Information And Communication Technologies In Organizations Research Articles

Examining the longitudinal relationship between visibility and persistence on stress and technology-assisted supplemental work

Abstract This study examines the longitudinal relationship between two affordances of organizational information and communication technologies (ICTs)—that is, visibility and persistence—and individuals’ subjective stress and technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW). We propose that visibility and persistence associated with organizational ICTs are often more aptly construed as probabilities for action, rather than merely possibilities for action. The hypotheses are tested using latent change structural equation modeling drawing on two-wave survey data from 437 employees of a global industrial logistics company headquartered in a Nordic country. The findings highlight that visibility is associated with increases in TASW, but not in subjective stress, while persistence is associated with decreases in TASW and subjective stress. We suggest that visibility may pressure workers into extending their workdays, while persistence may operate as an important resource for employees reducing subjective TASW and stress as well as intra-individual changes in TASW and stress over time.

Organizational Factors, ICT Support, and Affective Commitment

This paper investigates the influence of organizational factors on affective commitment, exploring the moderating role of information and communication technology (ICT) on their relationships. The study is based on empirical findings administered on 200 managerial personnel using the PLS-SEM. Team orientation, transformational leadership, transactional leadership and decentralization have a direct influence on affective commitment. The theoretical framework presented in this study focused on the integrated effect of organizational factors on affective commitment along with the moderating effect of ICT ICT support moderates the relationship between team orientation and affective commitment. The findings would provide managers an understanding of the factors influencing affective commitment in Bangladesh’s service organizations. The results indicate that ICT can be an effective tool to strengthen teamwork and employee commitment. Evidence from this study would help managers to to formulate strategies accordingly and provide new knowledge to researchers to look further into this field.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Utilization and Infrastructure Alignment in Construction Organizations

Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the important factors that support construction project performance. Various studies have concluded that by aligning the ICT utilization with organizational ICT infrastructure, better performance outcomes can be achieved from the project to organization level. A positive connection between utilization of ICT and project performance has been established. However, the effects of ICT utilization strategy alignment with the organizational ICT infrastructure on construction project performance have not been investigated. This research evaluates and analyzes the importance of organizational ICT infrastructure to improve ICT utilization not just at the project level but also at the level of construction organizations. The main objective of this research is to investigate whether the effect of ICT utilization on project performance may be restricted and affected by its alignment with the ICT infrastructure level in the organization. The analyses of ICT infrastructure, ICT usage, and their associations with project performance are based on case studies of projects and organizations from the New Zealand construction sector. A method of evaluating ICT utilization and ICT infrastructure is proposed. This allows for further detailed examination of the strategic alignment between ICT utilization and organizational infrastructure. The effects of this strategic alignment on project performance are discussed and recommendations for the optimal strategic utilization are provided.

The impact of self-esteem, conscientiousness and pseudo-personality on technostress

PurposeThe authors investigated how personality traits are associated with workplace technostress (perception of stressors related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected 95 self-rated and 336 observer-rated questionnaires using the personality audit and a shortened version of the technostress scale. To analyze relationships between personality dimensions and technostress, the authors applied partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThis study shows that in line with previous studies, self-esteem is negatively related to levels of technostress. Contrary to our expectations, conscientiousness is positively related to technostress. Finally, the gap between a person's self-ratings and observer ratings in all personality dimensions is positively associated with technostress.Practical implicationsThe authors showed that the experience of technostress varies significantly amongst individuals. By taking personality differences into account when allocating responsibilities and creating guidelines for ICT use at work, technostress could be addressed. Instead of setting organization-wide norms for availability and use, the authors suggest it would be more effective to acknowledge individual needs and preferences.Originality/valueThis study contributes to current technostress research by further examining antecedents and by focusing on the role of personality. In addition, the authors examined how differences in “self” and “observer” ratings of personality characteristics may point to variations in the way individuals experience technostress. The authors outlined concrete best practice guidelines for ICTs in organizations that take interindividual differences into account.

