While digital platforms make up a significant share of all enterprises in today's market, they are criticized for eliciting platform dominance and monopolistic behavior. Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) use blockchain technology to coordinate platforms that enable users to participate in governance through decentralized, collective decision-making. Although DAOs are designed to drive member participation in governance, some DAOs do not achieve full decentralization and non-hierarchical decision-making. To understand why this occurs, we use empowerment theory to propose that decentralization is contingent upon three empowering practices: autonomy, transparency, and communication openness. Based on fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of 20 DAO cases, we introduce "deliberative empowerment" as a configuration of organizational practices associated with high levels of community participation in DAO governance. Our findings indicate that although autonomy is a precondition for successful decentralization, equally important is the active utilization of deliberative spaces that encourage communication and discussion among DAO members.

Academic, legal and practitioner responses to cyber threats have been predominantly reactive, punitive, and deterrence-based, with limited attention given to the motives underlying computer criminals' behaviors. This paper reasons that new and better theoretical perspectives are needed to explain computer criminals' motives. Following a review of the computer crime behavioral literature, a summary review of core philosophies and theories used to explain generalized crime and criminal motives is provided. A framework is proposed suggesting that criminological theories have evolved along two categorical dimensions: determinism-indeterminism, and individualism-collectivism. The paper then reasons that future computer crime research will benefit by considering indeterminist-collectivist (constructivist) theories. Two such theories, social construction of technology, and actor-network theory, are proposed in the discussion section, along with some cybercrime examples. The paper invites a deeper consideration of the origins and motivations of computer-based criminality as a means of building stronger theory and ultimately advancing more proactive and effective solutions.

Virtual teams face the unique challenge of coordinating their knowledge work across time, space, and people. Information technologies, and digital artefacts in particular, are essential to supporting coordination in highly dispersed teams, yet the extant literature is limited in explaining how such teams produce and reproduce digital artefacts for coordination. This paper describes a qualitative case study that examined the day‐to‐day practices of two highly dispersed virtual teams, with the initial conceptual lens informed by Carlile's (2004) knowledge management framework. Our observations suggest that knowledge coordination in these highly dispersed virtual teams involves the continuous production and reproduction of digital artefacts (which we refer to as technology practices) through three paired modes: ‘presenting‐accessing’ (related to knowledge transfer); ‘representing‐adding’ (related to knowledge translation); and ‘moulding‐challenging’ (related to knowledge transformation). We also observed an unexpected fourth pair of technology practices, ‘withholding‐ignoring,’ that had the effect of delaying certain knowledge coordination processes. Our findings contribute to both the knowledge coordination literature and the practical use of digital artefacts in virtual teams. Future research directions are discussed.

Open source software (OSS) projects are typically considered to be ‘leaderless’ communities in which geographically dispersed volunteer participants produce software products and coordinate their w...

Evolutionary psychologists believe the human mind evolved to solve adaptive problems present in our ancestral environment. Our hominid ancestors survived in face-to-face groups by assessing the cooperative intentions of other group members. Media naturalness theory postulates face-to-face is the most ‘natural’ communication medium. This paper reports results from a laboratory experiment examining the ability of student subjects to predict the generosity of a counter-party under two media conditions: Face-to-Face (FtF), the more natural condition; and Video-to-Video (VtV), the less natural, technology-mediated condition. After a five-minute interaction, subjects took part in a givesome – get-some exchange and then predicted the generosity of their counterparty. Consistent with media naturalness theory, FtF subjects predicted generosity at a frequency greater than chance. Surprisingly, generosity predictions for the VtV condition were not significantly different from chance. Generosity prediction relates to important organizational behaviors such as cooperativeness, trust, and teamwork. Implications and future research opportunities are discussed.

