The Social Psychology of Organizations.

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

In this innovative approach to the practice of social science, Charles Ragin explores the use of fuzzy sets to bridge the divide between quantitative and qualitative methods. Paradoxically, the fuzzy set is a powerful tool because it replaces an unwieldy, "fuzzy" instrument—the variable, which establishes only the positions of cases relative to each other, with a precise one—degree of membership in a well-defined set. Ragin argues that fuzzy sets allow a far richer dialogue between ideas and evidence in social research than previously possible. They let quantitative researchers abandon "homogenizing assumptions" about cases and causes, they extend diversity-oriented research strategies, and they provide a powerful connection between theory and data analysis. Most important, fuzzy sets can be carefully tailored to fit evolving theoretical concepts, sharpening quantitative tools with in-depth knowledge gained through qualitative, case-oriented inquiry. This book will revolutionize research methods not only in sociology, political science, and anthropology but in any field of inquiry dealing with complex patterns of causation.

Fuzzy-Set Social Science

Redesigning Social Inquiry Fuzzy Sets And Beyond

A model of Internet adoption by SMEs

From July 1995 until July 1996 we followed a group of small companies that were retailing on the Web. We surveyed our sample three times over this period, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data and visible data from their Web sites. Our intention was to initiate research into successful Web‐based retail ‐ put simply, what makes a small company successful on the Web? Using ideas from grounded theory and our findings, we suggest important factors and constructs that can be used for further work in this area.

Early adopters of the Web as a retail medium: small company winners and losers

In this study, we examine the influence of a firm’s environmental factors on its intention to adopt software as a service (SaaS). We operationalized our assessment of a firm’s environmental pressures as mimetic, coercive and normative pressures and examined the moderating role of perceived technology complexity. Mimetic forces are pressures to copy or emulate other organizations’ activities, systems or structures. Coercive pressures are formal or informal pressures exerted on organizations by other organizations upon which they are dependent. Normative forces describe the effect of professional standards and the influence of professional communities on an organization. We empirically tested our research model using data from 289 valid survey responses. The results provide support for the assertion that there are both significant direct and interaction effects that influence a firm’s SaaS adoption intention. Most important was the significant interaction effects between mimetic pressure and perceived technology complexity. This suggests that the complex relationships proposed by institutional theory and diffusion of innovation help to describe how environmental pressures and perceived technology complexity combine to affect intention to adopt an emerging technology. The theoretical contributions of this study are (i) we integrated, tested and validated mature theories in today’s supply chain era with a new but rapidly diffusing technology, (ii) and we answered the call to include practical technology artifacts in information systems studies. From a practical perspective, through this work managers may develop a better understanding regarding environmental factors and whether or not they should consider these issues for their firm when formulating an intention to adopt SaaS.

An integrated environmental perspective on software as a service adoption in manufacturing and retail firms

The Software Maintenance Life Cycle Model (SMLC) was developed providing a basis to help software maintenance planning. The management framework was developed based on the SMLC concept to operationalize the model. This paper provides results from two cases to validate the model and the framework.

Software Maintenance Life Cycle Model

It has been difficult to motivate students to learn database normalization because students think the subject dry and theoretical. A web-based tool is developed to give students an interactive hands-on experience in database normalization process. The tool is suitable for relational data modeling in systems analysis and design and data management courses. This paper describes the web-based tool and its effectiveness in teaching relational data model. The effectiveness of the tool has been evaluated in surveys. The paper shows that the tool has a positive impact on students’ perception.

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A web-based tool to enhance teaching/learning database normalization

Big data are challenging organizations to find a thoughtful, holistic approach to data, analysis and information management to facilitate timely and sound decisions making, and in turn to gain competitive advantages. Managing big data is not a simple technical issue, but a complex managerial and strategic one. To achieve the vast potential of big data not only will enterprise IT architectures need to change, firms also need a new strategy, a new mind set, and a capability to deal with unexpected environmental turbulences. In this paper, we present a conceptual model and a novel analysis method, fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to model and interpret interdependent non-linear relationships among elements and the outcome, performance. We posit that data management strategy, big data competence, IT capability and organization improvisational capability are interdependent and mutual reinforcing that form a network of nonlinear influential factors for firm decision quality and in turn, performance.

Hsiang-Jui Kung

Papers

Early adopters of the Web as a retail medium: small company winners and losers

An integrated environmental perspective on software as a service adoption in manufacturing and retail firms

Software Maintenance Life Cycle Model

A web-based tool to enhance teaching/learning database normalization

Managing Big Data for Firm Performance: a Configurational Approach