a dual nature and can refer to both, undesirable behavior that contradicts organizational structure and to desired organizational innovation. While antecedents and different forms of workarounds have been explored, literature has remained silent on how and why workarounds of an individual employee can affect activities performed by other employees and thereby, change work routines on an organizational level. Since employees' day-to-day performances constitute the ostensive patterns of a routine, we argue that workarounds will not only impact performances of adjacent routines, but also transform the organization as a social structure. With a preliminary set of qualitative data from 24 interviews, we used a multiple case study design to conceptualize six patterns that illustrate how and why workarounds can spread through an organization. The patterns are systematized by a framework that considers three types of collaboration and two types of handoffs across routines. This first evidence points at the nature of complex desired and undesired consequences that can emerge through workarounds performed in an organization. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: change management electronic mail telephone resistance to change information system use

Methods: qualitative interview design artifact case study triangulation qualitative coding

Theories: theory of workarounds co-evolution theory
The Effect of Unmet Expectations of Information Quality on Post-Acceptance Workarounds among Healthcare Providers

2018 | HICSS | Citations: 0
Authors: Bozan, Karoly; Berger, Andrew

Abstract: Electronic health record (EHR) systems have the capacity to aid clinical decisio ... Expand

Abstract: Electronic health record (EHR) systems have the capacity to aid clinical decision making by providing timely and relevant information about patients. However, providers’ lack of access to complete and upto-date information in the required format hinders their ability to make timely decisions and often leads to misdiagnosis or redundant, duplicate tests. This research evaluates the extent to which pre-adoption information quality expectations are met and their effect on post-adoption satisfaction with an EHR system in terms of information quality and the workarounds that they may generate. The hypotheses were empirically tested through analysis of the responses of 64 healthcare stakeholders. The results indicate that lower information quality was perceived post-adoption than was expected at pre-adoption of the EHR system. Ultimately, workarounds were found largely to be a direct result of dissatisfaction with the EHR system. The results have implications for remedies to workarounds in terms of policy, training, and EHR system features modifications. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: data quality user satisfaction information system use anonymity systems implementation

Methods: survey data transformation exploratory factor analysis structural equation modeling partial least squares regression

Theories: information systems success model theory of workarounds
Workarounds as Means to Identify Insider Threats to Information Systems Security

2017 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 2
Authors: Arduin, Pierre-Emmanuel; Vieru, Dragos

Abstract: Workarounds represent deliberate actions of employees in contrast with the presc ... Expand

Abstract: Workarounds represent deliberate actions of employees in contrast with the prescribed practices and organizations generally perceive them as unwanted processes. Workarounds may lead to information systems (IS) security policy violations, notably when prescribed practices lead employees to face obstacles in accomplishing their daily tasks. Such behavior generates new insider threats to IS security. In this article, we adopt the view that workarounds may enable the identification of new security threats. We propose a conceptual model that illustrates how workarounds generating non-malicious security violations might constitute sources of knowledge about new security threats. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: IT security threat IT security insider threat organizational memory knowledge base

Methods: conceptual modelling theory development case study

Theories: theory of workarounds
A Workaround Model for Competent Project Managers using Agile Development in a Traditional Organization

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 49
Authors: Patel, Jignya; Poston, Robin; Dhaliwal, Jasbir

Abstract: Agile adoption is gaining popularity in organizations, even those steeped in tra ... Expand

Abstract: Agile adoption is gaining popularity in organizations, even those steeped in traditional software development because it has been shown to offer significant benefits. Project managers are often unable to implement agile to its full potential given stakeholder resistance. Project managers find workarounds as a compromise to resistance in certain situations, whether the actions are harmless or essential to resistance. This paper unfolds a case study to examine how project managers’ social intelligence competencies that include working with, persuading, and influencing people plays a pivotal role in working around resistance to agile adoption emanating from stakeholders within and outside the team. Limitations and future research are discussed. Collapse

Semantic filters: theory of workarounds

Topics: agile software development project management systems development software developer pseudonymity

Methods: qualitative interview case study design methodology qualitative coding theoretical contribution

Theories: theory of workarounds

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Found 16 articles

WORKAROUNDS IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH: A FIVE-YEAR UPDATE

Why Work Around the Process? Analyzing Workarounds Through the Lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The coordination of workarounds: Insights from responses to misfits between local realities and a mandated global enterprise system

Information-sharing Workarounds in Enterprise Social Networks: Privacy-related Triggers

Microfoundations of Organizational Agility: A Socio-Technical Perspective

Conceptualizing Workarounds: Meanings and Manifestations in Information Systems Research

CONCEPTUALIZING THE IMPACT OF WORKAROUNDS – AN ORGANIZATIONAL ROUTINES' PERSPECTIVE

The Effect of Unmet Expectations of Information Quality on Post-Acceptance Workarounds among Healthcare Providers

Workarounds as Means to Identify Insider Threats to Information Systems Security

A Workaround Model for Competent Project Managers using Agile Development in a Traditional Organization