Electronically mediated self-service technologies in the banking industry have impacted the way banks service consumers. Despite a large body of research on electronic banking channels, no study has been undertaken to empirically explore the fit between electronic banking channels and banking services. To address this gap, we developed and validated a service-channel fit conceptualization and an associated survey instrument. We applied a mixed methods approach and initially investigated industry experts’ perceptions regarding the concept of ‘service-channel fit’ (SCF). The findings demonstrated that the concept was highly valued by bank managers. Next, we developed an instrument to measure the perceived service-channel fit of electronic banking channels. The instrument was developed using expert rounds and two pretests involving approximately 300 consumers in New Zealand. Drawing on IS alignment literature, we created a parallel instrument allowing us to calculate SCF across three unique fit dimensions, including service complexity-channel fit, service importance-channel fit, and service routineness-channel fit. To explore the nomological validity of the SCF construct, we linked SCF to customers’ intention to use a specific channel for a particular banking task. We tested our model with data from 340 consumers in New Zealand using Internet banking applications for two different banking tasks. The results of our study have theoretical and practical implications for how clients should be serviced through electronically mediated banking channels.

Attracting new contributors is a necessary but not a sufficient condition, to ensure the survival and long-term success of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) projects. The well-being of a FOSS project depends on the turning of project newcomers into 'good contributors' that is to say into individuals that substantially contribute to the project - but also that perform citizenship behaviors that protect and nurture its community. This study is a mixed: methods investigation of the socialization factors that influence contributor performance in large FOSS projects. A qualitative research component resulted into the development of a FOSS socialization framework as well as into the identification of key FOSS project citizenship behaviors. A conceptual model was then developed and empirically examined with 367 contributors from 12 large FOSS projects. The model hypothesizes the mediating effect of two proximal socialization variables, social identification and social integration, between FOSS newcomer socialization factors and contributor performance (conceptualized as task performance and community citizenship behaviors). The results demonstrate the influence of social identification and social integration in predicting contributor performance, as well as the importance of key socialization factors that are: task segregation, task purposefulness, interaction intensity, and supportiveness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

© 2015, Association for Information Systems. All rights reserved. The term lurker connotes a low-value role in online communities. Despite making up the majority of members, these invisible individuals are often cast as peripheral players who should be encouraged to participate more fully. We argue that the lurker concept is problematic and that online communities, and the roles associated with them, need to be reconceptualized. We report on a study of online communities in a New Zealand professional development program. We found that two knowledge broker types played key roles in transferring knowledge: connector-leaders, who had a strong online presence, and follower-feeders, who communicated largely invisibly, via side-channels. Despite their different online profiles, both brokers used “lurking” purposively to perform two sets of invisible online activities: managing the knowledge agenda, and mentoring/being mentored. These activities supported their roles as leaders and followers, and sustained a symbiotic relationship. Decisions to “lurk” arose from the need for these brokers to negotiate diverse boundaries: the boundaries of micro-culture associated with communication contexts, the theory-practice boundary, role boundaries, and the online-offline boundary. Combining the concept of polycontextuality with boundary spanning theory, we propose an alternative way of understanding both lurking and online communities: the three-tier knowledge transfer ecosystem (KTE), a system of engagement spaces comprising diverse online and offline contexts in which individuals make continual decisions to cross between less- or more-visible settings. The study illustrates how key phenomena may remain invisible without a shift in level of analysis, and how using an anachronistic concept to frame a study can unintentionally constrain its value.

Change is endemic in modern business competition. In an age of globalization, with the rapid development of Internet technologies, changes occur at a much faster pace, and are also more unpredictable. Being agile in a turbulent environment has been ranked highly by executives in surveys of business issues conducted in past five years. Today nearly all organizations rely on information systems (IS) to operate. Agility in IS is critical in achieving overall agility in business. However, despite the interest from the practitioner community, IS agility (sometimes termed IT agility) in academia has received limited recognition and represents an under-researched area. The recent adoption of cloud computing services has presented a major change in the way IS are delivered, in the hope of creating more agile and responsive IS. However, whether or not cloud computing, as promised by the providers, increases IS agility, is still unclear. This research aims at providing a conceptualization of IS agility based on research to date, and examining how cloud computing might facilitate such agility. Based on a literature review, cloud computing services (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) are analyzed against multiple aspects of IS agility. Only IaaS is found to have the potential providing consistent agility, whereas agility at PaaS and SaaS levels is more determined by human/organization factors. Lastly, suggestions for businesses and directions to future research are proposed.