Understanding how consumers evaluate website trustworthiness is a critical factor for online vendors. The dominant view espouses a deliberative trust formation process whereby shoppers evaluate security certificates, return policies, user feedback and the like, implying a highly rational underlying trust calculus. In this paper we use a laboratory experiment to explore an alternative perspective, based on the non-rational associative reasoning approach. Our findings show that when faced with a no-risk hypothetical decision about whether or not they would purchase a book from an online bookseller, subjects’ decision-making processes were indeed consistent with the dominant deliberative view. However, when confronted with a decision entailing risk (i.e., sharing sensitive personal information with an unknown website), subjects became reliant on their non-rational, gut-level intuition. We adopt a dual-process reasoning theory to make sense of these findings, and recommend that vendors take into account associative reasoning factors when designing online interfaces. Future research directions are provided.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the extent to which changes in communication media are associated with changes in the nature of manager-expatriate employee communications. Using an affordance lens, the authors explore how hierarchical level and communication medium interact to influence status dynamics manifested in communication attributes. Design/methodology/approach – The hypothesis was tested with a 2 (hierarchical level)×3 (communication media) multivariate analysis of covariance (experience level) in a sample of 1,193 messages that were transmitted between managers and field employees in a global organization over a ten year period. Findings – The authors found significant interaction effects between communication media and hierarchical level on communication attributes such that changes in communication media intensified status differences between managers and their employees. Research limitations/implications – Communications media may be appropriated differently depending on one’s hierarchical level. Practical implications – Managers should adopt new communication media more consciously given their potential influence of how people communicate. Originality/value – Unlike many computer-mediated communications (CMC) effects studies that compare face-to-face communications with CMC or employ self-report questionnaires or laboratory designs with student samples, this study examines a complete set of manager-employee communications over an extended period of time.

The community of practice (CoP) concept has grown in popularity, yet remains under-studied. In particular, we have not developed a sufficient understanding of the individual outcomes associated with CoP engagement. This paper offers a fresh research model that identifies three practice-based concepts described in the CoP literature—shared repertoire, joint enterprise, and mutual engagement—and links them to individual learning outcomes. Survey measures are developed using a card sorting procedure, a research model is pilot tested using survey data collected from 53 graduate students in a large Canadian university, and then the model is field-tested using interview and survey data collected from 59 employees in a non-profit organization. The paper offers a new set of distinct CoP measures, and examines how they are associated with learning. A discussion of practical implications and future research directions is provided.

Existing cybercrime research in the information systems (IS) field has focused on a subset of corporate incidents (e.g., fraud, hacking intrusions), and emphasized solutions designed to repel attacks or to minimize their aftermath (e.g., barrier technologies, enhanced security procedures). This focused, defensive, and pragmatic posture is valuable and necessary as an immediate triage response, to "stop the bleeding" and provide protection from imminent harm. However, the extant work has not painted a sufficiently broad picture of the scope of cybercriminal activity, nor paid adequate attention to its root causes. This paper presents a different view. It analyzes 113 U.S. Department of Justice federal cybercrime cases from 2008 and 2009, categorizes these cases using an applied criminal offense framework developed by the FBI, considers philosophical explanations for criminal motives, and then identifies the apparent motive(s) that led to the commission of each crime. This paper seeks to contribute to an improved understanding of what cybercrime is, and why it is occurring at the individual level, in order to develop more proactive and effective solutions.

Prior research into open source software (OSS) developer participation has emphasized individuals' motivations for joining these volunteer communities, but it has failed to explain why people stay or leave in the long run. Building upon Lave and Wenger's theory of legitimate peripheral participation (LPP), this paper offers a longitudinal investigation of one OSS community in which sustained participation is hypothesized to be associated with the coevolution of two major elements of LPP theory: "situated learning" (the process of acting knowledgeably and purposefully in the world) and "identity construction" (the process of being identified within the community). To test this hypothesis, data were collected from multiple sources, including online public project documents, electronic mail messages, tracker messages, and log files. Results from qualitative analyses revealed that initial conditions to participate did not effectively predict long-term participation, but that situated learning and identity construction behaviors were positively linked to sustained participation. Furthermore, this study reveals that sustained participants distinguished themselves by consistently engaging in situated learning that both made conceptual (advising others) and practical contributions (improving the code). Implications and future research are discussed.

