MIS Distinguished Speaker Series

Temple University

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Archives for 2011

Nov 18 : Rudy Hirschheim to speak on Assessing Scholarly Influence: Rationale, Rankings, Rating, Reputation, Recognition

By

Rudy Hirschheim

Ourso Family Distinguished Professor of Information Systems,

Louisiana State University

November 18, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title :  Assessing Scholarly Influence: Rationale, Rankings, Rating, Reputation, Recognition

Abstract

Increasingly universities are being asked to be accountable for the evaluation of its faculty members. No longer are promotion and tenure decisions being done using highly subjective criteria. Indeed, universities (and accrediting agencies) are being asked to provide a set of ‘objective’ measures as the basis for faculty evaluation. In so doing, T&P committees are attempting to assess the scholarly influence of the faculty it seeks to evaluate. But what is ‘scholarly influence’? and how might it be measured. In this talk, I will endeavor to explore how scholarly influence is being judged and how the various ‘measures’ could be manipulated.

 

 

Oct 21: Karim Lakhani to speak on “Fit”: Field Experiment Evidence on Sorting, Incentives and Creative Worker Performance

By

Karim Lakhani,

Assistant Professor, Technology and Operations Management

Harvard Business School

October 21, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

 

Seminar Title : “Fit”: Field Experiment Evidence on Sorting, Incentives and Creative Worker Performance

Abstract

We present the results of a 10-day field experiment in which over 500 elite software developers prepared solutions to the same computational algorithmic problem. Participants were divided into two groups with identical skills distributions and exposed to the same competitive institutional setting. The “sorted” group was composed of individuals who preferred the competitive regime instead of a team-based outside option. The “unsorted” group had population-average preferences for working in the regime or the outside option. We find this sorting on this basis of institutional preferences doubled effort and the performance of solutions—controlling for skills, monetary incentives and institutional details.

 

Click here for a copy of the paper.

Oct 14: Prabuddha De to speak on An Empirical Investigation of the Effects of Product-Oriented Web Technologies on Product Returns

By

Prabuddha De,

Accenture Professor of Information Technology and Professor of Management,

Krannert School of Management, Purdue University

October 14, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title : An Empirical Investigation of the Effects of Product-Oriented Web Technologies on Product Returns

Abstract

Internet retailers have been making significant investments in advanced technologies, e.g., zoom, alternative photos, and color swatch, that are capable of providing detailed product-oriented information and, thereby, mitigating the lack of “touch-and-feel,” which, in turn, is expected to lower product returns. However, a clear understanding of the impact of these technologies on product returns is still lacking. This study attempts to fill this gap by using several econometric models to unravel the relationship between product-oriented technology usage and product returns. Our unique and rich dataset allows us to measure technology usage at the product level for each consumer. The results show that zoom usage has a negative coefficient, suggesting that a higher use of the zoom technology leads to fewer returns. Interestingly, we find that the use of alternative photos increases the likelihood of returns. Perhaps more importantly, its use has a negative effect on net sales. Color swatch, on the other hand, does not seem to have any impact on returns. Thus, our findings show that different technologies have different effects on product returns. We provide explanations for these findings based on the extant literature. We also conduct a number of tests to ensure the robustness of the results.

Click here for a copy of the paper.

Sept 16: Anandhi Bharadwaj to speak on “Does Software Process Ambidexterity Lead To Better Software Project Performance?”

By

Anandhi Bharadwaj,

Associate Professor of Information Systems,

Goizueta Business School, Emory University

September 16, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title : Does Software Process Ambidexterity Lead To Better Software Project Performance?

