A large number of studies have been conducted during the last decade and a half attempting to identify those factors that contribute to information systems success. However, the dependent variable in these studies-I/S success-has been an elusive one to define. Different researchers have addressed different aspects of success, making comparisons difficult and the prospect of building a cumulative tradition for I/S research similarly elusive. To organize this diverse research, as well as to present a more integrated view of the concept of I/S success, a comprehensive taxonomy is introduced. This taxonomy posits six major dimensions or categories of I/S success-SYSTEM QUALITY, INFORMATION QUALITY, USE, USER SATISFACTION, INDIVIDUAL IMPACT, and ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT. Using these dimensions, both conceptual and empirical studies are then reviewed a total of 180 articles are cited and organized according to the dimensions of the taxonomy. Finally, the many aspects of I/S success are drawn together into a descriptive model and its implications for future I/S research are discussed.

Information Systems Success: The Quest for the Dependent Variable

How has Japan become a major economic power, a world leader in the automotive and electronics industries? What is the secret of their success? The consensus has been that, though the Japanese are not particularly innovative, they are exceptionally skilful at imitation, at improving products that already exist. But now two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hiro Takeuchi, turn this conventional wisdom on its head: Japanese firms are successful, they contend, precisely because they are innovative, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. Examining case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, 3M, GE, and the U.S. Marines, this book reveals how Japanese companies translate tacit to explicit knowledge and use it to produce new processes, products, and services.

The knowledge-creating company : how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation

The ability to detect and accurately estimate the strength of interaction effects are critical issues that are fundamental to social science research in general and IS research in particular. Within the IS discipline, a significant percentage of research has been devoted to examining the conditions and contexts under which relationships may vary, often under the general umbrella of contingency theory (cf. McKeen et al. 1994, Weill and Olson 1989). In our survey of such studies, the majority failed to either detect or provide an estimate of the effect size. In cases where effect sizes are estimated, the numbers are generally small. These results have led some researchers to question both the usefulness of contingency theory and the need to detect interaction effects (e.g., Weill and Olson 1989). This paper addresses this issue by providing a new latent variable modeling approach that can give more accurate estimates of interaction effects by accounting for the measurement error that attenuates the estimated relationships. The capacity of this approach at recovering true effects in comparison to summated regression is demonstrated in a Monte Carlo study that creates a simulated data set in which the underlying true effects are known. Analysis of a second, empirical data set is included to demonstrate the technique's use within IS theory. In this second analysis, substantial direct and interaction effects of enjoyment on electronic-mail adoption are shown to exist.

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A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study

Organizations are attempting to leverage their knowledge resources by employing knowledge management (KM) systems, a key form of which are electronic knowledge repositories (EKRs). A large number of KM initiatives fail due to the reluctance of employees to share knowledge through these systems. Motivated by such concerns, this study formulates and tests a theoretical model to explain EKR usage by knowledge contributors. The model employs social exchange theory to identify cost and benefit factors affecting EKR usage, and social capital theory to account for the moderating influence of contextual factors. The model is validated through a large-scale survey of public sector organizations. The results reveal that knowledge self-efficacy and enjoyment in helping others significantly impact EKR usage by knowledge contributors. Contextual factors (generalized trust, pro-sharing norms, and identification) moderate the impact of codification effort, reciprocity, and organizational reward on EKR usage, respectively. It can be seen that extrinsic benefits (reciprocity and organizational reward) impact EKR usage contingent on particular contextual factors whereas the effects of intrinsic benefits (knowledge self-efficacy and enjoyment in helping others) on EKR usage are not moderated by contextual factors. The loss of knowledge power and image do not appear to impact EKR usage by knowledge contributors. Besides contributing to theory building in KM, the results of this study inform KM practice.

Contributing knowledge to electronic knowledge repositories: an empirical investigation

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management Capability and Organizational Performance: A Theoretical Foundation

The topic of organizational reengineering from the standpoint of information systems is discussed. After distinguishing among the three different types of reengineering, i.e., process reengineering, business reengineering, and corporate reengineering, business reengineering is discussed in depth because of the critical role that information technology plays in this endeavour. Four primary prerequisites for the successful implementation of a reengineering effort are presented, as well as an approach to business reengineering. Special attention is given to the role of the information systems function in reengineering. >

Re-engineering the corporation: where does IS fit in?

IT in 2010: The Next Frontier

The networks of communication and interpersonal relationships that develop naturally within an organization form channels for the flow of organizational knowledge and can also promote organizational learning. These informal social networks are significant mechanisms for both innovation and change management. However, until recently, very little has been done to try to facilitate or leverage social networks to take advantage of what they can do to deliver organizational value. Today, pressures on modern business to continually innovate and the increasing capability of information technologies to enable broader and more far-flung communication are driving organizations to look for ways to leverage social networks to improve business performance. Social networking concepts combined with a group of new and powerful interactive technologies, known collectively as peer-to-peer (P2P) computing, have the potential to profoundly change how companies work and deliver value. The effective harmonization of knowledge management with P2P technologies could therefore be the “killer app” that makes executives realize the importance of knowledge management (KM) to their organizations. However, their contribution to this partnership in the future will largely be dependent on knowledge managers’ ability to demonstrate their skill at leveraging and facilitating social networks today. This paper combines the ideas and experiences of a group of practicing knowledge managers with research from the academic literature on social networks to create an overview of the issues and practices that are critical to facilitating the development of social networks and understanding their value in organizations. It examines the different types of social networks currently operating in organizations and the value of these networks to the enterprise and then looks at ways of developing and facilitating social networks in organizations. Finally, it examines the strategic potential of networks in organizations and how KM might help realize this value.

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Developments in practice xxvi: social networks: knowledge management's "killer app"?

Knowledge management (the process) and knowledge managers (the people) are recent organizational phenomena. The latter (the knowledge managers) are those key individuals charged with the task of making the former (knowledge management) successful. Due to the recent emergence of these organizational initiatives, a study of knowledge managers — who they are and what they do — was thought to be instructive and revealing as well as being sufficiently current to enable organizations to either adopt or adapt their knowledge management strategy. A survey to reveal the characteristics of knowledge managers as well as knowledge management initiatives was designed and distributed to practicing knowledge managers, primarily from US and Canadian organizations. This chapter, based on the analysis of 41 completed questionnaires, reveals the backgrounds, goals, ambitions, initiatives, and challenges as self-assessed by these individuals. By pulling this information together, a profile of a “typical” knowledge manager is presented. The question that remains to be asked is “Are these the most appropriate individuals to lead the KM charge”?

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James D. McKeen

Papers

Knowledge Management Capability and Organizational Performance: A Theoretical Foundation

Re-engineering the corporation: where does IS fit in?

IT in 2010: The Next Frontier

Developments in practice xxvi: social networks: knowledge management's "killer app"?

Knowledge Managers: Who They Are and What They Do