Nicole Haggerty

Why people benefit from e-learning differently: The effects of psychological processes on e-learning outcomes

Using social cognitive theory, we opened up the black box of psychological processes in which e-learners engage. We believed that prior experience with ICT and virtual competence were two influential factors that affected e-learning and had a positive influence on its outcomes. We tested our hypotheses on a sample of 383 Chinese students participating in online courses. Our findings confirmed the effect of virtual competence and revealed a nuanced mechanism by which experiences with ICT affected e-learning outcomes. We discussed the implications of this in e-learning practice.

Knowledge transfer in virtual settings: the role of individual virtual competency

Economic forces, competitive pressures and technological advances have created an environment within which firms have developed new ways of organizing (e.g. virtual work settings) and managing their resources (e.g. knowledge management) in order to maintain and improve firm performance. Extant research has highlighted the challenges associated with managing knowledge in virtual settings. However, researchers are still struggling to provide effective guidance to practitioners in this field. We believe that a better understanding of individual virtual competency is a potential avenue for managing the complexity of knowledge transfer in virtual settings. In particular, we suggest that optimal knowledge transfers can be achieved by individuals armed with the right personal capabilities and skills for virtual work, particularly when those knowledge transfers are emergent, bottom‐up and cannot be specified a priori. The virtual competency exhibited by individuals can be the key to overcoming the constraints of knowledge transfers with such characteristics because underlying competency can facilitate effective action in unfamiliar and novel situations. In this conceptual research, we develop a theoretical model of individual virtual competence and describe its role in the communication process, which underpins effective knowledge transfer in virtual settings. Additionally, we consider the antecedent role that prior experience in virtual activity plays in aiding workers to develop virtual competence, which in turn engenders effective knowledge transfer. We conclude with implications for future research and for practicing managers.

Understanding the link between IT project manager skills and project success research in progress

Success in information systems project implementations remains an elusive goal for many organizations. One factor contributing to project outcomes is the skills employed by the IT project manager. This study develops a literature based model which seeks to describe the link between IT project managers skills and IT project success. Specifically, IT project managers skills are categorized as business competence, technical competence and relationship competence. The research model proposes that the IT project managers use of these skills (both level and type of skill) results in different project outcomes. Project success is assessed by way of different perceptual measures as reported by the project manager. Pretest results are favorable and indicate an opportunity to advance our understanding of IT project implementation success factors and the role that IT project management skills play in that outcome. Selection of a pilot site is underway so that phase two of this three phase research program can continue.

A cognitive view of how IT professionals update their technical skills

Frequent technological advances require IT professionals to update skills to ensure adequate performance. Yet relatively little research has studied skill obsolescence among IT professionals. This study builds upon work on skill obsolescence among engineers to understand how IT professionals respond to the threat of obsolescence and take actions to update technical skills. Interviews with five IT professionals were conducted as a pilot study. This data collection will be extended to include 15-20 technical IT professionals. The preliminary analysis of the data indicates that there are different conceptualizations of obsolescence and that these conceptualizations result in different sorts of coping strategies, ranging from planful problem-solving, to situation redefinition, and denial/distancing. Our continuing research will look for the drivers and consequences of adhering to these views of obsolescence.

Individual Level Knowledge Transfer in Virtual Settings: A Review and Synthesis

Since the emergence of the knowledge-based view of the firm in the mid-1990, researchers have made considerable effort to untangle the complexity of how individuals create, capture and realize value from knowledge. To date, this burgeoning field has offered rich and yet diverse insights involving contextual, process and outcome factors that influence individual level knowledge transfer. Concomitantly globalization and advancing technologies have extended virtual work arrangements such as virtual teams and virtual communities on the internet and considerably extended the knowledge base upon which individuals can draw when creating, acquiring, sharing and integrating knowledge. Research on individual level knowledge transfer has also embraced these virtual environments spawning new insights. Hence the objective of this paper is to assess current state of research and identify potential avenues for future research at the intersection of these two dimensions. The authors focus specifically on knowledge transfer research at the individual level instead of the team or firm level and within virtual settings. Applying a process view of knowledge transfer, they synthesize existing findings and discuss issues surrounding the inputs, processes, and outputs. The synthesis reveals both strengths and gaps in the literature. Accordingly, the authors offer directions for future research that may address the gaps and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of individual level knowledge transfer in virtual settings.

Knowledge Appraisal and Knowledge Management Systems: Judging What We Know

Knowledge management (KM) is a critical practice by which a firm’s intellectual capital is created, stored and shared. This has lead to a rich research agenda within which knowledge management systems (KMS) have been a key focus. Our research reveals that an important element of KM practice—knowledge appraisal—is considered in only a fragmentary and incomplete way in research. Knowledge appraisal reflects the multi-level process by which a firm’s knowledge is evaluated by the organization or individual for its value. The processes are highly intertwined with the use of the KMS. It therefore requires consideration of KA across multiple levels and types of knowledge across the entire KM cycle. To achieve this goal, we develop and present a taxonomy of knowledge appraisal practices and discuss their role in the KM lifecycle emphasizing implications for research and practice.

IT‐mediated social interactions and knowledge sharing: Role of competence‐based trust and background heterogeneity

In the knowledge‐based economy, organizational success is dependent on how effectively organizational employees share information. Many studies have investigated how different types of communication activities and communications media influence knowledge sharing. We contribute to this literature by examining increasingly prevalent yet understudied IT‐mediated social interactions and their effects on knowledge sharing among employees in comparison to face‐to‐face social connections. By integrating the literature on knowledge sharing, social networks, and information systems, we theorize the ability of IT‐mediated social interaction to (1) afford interactions between individuals with heterogeneous backgrounds and (2) facilitate frequent IT‐mediated social interactions that are high in competence‐based trust—both supporting effective sharing of knowledge. Through a social network analysis of the employees in a high‐tech organization, this study finds that IT‐mediated frequent social interactions are the most effective in promoting knowledge sharing.

Investigating Ruptures in Shared Understanding as Recursive Cycles of Mutual Adaptation During Implementation.

Shared understanding between diverse technology stakeholders is a key driver of IT-Business alignment, also underpinning successful adaptive, IS development activities. Lack of shared understanding creates representational gaps, innovation blindness and different technology frames which create barriers to development and implementation of technology. Applying a socio-material perspective to Leonard-Barton’s model of mutual adaptation between technology and organization, as well as research on shared capabilities between IS and business stakeholders, we examine the process by which shared understanding emerges during the design, development and implementation of IT systems. We followed key multi-disciplinary stakeholder groups over a two-year period during the development and implementation of a health information system. We report on events during the project that we call ruptures – highly charged incidents which reveal a lack shared understanding between stakeholders. We argue that ruptures occur during the mutual adaptation of organizational and technological elements necessitated by the implementation process and are precipitated by the constitutive entanglement of social and technological elements. They reveal serious misalignments among stakeholders and in relation to the technology as its material properties become more concrete. We investigate the emergence of ruptures and the mechanisms by which they influence stakeholders, the implementation process and its outcomes.