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

September 10, 2011 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.

 

 

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

September 10, 2011 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

September 10, 2011 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.

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

September 10, 2011 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.

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