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1 – 10 of over 15000It has been suggested that “space and artifacts constitute systems of communication which organizations build up within themselves” (Gagliardi, 1992a, b, p. vi) and reflect the…
Abstract
It has been suggested that “space and artifacts constitute systems of communication which organizations build up within themselves” (Gagliardi, 1992a, b, p. vi) and reflect the cultural life within that organization. This is a study of how the “landscape” of a public library (“Library X”), as an information retrieval system, relates to the values of the people who created it. The efforts here are geared towards understanding the physical instantiation of institutional culture and, more specifically, institutional values as they are reflected through the artifact.
Artifacts are rarely used today to visualize thoughts, insights, and ideas in strategy work. Rather, textual and verbal communication dominates. This is despite artifacts and…
Abstract
Artifacts are rarely used today to visualize thoughts, insights, and ideas in strategy work. Rather, textual and verbal communication dominates. This is despite artifacts and visual representations holding many advantages as tools to create and make sense of strategy in teamwork. To advance our understanding of the benefits of visual aids in strategy work, I synthesize insights from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and management research. My analysis exposes distinct neurocognitive advantages concerning attention, emotion, learning, memory, intuition, and creativity from visual sense-building. These advantages increase when sense-building activities are playful and storytelling is used.
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Benoît Demil and Xavier Lecocq
Business models can be considered as cognitive models that managers or analysts can use to describe, understand, or test business activities. However, the emergence of a new…
Abstract
Business models can be considered as cognitive models that managers or analysts can use to describe, understand, or test business activities. However, the emergence of a new business model requires not only cognitive operations but also concrete modifications to the realities of a company’s operations and structures. In this paper, we adopt a sociomaterial view of organizational change based on actor-network theory, and underline the role of artifacts in the emergence of new business models. We base our discussion on a case study of a French leader in kitchen electric appliances. Despite the fact that the building of its new business model is still in progress, this empirical study provides important suggestions concerning the role of artifacts.
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Paulo Henrique Bertucci Ramos and Marcelo Caldeira Pedroso
This study aims to propose and assess a model with the main elements influencing Brazilian agtech scalability with the aim of supporting the scalability process of startups that…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose and assess a model with the main elements influencing Brazilian agtech scalability with the aim of supporting the scalability process of startups that find themselves in the stage of initial conception of the business model.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted using the design science research (DSR) method. The data for assessing the proposed model were collected through in-depth interviews. The answers were analyzed quantitatively, using descending hierarchical classification (DHC), correspondence factor analysis (CFA), and level of agreement; and qualitatively, using content analysis.
Findings
Considering the Brazilian context, the objective, environmental, structural, and evaluative dimensions presented positive characteristics for the main criteria analyzed (operational viability, generality, clarity, adaptation to the reality studied, completeness, consistency, comprehensibility, and structural simplicity). Specific improvements were proposed in all the criteria analyzed.
Originality/value
The artifact can be considered a strategic guide for agtechs that have yet to overcome the barrier of initial conception of the business model. The model enables the identification of the main problems that agtechs can encounter in their life cycle, as well as seeking solutions in advance.
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Diego Ponte, Alessandro Rossi and Marco Zamarian
This paper contributes to the debate on the relationship between IT‐artefacts and organisational structuration by describing the dynamics surrounding the collaborative development…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper contributes to the debate on the relationship between IT‐artefacts and organisational structuration by describing the dynamics surrounding the collaborative development of an innovative electronic metering system. The aim of the paper is to address a clear gap in the current literature on collaborative IT‐artefacts design, as cooperation at early design stages has barely been analysed. This work tries to understand whether and to what extent the design of an IT‐artefact is driven by the interests of a number of heterogeneous actors and how these are able to affect the artefact's evolution.
Design/methodology/approach
The research relies on a case study analysis, which focuses on a consortium of heterogeneous actors (firms, the public sector, research institutes) working within the green energy industry. The research focuses on a workgroup attempting to develop an innovative IT‐artefact: an electronic metering system.
Findings
The main results emerging from the field study are: the relevance of each actor's interests as a prevalent rationale for explaining the technical features of the IT‐artefact; the role of negotiation and consensus in determining the final shape of the IT‐artefact in terms of its features; and the bundling/unbundling of IT‐artefact features as a result of changes in the alignment of actors.
Research limitations/implications
The research presents two clear limitations. First, the activities of the workgroup are still ongoing thus limiting some of the insights one may draw from the case study. Second, the analysis is carried out on a single case study. Further analysis should be done to increase consistency and validity of the findings.
