Tracey E. Rizzuto

Age and technology innovation in the workplace: Does work context matter?

Two workplace trends will become increasingly important in years to come: reliance on information technology (IT) and workforce aging. This study explores the influence of workplace context on employee reactions to the implementation of a new IT initiative to better understand innovation enhancers and inhibitors. Employees from multiple workplace departments completed a questionnaire that assessed their reactions to the implementation. Age-based differences and contextual influences were estimated to predict satisfaction with the implementation process. Hierarchical linear models indicate that younger workers reported less satisfaction than older workers-an effect that was more pronounced in relatively young departments. These findings challenge ageist notions and emphasize the role of context on attitudes formation. Multi-institutional and multilevel field-setting data are rare making this a unique research contribution.

Toward a deeper understanding of IT adoption: A multilevel analysis

Abstract This study adopts a multilevel perspective and uses cross-level modeling to explore how resistance to change (RTC) influences information technology (IT) adoption behaviors. RTC is conceptualized at two levels of analysis (personal and contextual) and with two levels of specificity (distal and proximal). Data were collected from 258 employees within 25 administrative work units undergoing a new IT initiative. The findings from this study reveal a “maverick effect” wherein pro-initiative employees react in contrast to their workplace contexts. They champion IT adoption when their work units resist the IT initiative and prolong IT adoption when their work units readily embrace the IT initiative. This study introduces a novel interactionist perspective on IT adoption that considers employee dispositions and perceptions, as well as workplace climate and culture, as enablers and inhibitors of IT adoption. Moreover, the study advocates for change management practices that account for multilevel interactions among the personal and contextual influences of IT adoption.

Marching in-step: Facilitating technological transitions through climate consensus

This study explored the benefits of strong and positive climate attitudes throughout the implementation of new workplace information technology (IT). Unit-level climate attitudes, perceived work stress, and training completion were measured in a field-setting over a 6-year period. Trends and moderating influences of climate consensus were estimated from data collected from several sources (employees, managers, supervisors, and technical coordinators) using multiple methods (archival records, interviews, and surveys). As expected, climate consensus weakened over time, and interacted with climate for innovation to predict training completion with varying effects that depended upon implementation period and training type (Internet versus general technology). More training completion occurred when climate consensus was strong prior to implementation and weak during and after implementation indicating that the merits of strong and positive climate attitudes may be specific to early implementation stages. Less attitudinal agreement may be more beneficial to units once implementation is underway.

PENNSYLVANIA'S TRANSITION TO ENTERPRISE COMPUTING AS A STUDY IN STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

Abstract We theorize about the strategic alignment of computing with organizational mission, using the Commonwealth of Pennsylvanias efforts to pursue digital government initiatives as evidence. To do this we draw on a decade (1995–2004) of changes in Pennsylvania to characterize how a state government shifts from an organizational to an enterprise perspective regarding computing. We document and analyze the strategic and operational aspects of a series of information and communications technology (ICT) planning efforts to highlight the nature and roles of strategic alignment used to achieve this transition. Findings from this analysis mark the importance of combining several approaches to strategic planning regarding the adoption and application of ICT.

Disaster Recovery in Workplace Organizations

Not only do large-scale disasters disrupt the personal lives of individuals, they also disrupt work lives and workplaces. Much has been written about organizational changes associated with common occurrences, like leadership transitions, competitive adaptations, and mergers and acquisitions. Less is known about how people and workplaces cope with and recover from extraordinary circumstances, like the Hurricane Katrina disaster. This chapter discusses features of catastrophic disaster recovery that distinguish it from traditional approaches to organizational change and describes the recovery processes of organizational workplaces and individual employees in response to Hurricane Katrina. Scientific and practical implications for workplace recovery and rebuilding in the wake of disaster are discussed.

Aging and Economic Well-Being in Rural America: Exploring Income and Employment Challenges

Rapid population aging in the United States makes the income and employment circumstances of older workers an increasingly significant concern for individuals, employers, and society as a whole. In this chapter, we begin by providing a statistical portrait of the economic well-being of older Americans at the beginning of the twenty-first century, outlining differences between older adults in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas in terms of income and income packaging, poverty, labor force participation, and employment hardship. We then turn our attention to the special considerations an aging work force raises for both employers and older workers, with a special focus on the unique challenges faced in rural workplaces. Finally, we conclude with a summary discussion.