Bryan Reinicke

Beta versus VHS and the acceptance of electronic brainstorming technology

This paper argues that much of the past research on electronic brainstorming has been somewhat myopic. Much as Sony focused on the quality of the picture on its Beta format, we as IS researchers have focused on the number of ideas generated as the dominant measure of electronic brainstorming effectiveness. When VHS killed Beta, Sony discovered that image quality was a secondary consideration for most VCR users. Despite the compelling research on its performance benefits, electronic brainstorming has not yet displaced-or even joined-verbal brainstorming as a widely used idea generation technique. This paper presents arguments that users may not be primarily concerned with the number of ideas generated when planning a brainstorming session, but rather may equally desire group well being and member support. We present theoretical arguments and empirical evidence suggesting that electronic brainstorming is not as effective as verbal brainstorming at providing group well being and member support. We believe that these arguments may also apply to other group and individual research areas and may also call for a reevaluation of the technology acceptance model (TAM). Finally, we suggest further research that may help electronic brainstorming avoid the fate of the Beta format.

What matters when introducing new information technology

Focusing on the right issues at the right time increases the likelihood of success.

Learning Through Interactions: Improving Project Management Through Communities of Practice

Communities of practice are a possible mechanism for improving knowledge sharing among project managers, both within and between organizations. Based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, we theorize a model of participation intensity in communities of practice by project managers and explore the use of Web 2.0 technologies to increase this participation. Using structural equation modeling, we test the research model and find that the factors of reputation, enjoyment, and management support impact the participation intensity of project managers in communities of practice. However, we do not find support for the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on participation intensity. This study provides evidence that participation in communities of practice can result in individual benefits for the project manager, as well as in more far-reaching organizational benefits.

Exploring the Psychological Determinants of Perceived Ease of Use and Usefulness

The question of why individuals adopt a particular information system is an important issue in IS research. While extensive prior research has established that the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) does a good job of predicting a users intention to adopt an information system through the constructs Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU), relatively little attention has been paid to the antecedents associated with the formation of these perceptions. Understanding the determinants of PEOU and PU is essential for providing actionable recommendations for practice in order to influence ultimate system use. This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating the effect of various antecedent variables on PEOU and PU for technologies of varying complexity. The intention is to converge on an experimental model that focuses on the salient variables.

The Right to Digital Self-Defense

Although the right to physical self-defense is legally well established, it’s unclear how this principle translates to security in today’s digital world. Approaches to cyber self-defense are discussed, as are arguments for and against allowing organizations to actively respond to cyberattacks.

It's 2012, So Why Am I Driving a 1972 Bug?

Several approaches that could be implemented on any platform via any methodology would greatly increase the odds of the successful deployment of a working information system.