Despite the general consensus regarding the critical role of top management in the information systems (ISs) implementation process, the literature has not yet provided a clear and compelling understanding of the top management support (TMS) concept. Applying metastructuring (Orlikowski et al., 1995) as a guiding framework for understanding TMS behaviors, this paper attempts to address the gap by focusing on two key questions: (1) What supportive actions do top managers engage in during IS implementations? (2) How do these actions affect IS implementation outcomes? Analyses of in-depth case studies at two Canadian universities that had implemented a large-scale enterprise system revealed three distinct types of TMS actions: TMS - resource provision (TMSR - actions related to supplying key resources such as funds, technologies, staff, and user training programs); TMS - change management (TMSC - actions related to fostering organizational receptivity of a new IS); and TMS - vision sharing (TMSV - actions related to ensuring that lower-level managers develop a common understanding of the core objectives and ideals for the new system). Results suggest that different support behaviors exercise different influences on implementation outcomes, and that top managers need to adjust their support actions to achieve the desired outcomes. In particular, TMSR affected project completion, TMSC impacted formation of user skills and attitudes, and TMSV influenced middle manager buy-in. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

This study examines the relationships among individuals' involvement in communities of practice (CoPs), learning, and job performance. Drawing on the CoP and learning literatures, we develop a theoretical model exploring how individuals' involvement in CoPs affects their learning and job performance. The model is tested using survey data collected from graduate students in a large Canadian university. Results support the hypothesis that CoP involvement is related to learning, and reveals a complex relationship between learning and job performance.

As remote work arrangements have gained in popularity, workforce dispersion has become increasingly widespread. Little research to date has examined how physical distance influences leader–follower communication effectiveness or leader performance. Building on top of transformational leadership theory, this paper explores how perceived leader performance is influenced by leadership style, physical distance, and communication effectiveness between leaders and followers. A survey of 138 followers, reporting to a total of 41 leaders, was conducted and data were analyzed at the individual follower-level using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. Our model explained 45% of the variance in communication effectiveness and 67% of the variance in perceived leader performance. Consistent with past empirical findings, transformational leadership was associated more strongly with perceived leader performance than transactional contingent reward leadership. Communication effectiveness was also a strong predictor of leader performance, and furthermore acted as a mediator of leadership behavior on performance. Surprisingly, distance had no influence on either communication effectiveness or perceived leader performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Despite a substantial volume of research activities on innovation implementation [Holahan, P.J., Aronson, Z.H., Jurkat, M.P., Schoorman, F.D., 2004. Implementing computer technology: a multiorganizational test of Klein and Sorra’s model. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management 21 (1), 31–50; Klein, K.J., Sorra, J.S., 1996. The challenge of innovation implementation. Academy of Management Review 21 (4), 1055–1080; Kwon, T.H., Zmud, R.W., 1987. Unifying the fragmented models of information systems implementation. In: Hirschheim, B.R. (Ed.), Critical Issues in Information Systems Research. John Wiley and Sons Ltd., New York, pp. 227–252], implementation outcomes continue to disappoint—particularly those related to large-scale information systems (ISs) implementation projects [Aiman-Smith, L., Green, S.G., 2002. Implementing new manufacturing technology: the related effects of technology characteristics and user learning activities. Academy of Management Journal 45 (2), 421–430; The Standish Group International Inc., 1995. Chaos (Application Project Failure and Success). Access http://www.standishgroup.com/chaos.html; Whittaker, B., 1999. What went wrong? Unsuccessful information technology projects. Information Management & Computer Security 7 (1), 23–29]. In 1996, Klein and Sorra introduced a promising model that posited key determinants of implementation effectiveness. In this paper we present new validated construct measures, and then test the Klein and Sorra model using a survey of 209 employees in seven organizations. Our results demonstrate that IS implementation effectiveness is influenced directly and indirectly by innovation-values fit, and indirectly by implementation climate.

