Elizabeth Davidson

Pushing the contextual envelope: developing and diffusing IS theory for health information systems research

Abstract The healthcare sector is a crucial and socially challenging component of modern economies. Information systems (IS) research could contribute to the effective development, application and use of information technologies to manage and coordinate health services. Healthcare also provides opportunities to develop or refine IS theory because of its unique institutional context. To profile IS research in health-related settings, we examine the publication of health information systems research (HISR) in 17 IS journals since 1985. Our analysis revealed a small but growing body of HISR literature. These publications are concentrated in “HISR-friendly journals” and employ a variety of strategies for balancing general IS theories and knowledge with attention to the institutional characteristics of healthcare. We consider the strengths and limitations of these strategies in advancing HISR within the IS field and for contributing to multidisciplinary HISR knowledge.

The interaction of institutionally triggered and technology-triggered social structure change: an investigation of computerized physician order entry

Aligning social structures and technology capabilities is a significant challenge to information technology-related organizational change. It is particularly challenging in insti tutionalized settings such as hospitals. We report an interpre Ron Weber was the accepting senior editor for this paper. Robert Heckman served as a reviewer. The associate editor and two additional reviewers chose to remain anonymous. tivefield study of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) at an acute-care hospital, in which we investigated how institutionally triggered and technology-triggered change interacted in complementary processes to engender align ment. Social structure changes included increased inter dependency among clinical departments, multidisciplinary cooperation across clinical disciplines, and standardization in clinical decision-making. Organization members also enacted institutionalized interaction patterns with physicians by deferring to their preferences for CPOE use. The cumula tive influence of change triggers nonetheless facilitated the hospitals realization of clinical goals. We drew on Barleys (1990) roleand network-based model for technology and structure alignment. Nonetheless, we extended this micro level analytic approach to account for the influence of change in the macro-institutional environment. Our analysis clarified the extent of structure change attributable to the CPOE technology and highlighted institutional forces that promoted yet inhibited change. The case also highlighted the impor tance of role networks on the trajectory and outcomes of organizational change processes.

A Technological Frames Perspective on Information Technology and Organizational Change

When information technologies (IT) have a central role in organizational change programs, understanding how organization members make sense of technology is critical to influencing their actions and to achieving planned outcomes. Orlikowski and Gash articulated a theoretic framework centered on technological frames of reference (TFR) to investigate interpretive processes related to IT in organizations. The TFR framework has been cited across a wide range of publications and has formed the basis for a genre of studies on the interpretive aspects of IT and organizational change. In this article, the author assesses these research contributions and argues that further theoretic development is needed for the TFR framework to reach its potential contributions to knowledge. The author outlines the following research strategies that could facilitate TFR theory development: focusing analysis on frame structure, investigating framing as a dynamic interpretive process, and examining the cultural and institutional basis of organizational frames.

Bridging the IT Adoption Gap for Small Physician Practices: An Action Research Study on Electronic Health Records

ABSTRACT This article reports on an action research project to investigate the barriers to adoption and assimilation of electronic health records (EHRs) in small physician practices. The project draws on theories of technology-use mediation and communities of practice to develop interventions to promote adoption and integration of EHRs into chronic care management processes in these practice settings. The field results suggest that developing community-based knowledge and resources to assist physician organizations one-on-one may be essential for their effective utilization of EHRs.

Information and Communication Technology Challenges to Scientific Professional Identity

Abstract Increasingly, information and communication technology (ICT) uses are transforming professional activities and interactions in ways that challenge traditional assumptions about professional identity. In this article, we consider the ways in which the professional identities of research scientists in oceanography and marine biology are shaped by the use of ICTs. We draw empirical data from an ongoing study of scientific research collaborations that examines uses of basic communication technologies, as well as scientific technologies with embedded ICT components. Our analysis suggests that development and use of ICT-enabled scientific technologies are identity enhancing for many scientists, facilitating their development of unique areas of scientific knowledge. ICT-related changes in data collection, collaborative coordination, and scientific interaction also challenge traditional definitions of expertise and professional identity. An examination of these challenges directs attention to the project identities that form around ICT-enabled scientific technologies and the ways that those project identities are enacted through ICTs.