Attracting new contributors is a necessary but not a sufficient condition, to ensure the survival and long-term success of Free/ Open Source Software (FOSS) projects. The well-being of a FOSS project also depends on contributors performing behaviors that nurture the project and its associated community. This study is a quantitative investigation of the socialization factors that influence contributor performance in large FOSS projects. A conceptual model was developed and empirically examined with 367 contributors from 12 large FOSS projects. The model hypothesizes the mediating effect of two proximal socialization variables, social identification and social integration, between newcomer socialization and contributor performance (conceptualized as task performance and community citizenship behaviors). The results demonstrate the influence of social identification and social integration in predicting contributor performance, as well as the importance of key socialization factors that are: task segregation, task purposefulness, interaction intensity and supportiveness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Attracting a large number of new contributors has been seen as a way to ensure the survival, long-term success, and sustainability of Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) communities. However, this appears to be a necessary, but not a sufficient condition, as the well-being of FLOSS communities also relies on members behaving as "good citizens," to nurture and protect the community. This paper investigates the notion of FLOSS community citizenship behaviors in light of the organizational citizenship behaviors literature. Relying on 11 semi-structured interviews with FLOSS project leaders and community managers, the papers identifies key instances of citizenship behaviors along two dimensions: CCB-I (community citizenship behaviors oriented towards the benefits of other individuals), and CCB-P (community citizenship behaviors oriented towards the benefits of the project and its community).

While mobile sales force automation (mSFA) has been studied by a number of researchers, little is yet known about the impact of these solutions on the overall performance of salespeople. This chapter explores the perceived impact of mSFA on salespeople’s performance, as seen by the salespeople themselves and also by their manager. The findings indicate that salespeople and management share different perceptions in regards to the extent that mSFA could improve individual performance.

Attracting a large number of new contributors has been seen as a way to ensure the survival, long-term success, and sustainability of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) communities. FOSS communities have thus for long seized the criticality of generating effective initiatives to facilitate the socialization of community newcomers. However, FOSS socialization research has suffered from a lack of well-grounded theoretical considerations. This research project uses the well-acknowledged socialization model from Van Maanen and Schein (1979) to revisit FOSS socialization by deriving a FOSSspecific socialization framework and its associated measurement instrument. The paper provides a theoretically-grounded and fully-validated research tool for researchers who wish to study the FOSS socialization phenomenon. The study reported on here used a three-phased approach involving the construction of a socialization framework using qualitative data gathering, the development of a measurement instrument, and its validation using a full-scale online survey involving 367 contributors from 12 large FOSS communities.

Purpose To establish and sustain their KM programs organisations need to establish mechanisms to ensure their governance. KM programs require business integration, senior management involvement and decision making authority. The present research aims to investigate the KM governance mechanisms organisations use to guide and control their KM programs. The research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the governance of KM and to support organisations in the development of their KM programs. Design/methodology/approach The study employs multiple case research methodology to analyse the KM governance arrangements of 12 international organisations and identify patterns in their governance configurations. Findings The analysis identifies a range of structural, process and relational mechanisms that are critical for governing an organisational KM program. Different patterns among the KM governance mechanisms are identified which lead to the development of generic KM governance typologies. Research limitations/implications The development of the KM governance framework allows future research to systematically investigate the KM governance phenomenon. As the present study is based on a configurational analysis, future research should particularly target the performance implications of different KM governance configurations. Practical implications The research provides insights into the diversity of KM governance mechanisms and their impact on a KM program. The KM governance framework can assist managers in reviewing their present and prospective KM programs and thereby support benchmarking or re‐organisation efforts. Originality/value Building on prior research that has focused on individual KM governance aspects, the present study adopts a comprehensive perspective integrating structural, process and relational governance mechanisms.

