The Influence of a Convergence in Understanding Between Technology Providers and Users on Information Technology Innovativeness
The Influence of a Convergence in Understanding Between Technology Providers and Users on Information Technology Innovativeness
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DOI：
10.1287/orsc.2.2.195
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发表时间：
1991-05
影响因子：
4.1
通讯作者：
M. Lind;R. Zmud
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
M. Lind;R. Zmud
这项研究的目的是确定一种技术的提供者和用户之间的理解趋同是否会导致该技术的更大创新。提出了两种实现更大收敛的机制：（1）更频繁的通信和（2）使用更丰富的通信渠道。在这里，融合是指技术提供者和其他业务人员对企业的业务活动以及技术在支持这些活动中的重要性的相互理解程度。沟通频率是指技术提供者和业务人员沟通联系的程度，而沟通的丰富程度则取决于使用的沟通渠道的类型。这些沟通手段包括面对面、以计算机为媒介，以及书面沟通渠道。在价值链框架中，确定了14项业务活动（价值链的主要和次要活动），从而实现了融合结构。因此，融合代表了技术提供者和业务人员对这些业务活动的重要性以及技术在支持这些活动方面的重要性的相互理解程度。创新性是通过对信息技术创新性的专家评估来确定的，这项研究是在一家大型跨国公司的两个美国分部进行的。研究结构的分析单位是这两个部门的部门。这些结构在五个数据收集期内进行测量，采用交叉滞后相关分析和通径分析对研究模型进行了检验，结果表明：（1）聚合被认为是创新的预测因子，（2）沟通丰富度是聚合的预测因子，（3）交流频率对聚合度和交流丰富度都有预测作用。本研究提供了两个重要的扩展，经常研究沟通行为和创新之间的关系。首先，这项研究表明，经验丰富的沟通影响创新，事实上，可能是更相关的预测变量。其次，本研究表明，收敛是一个重要的干预结构中的沟通活动/创新性的关系。有趣的是，研究模型只提出了一个因果关系的收敛的重要性的主要业务活动。因此，本研究的目的是研究的命题，频繁和丰富的通信交流产生的技术提供者和用户之间的理解趋同，这种趋同直接促进组织创新的支持。
The objective of this research was to determine if a convergence in understanding between providers and users of a technology would result in greater innovativeness regarding that technology. Two mechanisms were proposed for achieving greater convergence: (1) more frequent communication and (2) the use of richer communication channels. Here, convergence represents the degree of mutual understanding between the technology providers and the other business personnel about the firm's business activities and the importance of the technology in supporting those activities.Frequency of communication indicated the degree to which the technology providers and the business personnel had communication contact, while richness of communication was determined by the type of communication channel used. These means of communication ranged from face to face, computer mediated, to written channels of communication. The convergence construct was operationalized in terms of the value chain framework where 14 business activities (primary and secondary to the value chain) were identified. Convergence thus represents the degree of mutual understanding between the technology providers and the business personnel regarding the importance of these business activities and the importance of the technology in supporting these activities. Innovativeness was determined through expert evaluation of information technology innovativeness.This research was conducted in two United States divisions of a large multinational firm. The units of analyses for the research constructs were the departments in these two divisions. The constructs were measured over five periods of data collection so that longitudinal, causal analysis techniques (cross-lagged correlations and path analysis) were used to investigate the research model.The following results were obtained: (1) convergence was found to be a predictor of innovativeness, (2) communication richness was a predictor of convergence, and (3) communication frequency was a predictor of both convergence and communication richness. This study provided two important extensions to the often-studied relationship between communication behaviors and innovativeness. First, this research showed empirically that the richness of communication influences innovativeness and, in fact, may be the more relevant predictor variable. Secondly, this research showed that convergence is an important intervening construct in the communication activity/innovativeness relationship. Interestingly, the research model only suggested a causal relationship for convergence on the importance of the primary business activities. Thus, the intent of this study to examine the proposition that frequent and rich communication exchanges produce a convergence in understanding among technology providers and users and, that this convergence directly promotes organizational innovativeness was supported.