Industry 4.0 competencies among lecturers of higher learning institution in Malaysia

Industry 4.0 is a new breed from the past industry revolution. The revolution implies an inevitable impact on professional sectors, including education field. Higher Learning Institution (HLI) is viewed as the platform for the development of Industry 4.0 competencies. However, research related to Industry 4.0 competencies among educators or academicians is scarce. Hence, this study aims to assess the level of Industry 4.0 competencies among lecturers in one of higher learning institution in Malaysia, as well as to identify Industry 4.0 competencies that required further enhancement. Five Industry 4.0 competencies identified from literature review, which are Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Organizational Learning, Innovative Management, Environment and Continuous Improvement competencies. The importance level and implementation level perceived by the lecturers across the five competencies are assessed via questionnaire which responded by 132 lecturers from a higher learning institution in Malaysia. Data collected is analyzed via descriptive analysis to assess the importance and implementation levels perceived by the respondent. In addition, an improvement opportunity index, namely Focus Index is calculated for each competency. Finding from the study reveals that all the four Industry 4.0 competencies are perceived by respondents as important, however implemented at moderate level. Analysis result of Focus Index also suggests that competencies in term of Organizational Learning and ICT are “over focus”, while Environment competency is viewed as “under focus” which required further enhancement.

Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación para el desarrollo social: una propuesta metodológica

Most efforts to promote human development through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have focused on increasing infrastructure and digital literacy among vulnerable sectors of the population. This article proposes to expand the scope through a methodology for an organizational level. The objective is to share the theoretical principles, the design and the results of the implementation of a participatory communication methodology for the appropriation of ICTs in organizations with social purposes. The theoretical framework was based on Amartya Sen's human development perspective regarding ICTs for development and social change. The methodology was generated through a collaborative workshop between the academy and organizations dedicated to youth development in different regions of Mexico. The results show that the appropriation of ICTs must transcend its instrumental use and be based on a reflection on its social mission, its context and the needs of the population they serve, to solve their communication problems, but above all to strengthen their capacity to support human and social development.

Changements technologiques, TIC et santé psychologique au travail : une revue de la littérature

Changes, innovations and developments in the corporate environment are followed by new organizational policies. These new work policies are marked by the introduction of innovative working tools commonly known as Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The aim of this article is to propose a theoretical reflection on the technological changes and psychological health at work. From a corpus of articles and books published in management and psychology journals (English and French), several categories of ICTs in organizations are explored. These ICTs lead from a rigid organization to a flexible one. They enable organizations to maximize productive capacities, reduce intermediate management, recompose work collectives and develop the versatility of employees. These arrangements also change the nature, modalities and content of the work to be carried out. Beyond that, ICTs give workers the opportunity to renew their skills, open up new fields of action, broaden the space for autonomy and increase efficiency. But at the same time, these technologies can also involve more control and pressure, increase intensification factors and considerably reduce the scope for maneuver and expression of the trade; exposing the psychological health of employees to risks such as stress and burn out.

Organizational Media Affordances: Operationalization and Associations with Media Use

The concept of affordances has been increasingly applied to the study of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in organizational contexts. However, almost no research operationalizes affordances, limiting comparisons and programmatic research. This article briefly reviews conceptualizations and possibilities of affordances in general and for media, then introduces the concept of organizational media affordances as organizational resources. Analysis of survey data from a large Nordic media organization identified six reliable and valid organizational media affordances: pervasiveness, editability, self-presentation, searchability, visibility, and awareness. Eight media scales based on frequency of use of 10 media within each of three organization levels were differentially associated with these affordances. The conceptualization, measurement approach, and results from this study provide the foundation for considerable future organizational communication and ICT research.

ICT and mobile health to improve clinical process delivery. a research project for therapy management process innovation.

The volume and the complexity of clinical and administrative information make Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) essential for running and innovating healthcare. This paper tells about a project aimed to design, develop and implement a set of organizational models, acknowledged procedures and ICT tools (Mobile & Wireless solutions and Automatic Identification and Data Capture technologies) to improve actual support, safety, reliability and traceability of a specific therapy management (stem cells). The value of the project is to design a solution based on mobile and identification technology in tight collaboration with physicians and actors involved in the process to ensure usability and effectivenes in process management.