This study examines the role of continuous trust (i.e., trust which develops over time as a result of continuing interactions) in determining a user's continuing intention to use Internet banking services. This study stands in contrast to the large majority of research concerning trust and IT adoption, in that it focuses on continuous trust (as opposed to initial trust) and on a user's continuing intention to use an information system as opposed to the initial adoption decision. Data were gathered from 210 Internet banking users in New Zealand. Continuous trust is shown to be a significant contributor to ongoing intention to use Internet banking.

Since the advent of contingency theory in organisational research, the notion of 'fit' has continuously grown in importance. The fit concept is evident in a variety of theories in information systems (IS) research as well. In particular, task-technology fit (TTF) theory is recognised as an important development in IS theory. The incorporation of fit constructs into IS models has led to a need to develop reliable and valid methods for measuring fit. In this chapter, we extend TTF theory by proposing and developing a model and measurement approach for task-channel fit (a variation on the TTF concept, concerned with electronic banking channels). We thoroughly test our conceptualisation of fit using a series of focus group discussions. Following a parallel-instruments approach, we develop and test a survey instrument for assessing task-channel fit, wherein TCF is modelled as a formative measure. Data gathered from 280 respondents are used to rigorously test the measurement model. Analysis of the data supports the overall soundness of the proposed deviation-score measurement approach. Opportunities for applying this approach in future research are discussed.

The increased availability of electronically mediated self-service technologies in the banking industry has changed the way banks service their customers. Banking customers today can access, through a variety of different channels, sets of powerful tools which allow them to conduct analyses, make decisions and enact financial transactions via working from their home, office or elsewhere. Following practice, research into the adoption and use of electronic banking channels has grown substantially over the last three decades. However, banks seek further growth in consumer electronic banking. Prior research may not have identified all the issues involved in adoption and use and may be limited in other ways. Scholars face challenges researching this area due to fragmented findings and methods over three decades of study. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to empirically determine the 'state-of-play' of research in this field. Using a systematic and comprehensive review of 247 peer-reviewed articles from key research outlets, this paper reveals theories and methods used to study adoption of electronic banking channel at the individual level. Among other things, the findings indicate domains and issues which have been well- or under-researched, conceptual frameworks and principles which have been lightly- or substantially-drawn upon, as well as research methods which have been heavily- or under-utilized. In order to advance research in electronic banking, future researchers should consider diversifying their theoretical and methodological approaches using the opportunities uncovered in our findings.

Agile software development provides a way to organise the complex task of multi-participant software development while accommodating constant project change. Agile software development is well accepted in the practitioner community but there is little understanding of how such projects achieve effective coordination, which is known to be critical in successful software projects. A theoretical model of coordination in the agile software development context is presented based on empirical data from three cases of co-located agile software development. Many practices in these projects act as coordination mechanisms, which together form a coordination strategy. Coordination strategy in this context has three components: synchronisation, structure, and boundary spanning. Coordination effectiveness has two components: implicit and explicit. The theoretical model of coordination in agile software development projects proposes that an agile coordination strategy increases coordination effectiveness. This model has application for practitioners who want to select appropriate practices from agile methods to ensure they achieve coordination coverage in their project. For the field of information systems development, this theory contributes to knowledge of coordination and coordination effectiveness in the context of agile software development.

Electronically mediated self-service technologies in the banking industry have impacted the way banks service consumers. Despite a large body of research on electronic banking channels, no study has been undertaken to empirically explore the fit between electronic banking channels and banking services. Therefore, we developed and validated a service-channel fit conceptualization and an associated survey instrument. We initially investigated industry experts’ perceptions towards the concept of ‘service-channel fit’ (SCF). The findings demonstrated that the concept was highly valued by bank managers. Next, we developed a parallel survey instrument to measure the perceived service- channel fit of electronic banking channels. The instrument was developed using expert rounds and two pretest evaluations. Central to the scale development was the measurement of the SCF construct. Drawing on IS strategy and alignment literature, we created a parallel instrument allowing us to calculate the SCF across three unique service-channel fit dimensions, including service complexity, service importance and service routine. To test the research model, data were collected from 340 consumers in New Zealand using Internet banking applications for two dif ferent banking tasks. The results have important theoretical and practical implications for how clients should be serviced through electronically mediated electronic banking channels.