Abstract

Plan-based and agile software development processes seem diametrically opposed in their approaches, with the former emphasizing discipline and control and the latter promoting flexibility and improvisation. Similar tensions in organizational contexts where efficiency versus flexibility considerations simultaneously jostle for management attention has led to the recognition that ambidexterity or the ability to manage seemingly conflicting demands is an important precursor to organizational success. In this study, we extend the idea of ambidexterity to software development processes and empirically examine the performance implications of the ability of software project teams to pursue process designs that simultaneously facilitate both control and flexibility. Utilizing data from a quasi-experiment involving 424 large commercial software projects of a multinational software services firm, we employ a potential outcomes empirical methodology to examine the causal linkage between software process ambidexterity and project performance. Our results show that projects that encountered frequent requirement changes, larger and complex code-bases, new technologies, higher levels of end-user engagements, and smaller, inexperienced teams tend to choose ambidextrous software process designs over a pure plan-based approach. We find that ambidextrous process design positively contributes to better project performance, including on the average about 9% higher productivity, 50% reduction in delivered defects, 12% reduction in internal defects, and 3% improvement in overall profitability. Complementing the archival data analysis with an in-depth qualitative study of the projects pursuing ambidextrous process designs, we enumerate the different mechanisms employed by the project teams to balance control requirements with needs for realizing flexibility. We discuss the implications of our results and elucidate potential pathways to achieve and sustain ambidextrous process designs in software firms.

Click here for a copy of the full paper.

May 4: Ola Henfridsson to speak on Architectural Frames in Digital Innovation: Appreciating the Role of Generative Capability

By

Ola Henfridsson,

Professor of Applied Information Technology,

Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

May 04, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title :  Architectural Frames in Digital Innovation: Appreciating the Role of Generative Capability

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a new theoretical model of complex product architecture in the digital age. Herbert Simon’s work has earned a dominant position in extant research, emphasizing decomposition with subsequent aggregation as the core principle for managing complexity. However, the ongoing digitization of tangible products suggests Christopher Alexander’s principle of generalization with subsequent specialization as a complementary approach. While previous research has pointed to the similarities between Simonian and Alexandrian thinking, we argue drawing on their differences can help us understand the complexity of architecting digitized products. In particular, such differentiation addresses the mismatch between the generative capacity of digital technology and the extant literature’s temporal sequencing of design and production in the product lifecycle.

The proposed theoretical model introduces the notion of architectural frames and provides two idealized representations of a complex product’s architecture: a Simonian hierarchy-of parts frame and an Alexandrian network-of-patterns frame. We explicate the nature of and interactions between the two frames in architecting digitized products. The model provides a new perspective for understanding how the generative capability of digital technology ignites fluid binding of functionality and distributed governance structures. We apply the proposed model to an empirical analysis of an automaker’s attempts to architect their car navigation system in response to technological change. Our research extends current views on product design and contributes to the emerging literature on innovation in the digital age.

Please click here for a copy of the full paper.

April 29: Joe Valacich to speak on What Signal are you Spending? How Website Quality Influences Perception of Product Quality and Purchase Intentions

By

Joe Valacich,

George and Carolyn Hubman Distinguished Professor of MIS,

Washington State University

April 29, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title : What Signal are you Spending? How Website Quality Influences Perception of Product Quality and Purchase Intentions

Abstract

An electronic commerce marketing channel is fully mediated by information technology, stripping away much of a product’s physical informational cues, and creating information asymmetries (i.e., limited information). These asymmetries may impede consumers’ ability to effectively assess certain types of products, thus creating challenges for online sellers. Signaling theory provides a framework for understanding how extrinsic cues— signals—can be used by sellers to convey product quality information to consumers, reducing uncertainty and facilitating a purchase or exchange. This research proposes a model to investigate website quality as a potential signal of product quality and consider the moderating effects of product information asymmetries and signal credibility. Three experiments are reported that examine the efficacy of signaling theory as a basis for predicting online consumer behavior with an experience good. The results indicate that website quality influences consumers’ perceptions of product quality, which subsequently affects online purchase intentions. Additionally, website quality was found to have a greater influence on perceived product quality when consumers had higher information asymmetries. Likewise, signal credibility was found to strengthen the relationship between website quality and product quality perceptions for a high quality website. Implications for future research and website design are examined.

Please click here for a copy of the full paper.

