Timothy R. Kayworth

Review: a review of culture in information systems research: toward a theory of information technology culture conflict

An understanding of culture is important to the study of information technologies in that culture at various levels, including national, organizational, and group, can influence the successful implementation and use of information technology. Culture also plays a role in managerial processes that may directly, or indirectly, influence IT. Culture is a challenging variable to research, in part because of the multiple divergent definitions and measures of culture. Notwithstanding, a wide body of literature has emerged that sheds light on the relationship of IT and culture. This paper sets out to provide a review of this literature in order to lend insights into our understanding of the linkages between IT and culture. We begin by conceptualizing culture and laying the groundwork for a values-based approach to the examination of IT and culture. Using this approach, we then provide a comprehensive review of the organizational and cross-cultural IT literature that conceptually links these two traditionally separate streams of research. From our analysis, we develop six themes of IT-culture research emphasizing cultures impact on IT, ITs impact on culture, and IT culture. Building upon these themes, we then develop a theory of IT, values, and conflict. Based upon the theory, we develop propositions concerning three types of cultural conflict and the results of these conflicts. Ultimately, the theory suggests that the reconciliation of these conflicts results in a reorientation of values. We conclude with the particular research challenges posed in this line of inquiry.

Leadership Effectiveness in Global Virtual Teams

The trend toward physically dispersed work groups has necessitated a fresh inquiry into the role and nature of team leadership in virtual settings. To accomplish this, we assembled thirteen culturally diverse global teams from locations in Europe, Mexico, and the United States, assigning each team a project leader and task to complete. The findings suggest that effective team leaders demonstrate the capability to deal with paradox and contradiction by performing multiple leadership roles simultaneously (behavioral complexity). Specifically, we discovered that highly effective virtual team leaders act in a mentoring role and exhibit a high degree of understanding (empathy) toward other team members. At the same time, effective leaders are also able to assert their authority without being perceived as overbearing or inflexible. Finally, effective leaders are found to be extremely effective at providing regular, detailed, and prompt communication with their peers and in articulating role relationships (responsibilities) among the virtual team members. This study provides useful insights for managers interested in developing global virtual teams, as well as for academics interested in pursuing virtual team research.

An Empirical Examination of the Influence of Organizational Culture on Knowledge Management Practices

Knowledge management to facilitate the creation, storage, transfer, and application of knowledge in organizations has received wide attention in practice and research in the past several years. Often cited as a significant challenge in knowledge management practices is the issue of organizational culture. Although many studies raise the issue of organizational cultures influence on knowledge management success, few investigate the way in which this influence manifests itself. This paper aims to explore how organizational culture influences knowledge management practices. Using a case study method, we examine the cultural values and knowledge management approaches within a large global information services company and one of its knowledge communities. The findings highlight the influence of culture on the use of knowledge management technologies and the outcomes of such use.

The Role of Culture in Knowledge Management: A Case Study of Two Global Firms

Knowledge management (KM) approaches have been broadly considered to entail either a focus on organizing communities or a focus on the process of knowledge creation, sharing, and distribution. While these two approaches are not mutually exclusive and organizations may adopt aspects of both, the two approaches entail different challenges. Some organizational cultures might be more receptive to the community approach, whereas others may be more receptive to the process approach. Although culture has been cited widely as a challenge in knowledge management initiatives, and although many studies have considered the implications of organizational culture on knowledge sharing, few empirical studies address the influence of culture on the approach taken to knowledge management. Using a case study approach to compare and contrast the cultures and knowledge management approaches of two organizations, the study suggests ways in which organizational culture influences knowledge management initiatives as well as the evolution of knowledge management in organizations. Whereas in one organization, the KM effort became little more than an information repository, in the second organization, the KM effort evolved into a highly collaborative system fostering the formation of electronic communities.

Theoretical Justification for IT Infrastructure Investments

The strategic importance of building highly capable information technology IT infrastructure has become a crucial management issue of the 1990s and beyond. However, in spite of the numerous benefits attributed to IT infrastructure, these claims remain unsubstantiated. This problem is due, in part, to inadequate conceptualizations of IT infrastructure and its measurement as well as a lack of theoretical frameworks for explaining its impacts. To address these problems, this paper proposes a theoretical framework to justify the value creating potential of IT infrastructure investments. First, we provide a conceptual framework that describes the nature of IT infrastructure and its related components. Next, we discuss the role of IT infrastructure as a competitive weapon and identify three areas where it may create strategic value for the firm: responsiveness, innovativeness, and economies of scope. For each area, specific theories are used and research propositions are developed to guide future infrastructure research.

Organizational Culture as a Knowledge Resource

Organizational culture has long been recognized as the underlying set of values systems that determines how firms perceive and react to their environments. While there is widespread agreement over the relevance of culture and its impact on organizations, many believe that culture exists as a concept than can be neither measured nor controlled. This chapter considers an alternate view in characterizing culture as an important knowledge resource that facilitates the management of a firm’s intellectual (knowledge) assets. We first present a brief overview of organizational culture and then examine culture as an organizational resource that facilitates four key knowledge management activities. As part of this analysis, a series of research hypotheses is offered to provide a link between certain cultural sub-types and effective knowledge management practice in each of four areas: knowledge creation, storage, transfer, and application. A key implication of this chapter is that firms must increasingly view their culture as a competitive resource that must be managed in order to become a learning organization. As part of this management process, senior executives must be able to manage the various sub-cultures found within their organizations and to foster those sub-cultures consistent with knowledge management objectives. The chapter concludes by considering knowledge management initiatives as an opportunity to change corporate cultures.

Telemedicine: developing a framework to classify technology strategies

The healthcare industry has recently been bombarded with new innovations in information technology (IT), one of the most promising of which is telemedicine. In this paper, a framework is developed, which classifies various types of telemedicine. Through the framework and examples, hopefully a better understanding of the various types is provided.