Effective coordination is an important factor in successful software projects that has not been fully explored in the context of agile software development. Agile software development projects eschew many traditional practices for achieving coordination leaving a gap in our understanding of exactly how such projects are coordinated and if this coordination is effective. However, before investigating coordination behaviours provided in agile software development, and how effective they are, it is necessary to have an understanding of the concept of „coordination effectiveness‟. This paper defines „coordination effectiveness‟ based on existing coordination research and case study interview data drawn from experts in the field of agile and non-agile software development. From this, a definition of coordination effectiveness is developed. Such a clearly defined concept should prove useful for future research when assessing coordination behaviours in agile software development projects and for those investigating other types of project and other classes of system development methodology.

Invisible members of online communities; those who access, but do not post material, have traditionally been conceived of as being inactive, peripheral, non-productive participants. The term lurker connotes a poorly understood, low-value and marginal role, characterised by a reluctance, or lack of readiness, to contribute. This paper argues that in today‟s complex, multimodal online communities, the lurker concept is too simplistic. Combining the concept of polycontextuality with boundary spanning theory, it proposes an alternative way of conceptualising invisible online roles. It reports on a study investigating knowledge transfer in online communities, where a subset of influential and active, yet „invisible‟ online participants was discovered. These participants, follower-feeders, spanned the online-offline community boundary, acting as online followers and offline leaders. They communicated with online leaders, using low-visibility online means, and played a key brokering role in transferring knowledge from online to offline contexts. It is argued that the online community is best seen as part of a larger, polycontextual community ecosystem, comprising diverse online and offline contexts – community engagement spaces – and that the nature of value of roles in this ecosystem is best understood by focusing on understanding cross-boundary social activity and knowledge transfer, rather than by investigating online interactions only.

This study investigated how online communities helped drive change in a three-year professional development programme for New Zealand teachers. The programme aimed to embed effective ICT-based teaching practices in schools, together with a student-centred approach that positioned the teacher’s role as a facilitator of learning. An unofficial blogging community, connecting three cluster-based online communities to a global network, was found to play a role in driving embedding of the new approach. Influential individuals from this community (connector-leaders) employed a set of brokering practices, making differentiated use of technologies to foster knowledge embedding via five processes: focusing, persuading, aligning, adapting and owning. Their influence was extended by the activities of a group of followers who brokered knowledge across the online/offline boundary. The study identifies the workings of a socio-technological system in which change was promoted through brokering practices and sophisticated use of technology. It suggests that when system-level change is the goal, managers should consider the value of brokering roles and normative social processes that help to embed and sustain change. The activities of this system can be seen as supporting both the empirical-rational and the normative-re-educative approach to change (Chin and Benne, 1969).

The importance of the alignment between information systems (IS) and the business has been emphasized for over a decade. To date, no empirical study has explored the impact of the alignment of IS and marketing, despite initial indications that such an alignment could impact favorably upon business performance. This study reports on a new conceptualization of alignment, together with the development and testing of a parsimonious model which addresses this issue. Data from a survey of 415 respondents from medium-large New Zealand companies were used to test the model. It was found that IS-marketing alignment had a positive impact on both business performance and marketing performance, and that marketing performance in turn had a modest but positive impact on business performance.

This chapter introduces a framework for analyzing governance arrangements of KM programs. The framework is used to analyze the organizational structures, processes and relational mechanisms, including leadership matters, which guide the KM program of a large European corporation. The analysis focuses on the issues KM leaders and staff encounter in defining their KM position in the organization as well as issues regarding their collaboration with each other. The results of the study highlight the impact that various factors exert on the development of the KM governance configuration and the role of the KM leader. The chapter concludes with recommendations detailing important governance and leadership aspects which contribute to the establishment of KM in the organization.