April 1: Brian Butler to speak on Handling Flammable Materials: Wikipedia Biographies of Living Persons as Contentious Objects

By

Brian Butler

Associate Professor, Managenment Information Systems,

Katz School of Businss, University of Pittsburgh

April 1, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title :  Handling Flammable Materials: Wikipedia Biographies of Living Persons as Contentious Objects

Abstract

Common ground. Shared interests. Collective goals. Much has been said about the power of technology to bring people together around commonalities to form groups, teams, and communities. Yet, the same technologies can also be used to bring together individuals with fundamentally irreconcilable differences. In these cases, the question is not how to construct systems that build on commonality, but rather how to manage artifacts that by their very nature provide affordances for conflict. In this paper we examine how Biographies of Living Persons (BLP) in Wikipedia exemplify contentious objects, both in terms of their features and their consequences. We draw from discussions of risk management and resilience to outline four approaches that groups can use to manage contentious objects (risk avoidance, risk minimization, threat reduction, and conflict management). Description of the policies, structures, and systems surrounding Biographies of Living Persons in Wikipedia illustrate how application of these approaches enable the creation and existence of large collection of contentions objects, without undermining the viability of the larger socio-technical system.

For a copy of the paper, click here.

March 16: Max Boisot to speak on Mapping Strategic Knowledge Assets: The Case of the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC

By

Max Boisot

Professor of Strategic Managenment,

Burmingham Business School,

March 16, 2011

Alter Hall 505, 200pm – 330pm

Seminar Title :  Mapping Strategic Knowledge Assets: The Case of the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC

Abstract

Can conventional strategy tools be applied in knowledge-based businesses? Using a framework, the Information-Space or I-Space, designed to analyse knowledge flows, we present research currently under way at CERN to map part of the knowledge assets used by the ATLAS Experiment, today the world’s largest single scientific experiment. Although this research is being carried out in a non-commercial context, we believe that it has implications for the development and conduct of knowledge-based strategy.

March 4: Bin Gu to speak on IT Infrastructure Governance and IT Investment Performance: An Empirical Analysis

By

Bin Gu

Assistant Professor of Information Management,
McCombs School of Business, 
University of Texas at Austin

March 4, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title : IT Infrastructure Governance and IT Investment Performance: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The value of information technology (IT) investment comes increasingly from its ability to complement and enable business strategies and organizational capabilities. As a general purpose technology, however, IT could either a complement or a constraint. Making the right IT investment, particularly the right IT infrastructure investment could thus have far-reaching impact on a firm‟s IT investment performance. A necessary condition to make the right IT infrastructure investment is to ensure that a firm‟s IT infrastructure governance (ITIG) configuration is aligned with the firm‟s organizational structure and business strategies. In this study, we use a two-step approach to provide an empirical assessment of the impact of the ITIG alignment on IT investment performance. We first recognize that a key challenge is that the appropriate IT governance mode varies across both firms and business units within. We address the challenge by extending the multiple contingency theory for IT governance from the firm level to the business unit level. We use the business unit level multiple contingency theory to develop an empirical model to predict the appropriate ITIG configuration for each business unit and use the difference between the predicted and observed ITIG configurations to derive a multiple contingency theory based measure of ITIG misalignment. We then assess the relationship between ITIG misalignment and IT investment performance across a Fortune 1000 firm samples. We find that firms with high ITIG misalignment receive limited benefits from IT investments; whereas firms with low ITIG misalignment obtain about twice the value from their IT investments compared to firms with average ITIG misalignment.

Click here for a copy of the paper.

Feb 25: Steven Johnson to speak on How do power law distributions arise in online communities?

By

Steven Johnson

Assistant Professor,
Fox School of Business,
Temple University

February 25, 2011

Speakman Hall 200, 1000am – 1130am

Seminar Title : How do power law distributions arise in online communities?

Abstract

Power law rank/frequency distributions appear ubiquitous in online communities but the mechanisms of their formation are not well understood. This study models online communities and multiple network formation mechanisms that can lead to the emergence of power distributions. First, we establish the presence of power law distributions in twenty-eight online communities. Next, we develop a simulation model of the formation of thread-based asynchronous online communities and provide results based on over 4,500 runs of the model simulating a total of over 3,200,000 messages generated by over 340,000 participants. Finally, we evaluate if these network formation models generate simulated networks with power law distributions. To validate that these models are consistent with the observed networks we use multiple measures of network structure: the power law distribution degree, network density, mutuality index and clustering coefficient. This study contributes to our understanding of online communities and other social communication networks by illuminating the relationships between specific behavioral tendencies of participants and emergent structural network characteristics.

We find no evidence that preferential attachment explains the presence of power laws in online communities but instead that a generalized social exchange mechanism is the participant behavior most consistent with observed power laws.

Please email me for a copy of the full paper (swattal@temple.edu).