Determinants of information and communication technologies adoption by Tunisian firms

This paper examines the determinant factors of a firm’s adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the context of a developing country. The study is based on the theoretical framework related to the epidemic and rank models of innovation adoption. In this work, we use a survey of 145 Tunisian firms that was conducted over the period 2010-2011. Our results show that epidemic and rank effects do not always act together on the diffusion process of ICT. In particular, we find that absorptive capacity is more decisive for the adoption of the technologies which are not influenced by information spillovers (Intranet, LAN and EDI). Firm’s size, strategic fit and multi-unit firm also play an important role in the ICT adoption. However, there is no relationship between the intensity of organizational change and ICT diffusion in the Tunisian firms.JEL Codes: L21, O31, O33

Transformation of collective action space: A study on the relationship between organizational attributes and ICT use

Abstract The aim of this article is to investigate the potential influence of the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on the organizational structures of entities in contemporary collective action space. In order to do so, the article adopts the collective action space model offered by Bimber, Flanagin and Stohl to analyse the relationship between communicational activities and the organizational characteristics of four different organizations that were actively involved in the Gezi Movement (2013) in Turkey. Specifically, using data collected through in-depth interviews and participant observations, the article focuses on the engagement structures and interaction forms of these four organizations. The findings from this study suggest not only that ICTs allow organizations to become more structurally complex and dynamic but also that the manner in which ICTs are used for interactions and governance plays a critical role in the transformation of the structure of organizations in collective action space.

The application of organizational cybernetics and ICT to collective discussion of complex issues

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to expose how organizational cybernetics (OC)-related concepts could be used in combination with information and communication technologies (ICT) to facilitate group discussions on complex issues, and to show its impact in a real case.Design/methodology/approach– A software inspired by OC and team syntegrity concepts has been developed with the aim of helping groups of people to deliberate around complex issues through the internet. Two groups of persons with similar backgrounds were chosen to pursue a deliberation process around the same issue. One had the support of ICT while the other did not. The authors used the same questionnaires with both groups, aimed at getting qualitative and quantitative information about the results obtained in each case.Findings– The results obtained show that the group working with ICT support did produce a better output (quality and quantity) than the group not supported with ICT as well as a higher degree of satisfaction in practically all indicators than the second group.Research limitations/implications– The authors are dealing with only one experiment and therefore cannot make a generalization. It would be desirable to repeat the experiment with various groups and in different contexts.Originality/value– An internet-based software inspired by OC concepts was created to facilitate the first phases (generation and aggregation of ideas) of a deliberation process and the authors measured, in an experiment with two groups of people with similar backgrounds, the impact of using it on the quality and quantity of information produced through the process.

The role of user age in task performance: examining curvilinear and interaction effects of user age, expertise, and interface design on mistake making

The next 30 years are going to be challenging for organizations as they need to transition to a workforce that is rapidly growing older. As the workforce is growing older, the age of organizational technology users is an important aspect to examine in the context of organizational information systems (IS). The corresponding IS literature has largely assumed that age is an impediment or disadvantage when using modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) and has, thus, directed attention to the challenges faced by older technology users in the workforce. However, such research has not examined the potential benefits of an older workforce in terms of a possibly higher task performance under certain workplace conditions, such as employees’ subject-area knowledge and the design of the ICT interface. Hence, this paper examines age-related differences in the use of organizational ICTs in terms of the propensity that different age groups have toward performance in the form of mistake-making when searching for information. To do so, the paper forms hypotheses that explain how the combination of age, subject-area knowledge, and system interface lead individuals to make mistakes in a technology-enabled context. Drawing on a laboratory experiment using 107 older and younger technology users, we evaluated the three-way interaction of age, subject-area knowledge, and interface design. Our results demonstrate that—under certain conditions—age is not the detriment that it is widely believed to be. The implications of this finding are explored in relation to the “graying of the workforce” that all OECD countries are currently experiencing.