Research on the concept of telecommuting or telework, as it is known in various areas of the world, has appeared in information systems (IS) and non-IS publications for more than 20 years. Research areas with respect to telecommuting are quite varied, from Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) use, to transportation, managerial control, work-life issues, and more. A significant number of these studies have taken into account the role of technology in enabling telecommuting. However, recent awareness of the IT artifact issue [1] has raised concerns for some authors, reviewers, and editors as to when the technology component is significant enough to consider some of the telecommuting research as IS research. Others, meanwhile, believe that by definition telecommuting addresses the IT artifact issue, and that this should not be a concern. In this panel, we explore the question of whether the IT artifact is an issue in IS-related telecommuting research by examining topics from multiple and sometimes competing perspectives.

Although there is widespread agreement that leadership has important effects on information technology (IT) acceptance and use, relatively little empirical research to date has explored this phenomenon in detail. This paper integrates the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) with charismatic leadership theory, and examines the role of project champions influencing user adoption. PLS analysis of survey data collected from 209 employees in seven organizations that had engaged in a large-scale IT implementation revealed that project champion charisma was positively associated with increased performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating condition perceptions of users. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research in this area are provided.

Technology-mediated learning refers to an environment in which the learner’s interactions with learning materials, peers, and/or instructors are mediated through information technologies (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). The objective of this paper is to review current research on technology-mediated learning on the basis of a theoretical framework derived from the existing literature. In the theoretical framework, three groups of determinants (human dimension, design dimension, and information technology) are presented that influence students’ psychological learning process, which eventually lead to different learning outcomes. The literature review shows that some of the relationships between information technology and other dimensions have been heavily examined (e.g., the influence of a technology feature on learning outcomes), while some others have been ignored (e.g., the influence of IT on student’s psychological process). Research questions that can help advance our understanding of technology-mediated learning are also presented and discussed.

Defining the central identity of the information systems (IS) field is a subject of ongoing concern and debate among IS researchers. Published empirical studies to date have focused on restricted sets of IS-related journal publications spread across relatively short time periods. This paper offers a broader review of the central identity of the IS field, using three dimensions proposed by Albert and Whetten [1985]: central character (i.e., what topics do IS scholars research?); temporal continuity (i.e., to what extent has the identity of the IS field remained static over time?); and distinctiveness (i.e., how unique is research published in IS vs. non-IS research journals?). The first two dimensions are examined using a dataset containing 6,466 journal citations drawn from seven leading IS journals over a 32-year period, and the third is evaluated by comparing results from these seven journals with research published in 15 leading non-IS business journals over the same time period. Results suggest that articles published in leading IS journals do share a strong central character that is distinct from research published in non-IS journals, and yet an identity that has continually shifted over time. This study contributes to the literature by providing an empirically supported review of who we are, how we are different, and some thoughts about where we may be going as a discipline.

Successful enterprise systems (ES) implementations can be difficult to achieve. It has been discovered that obtaining individual user technology endorsement is key to skilful and committed ES usage. While researchers agree that middle and line managers are critical to the success of information systems implementations, the extant literature fails to identify what leadership behaviors of middle and line managers are most influential within an ES implementation context. Based on transformational leadership theory and the innovation implementation model, we developed a theoretical model and tested it across 198 users in seven organizations. The results indicate the importance of contingent reward and transformational leadership behaviors in user technology endorsement as well as the mechanisms through which the two types of leadership behaviors take effect.

Advances in information and communication technology have enabled contemporary organizations to become increasingly dispersed. Knowledge sharing among highly dispersed employees has been widely regarded as an organizational challenge that, if not dealt with properly, would affect the organization’s competitive advantage. Based on the practice perspective of knowledge, this study aims to explore factors and mechanisms that facilitate or impede knowledge sharing among highly dispersed organizational employees. In this paper we analyze data collected from semi-structured interviews with twenty employees in a highly dispersed organization, to understand how employees share knowledge through their work practice in order to get work done. The methodology and data analysis plan is also described.