Analyzing genre of organizational communication in clinical information systems

Proposes using the analytic concept of genre of organizational communication to study the organizational consequences of implementing clinical information systems and shifting from paper‐based to electronic patient records in clinical practices. By focusing research attention on interpersonal communication and social interaction issues not addressed in medical informatics research, this approach contributes to the understanding of organizational and institutional issues that implementing such systems may entail. The paper develops an example drawn from an in‐depth case study of a computerized order entry system to illustrate the insights this approach may provide.

The New Computing Archipelago: Intranet Islands of Practice

This paper examines the growth of grass roots intranets as an extension of end-user computing. This perspective helps to characterize the nature of intranet development and use as “islands of practice” and provides a background against which the rapid proliferation of organizational intranets in the 1990s can be compared and contrasted with the explosion of personal computers and “islands of end-user computing” in the 1980s. This retrospective analysis of end-user computing is based on academic and business journal literature. The contemporary analysis of intranet development and use is based upon preliminary results from an ongoing qualitative study ofmidwest U.S. firms in various industries. These analyses highlight two phenomena that are likely to define the shape of intranets and future computing movements: (I) the integration of “intranet islands, ” not only within the firm but also across organizational boundaries, and (2) the role changes among IS and business area professionals as they work with intranet technologies. The discussion of these phenomena examines the ways in which intranets present unique opportunities for understanding the initiation and widespread uses of a new technology, while at the same time illuminating the changes in organizational roles that so often attend technological interventions.

Exploring the Diversity of Service Worlds in the Service Economy

The transformation of modern economies into predominantly service-based economies is happening on a global scale. While services are not new, the scale and complexity of globally dispersed services are growing rapidly. These transformations are enabled by—and often dependent on—information technologies and are fueled by processes of globalization. Transformational change provides opportunities for innovation in business models, collaborations, and work practices but also presents challenges to established practices within industries and organizations. The aims of the IFIP Working Group 8.2 Conference on IT in the Service Economy were to better understand the possibilities and challenges of these transformations and to examine key implications for organizations, their employees, and IT professionals in the 21 century service economy.

Examining project history narratives: an analytic approach

Scientific interest in human beings’ ability and propensity to construe reality through narrative constructions has increased since the 1970s. Although narrative processes have been addressed in the organizational literature, little research attention has yet been given to the role and function of narratives in organizational efforts to develop, implement, and apply information technology. An analytic approach drawn from Mishler (1986b) for the analysis of project history narratives found in research interviews is described. Three project history narratives collected during a field study of systems development are analyzed using this approach. Differences in sensemaking and interpretation revealed in the analysis of each informant’s story and comparison of the analysis of multiple stories are discussed. Insights that narrative analysis may provide into the social cognitive worlds of participants in IS development and its applications in IS research are then considered.

Tech Talk: An Investigation of Blogging in Technology Innovation Discourse

Web logs, or ldquoblogs,rdquo are fast developing in diverse social and business contexts as influential sources of discourse, knowledge, and community development. In this paper, we investigate an aspect of blogging highly relevant to professional communication: the fast-developing world of ldquotech blogging.rdquo Tech blogs are blogs that focus on information technology innovation and the high-tech industry. We examine nine months of blog entries gathered by an internet aggregator site dedicated to technology news and commentary. Our analysis provides insights on the discourse of tech bloggers and an elite subgroup (ldquoA-list bloggersrdquo), on the discursive practices of this virtual community, and on issues of identity and legitimacy. Our findings hold implications for tech bloggers as well as for managers who need to navigate the expanding blogosphere and for technical communicators who can benefit from using the information that tech bloggers produce.