Dorit Nevo

A Delphi study of knowledge management systems: Scope and requirements

We empirically explored the roles and scope of knowledge management systems in organizations. Building on a knowledge-based view of the firm, we hypothesized and empirically tested our belief that more integration is needed between technologies intended to support knowledge and those supporting business operations. Findings from a Delphi study and in-depth interviews illustrated this and led us to suggest a revised approach to developing organizational knowledge management systems.

Organizational memory information systems: a transactive memory approach

Effective management of organizational memory (OM) is critical to collaboration and knowledge sharing in organizations. We present a framework for managing organizational memory based on transactive memory, a mechanism of collective memory in small groups. While being effective in small groups, there are difficulties hindering the extension of transactive memory to larger groups. We claim that information technology can be used to help overcome these difficulties. We present a formal architecture for directories of meta-memories required in extended transactive memory systems and propose the use of meta-knowledge to substitute for the lack of tacit group knowledge that exists in small groups.

Towards an evaluation framework for knowledge management systems

In this paper we develop an evaluation framework for Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). The framework builds on the theoretical foundations underlying organizational Knowledge Management (KM) to identify key KM activities and the KMS capabilities required to support each activity. These capabilities are then used to form a benchmark for evaluating KMS. Organizations selecting KMS can use the framework to identify gaps and overlaps in the extent to which the capabilities provided and utilized by their current KMS portfolio meet the KM needs of the organization. Other applications of the framework are also discussed.

How to avoid disappointment by design

Avoid market failure by aligning system performance with stakeholder expectations.

Understanding Technology Support for Organizational Transactive Memory: Requirements, Application, and Customization

Transactive memory is an effective mechanism for locating and coordinating expertise in small groups and has been shown to hold numerous benefits for groups and organizations. To extend transactive memory beyond the scope of small groups, researchers have proposed the use of information technology (IT). This paper provides an integrated discussion of our knowledge from three studies concerning IT support in transactive memory in organizations. Focusing on meta-memory, which is at the heart of transactive memory systems, we examine what meta-memory is maintained by members of transactive memory systems, whether providing this meta-memory in a technology-mediated environment can lead to transactive memory development, whether IT can realistically provide this meta-memory, and whether different requirements exist for different users and in different stages of transactive memory development. We discuss the implications of these studies to both research and practice.

Determinants of success in crowdsourcing software development

With the advent of digitization, recent years have witnessed a surge toward collective undertaking of production process different from traditional ways of organizing. In this vein, crowdsourcing has lent itself into a successful emerging mode of organizing and firms are increasingly using it in their value creation activities. However, despite popularity in practice, crowdsourcing has received little attention from IS scholars. Specifically, what the determinants of success in this model are remains an unexplored area of research that we strive to address in this paper. We focus on software development via crowdsourcing and drawing on studies from IS success, OSS and software development, we build a model of success that has three determinants: the characteristics of the project, the composition of the crowd and the relationship among key players. Finally, we describe our research methodology and conclude with potential contributions of our work.

From Recreational Applications to Workplace Technologies: An Empirical Study of Cross-Context is Continuance in the Case of Virtual Worlds

Although three-dimensional, immersive virtual worlds, such as Active Worlds, Second Life, and Teleplace have been in existence for several years, their organizational use is rather limited. This paper posits, perhaps counter intuitively, that the diffusion of virtual worlds within organizations could be enhanced by their recreational usage. This argument is motivated by the notion developed in this paper that the use of technologies need not remain within a single context, but instead can cross-contexts, for example from recreational to vocational. We term such shift cross-context IS continuance. This paper proposes that workers using virtual worlds for recreational (i.e., hedonic and social) use are suitably positioned to discover those technologies’ workplace applicability, thereby assisting in their diffusion within the organization. Building on the supporting results of an empirical study, this paper recommends that managers consider allowing for ‘playtime’ with virtual worlds as a mechanism for enhancing their adoption and subsequent diffusion in the workplace. From an information systems (IS)-research perspective, this paper makes several important contributions. First, it contributes to the IS continuance literature by arguing for, and providing evidence in support of, the existence of cross-context continuance. To date, this literature stream has examined only one aspect of continuance – for example, within-context. Second, this paper identifies recreational and work as distinct dimensions of technology usage, and hedonic and social usage as sub-dimensions of the former, thereby contributing to the contextualization of this core IS construct. Third, it is one of the early field studies dedicated to the empirical examination of virtual worlds.

Electronic health records: A simulation model to measure the adoption rate from policy interventions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand one aspect of electronic health record adoption by studying the impact of policy interventions on the adoption among hospitals, physicians and patients, using a system dynamics simulation model.Design/methodology/approach – A system dynamics simulation model of the existing distribution network was built. Policy experiments were conducted to compare the performance of each.Findings – Using data from the Greater Capital Region, Northern New York State, the findings from the simulation experiments suggest that while there is no single right intervention, a combination of measures can promote the adoption of electronic health records by different stakeholders.Research limitations/implications – The results are based on simplified operational and structural assumptions regarding the diffusion of electronic health records among stakeholder groups. Some of the variables are based on theoretical rather than quantifiable values.Social implications – The results...

Exploring the Semantic Validity of Questionnaire Scales

Many behavioral researchers have been or are currently engaged in survey research, analyzing results using statistical methods. Respondents are often asked to fill out questionnaires leading to questionnaire fatigue and reluctance to conscientiously respond. Furthermore, in spite of the popularity of the approach, serious unanswered questions remain about what questionnaires actually measure. To answer these questions, this paper ventures into a new area of inquiry within survey research, providing a semantic analysis of questionnaires. In so doing we diverge from traditional survey validity measures, and offer a cutting edge approach to questionnaire validation with important contributions to future research.

Dissatisfaction Does Not Mean Rejection: A Theory of Reinvention of Applicable Technologies by Mindful and Unfaithful Users

The prevailing view in IS research considers technology users as passive actors in the innovation diffusion process who face only two possible behaviors regarding the technology they receive - i.e., either use or nonuse. According to this view, individuals either accept the technology as it is presented to them or outright reject it. We contest this view and propose that a third behavior more accurately characterizes the landscape of post-adoption behaviors - that is, IT reinvention. We argue that reinvention is important for post-adoption IS research and propose a new theory. By tracing a path from IT dissatisfaction to technology reinvention, this paper makes several contributions to IS research and practice. First, it sheds lights on a complex phenomenon - that is, the consequences of IT dissatisfaction. Second, the paper informs managers on how to view IT dissatisfaction as a possible occasion for technology reinvention, with potentially positive outcomes.