Use of information and communication technology to support employee-driven innovation in organizations: a knowledge management perspective

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how organizations focusing on employee-driven innovation (EDI) use information and communication technologies (ICT)-based tools in their innovation work. EDI involves systematic exploitation of knowledge resources in organizations. Thus, the role of ICT for efficient knowledge management is important in this respect.Design/methodology/approach– In-depth interviews with employees, managers and union representatives from 20 organizations focusing on EDI were conducted. The sample included organizations from eight different industries, representing both private and public sectors.Findings– The results show that ICT-based tools can support the processes of acquisition, dissemination and exploitation of knowledge, which are important aspects of EDI. However, use of ICT-based tools has to be aligned with organizational structures and professional role conduct to be efficient.Practical implications– This study contributes to practice by highlighting several factors that organizations should emphasize to succeed with application of external and internal knowledge in their innovation work.Originality/value– This study applies a knowledge management perspective on the role of ICT-based tools to support EDI in organizations. The findings contribute to an improved understanding of organizational conditions for succeeding with use of ICT-based tools in innovation work, and emphasize that perspectives on knowledge management, technology management and human resource management have to be combined to understand how EDI can be promoted by using ICT in organizations.

On the biology of technostress

Despite the fact that human society has greatly benefited from the availability of information and communication technologies (ICT), both the use and ubiquity of ICT may also have a "dark side." Direct human interaction with ICT, as well as perceptions, emotions, and thoughts regarding the implementation of ICT in organizations and its pervasiveness in society in general, may lead to notable stress perceptions--a type of stress referred to as technostress. Analysis of the information systems (IS) literature reveals that technostress has hardly been addressed from a biological perspective. This is problematic, because biology not only provides objective measurements, but also, to a notable degree, determines human behavior toward ICT. Most important, biological measures (e.g., stress hormone levels, cardiovascular activity) are crucial predictors of human health, making them an indispensable complement to self-reports on stress perceptions. Against this background, the present article reviews the technostress research based on biological approaches that has been published in various disciplines such as human-computer interaction, medicine, biological psychology, and ergonomics. With the goal of developing a "big-picture" view of technostress and biology, this article integrates a body of highly fragmented work. The review reveals significant negative biological effects that develop from human interaction with ICT (e.g., increased activity of the cardiovascular system, or elevated levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol). However, the review also indicates that countermeasures, which may positively affect biological parameters (e.g., reduced levels of stress hormones), do exist. Drawing on the literature review, this article also specifies a research agenda for future technostress research. The agenda is organized along three themes (theory and methods, design science and engineering, health and coping strategies), and proposes fifteen research questions (topics) that can be addressed in future investigations.

Perceived information and communication technology (ICT) demands on employee outcomes: The moderating effect of organizational ICT support.

Although many employees are using more information communication technology (ICT) as part of their jobs, few studies have examined the impact of ICT on their well-being, and there is a lack of validated measures designed to assess the ICT factors that may impact employee well-being. Therefore, we developed and validated a measure of ICT demands and supports. Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling, we found support for 8 ICT demands (i.e., availability, communication, ICT control, ICT hassles, employee monitoring, learning, response expectations, and workload) and two facets of ICT support (personal assistance and resources/upgrades support). Jointly, the ICT demands were associated with increased strain, stress, and burnout and were still associated with stress and strain after controlling for demographics, job variables, and job demands. The two types of ICT support were associated with lower stress, strain, and burnout. Resources/upgrades support moderated the relationship between learning expectations and most strain outcomes and between ICT hassles and strain. Personal assistance support moderated the relationship between ICT hassles and strain.

Organizational structure and ICT strategies in the Brazilian Judiciary System

In this case study, we analyze the influence of the organizational structure in the definition and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) strategies in the Brazilian Judiciary System. The analysis shows that the existing organizational structure favors uncoordinated actions, though the role of the National Council of Justice (NCJ) as protagonist in the process of coordinating the strategic planning of the Brazilian Judiciary System (and strategic ICT planning) might change this reality, allowing the Brazilian Judiciary System to reap the full benefits of ICT.

Factors effective on Familiarity and Usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran

In today's world, professionals with little or no knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have a much more difficult task before them in comparison to co-workers at the same level but with a reasonable knowledge of ICT. To insure an effective competitive status in educational organizations, and universities there is a need to improve the ability of such organizations to improve consistently their ICT capabilities. The main goals of the research have been to determine the level of Familiarity and Usage of university college of Agriculture and Natural resources, University of Tehran's staff members (Faculty and Experts). A researcher's made questionnaire was used. The sample population based on Cochran's formula has been 124 staff members and the reliability of the questionnaire was approved by experts’ opinion and the validity was approved by calculating the Cronbach's alpha which has been 0.95. The results indicated that the areas of familiarity of most of the members was more of public websites, for example search engines such as Yahoo and Google, and largely used software like Microsoft Office Word, and the University of Tehran's e-office system. There was a positive relationship between the level of ICT usage and field of education and academic ranking, and negatively related to work experience, and there was no correlation to age. The results of mean analysis showed a difference between the amount of usage of and familiarity with ICT between men and women and the variance analysis results showed that the amount of familiarity with and usage of ICT is different between different levels of education, academic ranks and different types of employment. Regression analysis showed that the three variables of level of education, type of employment and age had a meaningful effect on the dependent variable of amount of familiarity with organizational ICT, and the three variables of familiarity, type of employment and gender had a meaningful effect on the dependent variable of the level of usage of organizational ICT. In general familiarity with organizational ICT is the most important factor effecting organization usage of ICT opportunities.

Challenges to ICT implementation in multinationals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges to information and communication technologies (ICT) implementation in multinationals. The paper focuses on contextual variables relevant to the understanding of the implementation of ICT in organizations operating in the Middle East, such as organization culture and power relations.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on interviews with 31 employees of a multinational company that operates in the Middle East. In addition, 60 days of electronic mail of two senior managers were studied and random samples of messages from the computers of six participants collected. Altogether 200 e‐mail messages, spanning seven months were surveyed.FindingsIt was found that the transplantation of ICT was based on the construction of technology as symbolizing the value of modernity. Although employees did not resist the implementation of ICT tools, several problems related to language and access to data had an impact on their work. Furthermore, the ICT tools implicitly assumed a utilitarian discourse that values computer‐mediated more than face‐to‐face communication, but the organization rejected this aspect of the tools.Practical implicationsWe argue that more flexible designs of ICT should take into account the particular discourse system employed in order to achieve a better fit between the ICT tools and the users.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on a neglected area of research, the implementation of ICT tools in culturally diverse organizations and discusses contextual variables relevant to the understanding of the implementation of ICT in organizations such as organization culture and power relations which have not been extensively discussed in the literature.

E-readiness assessment of non-profit ICT SMEs in a developing country: The case of Iran

We are experiencing a new kind of commerce in the recent era, known as e-commerce, which considers information and communication technology (ICT) as the main enabler of commerce. Considering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as micro elements of society and part of macro economy, ICT becomes crucial for e-commerce companies to attain sustainable competitiveness. Towards this, organizations must re-evaluate every aspect of their strategies and quickly adapt their working models to incorporate e-commerce as an essential factor for their success. SMEs are critical to the economies of all countries, and specially the developing ones. They cannot be left behind and many of them are already demonstrating their entrepreneurship strength by grasping the opportunities offered by ICT. E-readiness assessment is an evaluation tool that can be used for measuring the diffusion rate of ICT. However, critical issues for e-readiness assessment of SMEs have not been systematically investigated for developing countries. Some existing studies have derived their critical factors from macro perspectives at country level and have not considered the important factors at micro level for SMEs in an integrated way. This paper aims to bridge this gap. This research paper first reviews the e-readiness assessment models proposed for countries at macro scale and then identifies the critical factors for SMEs e-readiness assessment. This is achieved through factor analysis at the micro perspective of some Iranian non-profit ICT SMEs. The extracted factors are organizational features, ICT infrastructures, ICT availability and security and legal environment. This study is probably the first to provide a perspective of critical issues for e-readiness assessment in SMEs based on macro models in a developing country. It gives valuable insight and guidelines which hopefully will help the managers in developing countries to consider the critical issues for e-readiness assessment of their organization in an effective way.