Practical implications
Findings indicate that in an open and collaborative environment, the conceptualisation and evolution of an IT‐artefact are influenced more by the political agendas of the various actors rather than by pure technical problems and concerns. The practical implications thus are that every attempt to manage such a collaborative effort must seriously take into consideration these aspects.
Originality/value
Starting from the recognition that little research has been conducted on the factors influencing cooperative IT‐artefact design, this paper sheds new light on how these factors influence such cooperative activity. The authors believe that this kind of work helps lay some foundations for general models attempting to explain cooperative innovation processes such as the open innovation model.
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Linzi J. Kemp, Linda Angell and Linda McLoughlin
– The aim of this paper is to investigate the symbolic meaning attributed by women in academia to workplace artifacts.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to investigate the symbolic meaning attributed by women in academia to workplace artifacts.
Design/methodology/approach
The research approach is that of auto-ethnography, whereby the authors, as researchers and participants, explore symbolic meaning from artifacts in their working environment.
Findings
Three themes emerged on the symbolic meaning from artifacts for women in academia. The theme of “affect” revealed women as uncomfortable in their surroundings; “representation”, renders women invisible within the institution; and women felt themselves to be under “surveillance”.
Research limitations/implications
The investigation is limited to one university, which limits generalizability. The implication is to replicate this auto-ethnographical study in other institutions of higher education.
Practical implications
This paper implies that architectural, institutional and personal artifacts play an important role in defining women’s workplace identity.
Social implications
Women in academia identify themselves as “outsiders” in the workplace because of the symbolic meaning they attribute to artifacts.
Originality/value
This study on women in academia is original as it is the first auto-ethnographical study on artifacts in an international institution of higher education.
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Jason M. Weaver, T.J. Barton, John Linn, Derrik Jenkins, Michael P. Miles and Robert Smith
The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of a test artifact proposed by NIST to quantify the dimensional accuracy of a metal additive manufacturing process. Insights from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of a test artifact proposed by NIST to quantify the dimensional accuracy of a metal additive manufacturing process. Insights from this paper are given concerning both the performance of the machine, a concept laser Mlab cusing machine, and the applicability of the NIST test artifact in characterizing accuracy. Recommendations are given for improving the artifact and standardizing a process for evaluating dimensional accuracy across the additive manufacturing industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Three builds of the NIST additive manufacturing test artifact were fabricated in 316 stainless steel on a concept laser Mlab cusing machine. The paper follows the procedure described by NIST for characterizing dimensional accuracy of the additive process. Features including pins, holes and staircase flats of various sizes were measured using an optical measurement system, a touch probe and a profilometer.
Findings
This paper describes the accuracy of printed features’ size and position on the test artifact, as well as surface finish on flat and inclined surfaces. Trends in variation of these dimensions are identified, along with possible root causes and remedies. This paper also describes several strengths and weaknesses in the design of the test artifact and the proposed measurement strategy, with recommendations on how to improve and standardize the process.
Originality/value
This paper reviews a previously proposed design and process for measuring the capabilities of additive manufacturing processes. It also suggests improvements that can be incorporated into future designs and standardized across the industry.
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Leonie Cassidy and John Hamilton
Literature-identified website benchmarking (WB) approaches are generally time consuming, survey based, with little agreement on what and how to measure website components. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Literature-identified website benchmarking (WB) approaches are generally time consuming, survey based, with little agreement on what and how to measure website components. The purpose of this paper is to establish a theoretical approach to WB. A comprehensive design science research methodology (DSRM) artifact facilitates the evaluation of the website against the universal set of benchmark components. This knowledge allows managers to gauge/reposition their websites.
Design/methodology/approach
DSRM establishes a website analysis method (WAM) artifact. Across six activities (problem identification, solution objective, artifact design/development, artifact demonstration, artifact evaluation, results communication), the WAM artifact solves the DSRM-identified WB problem.
Findings
The WAM artifact uses 230 differentiated components, allowing managers to understand in-depth and at-level WB. Typological website components deliver interpretable WB scores. Website comparisons are made at domain (aesthetic, marketing, technical) and/or functional levels.
Research limitations/implications
New/emergent components (and occasionally new functions) are included (and redundant components removed) as upgrades to the DSRM WAM artifact’s three domains and 28 functions. Such modifications help keep latest benchmarking comparisons (and/or website upgrades) optimized.
Practical implications
This DSRM study employs a dichotomous present/absent component approach, allowing the WAM artifact’s measures to be software programmed, and merged at three different levels, delivering a useful WB tool for corporates.
Originality/value
DSRM identifies the benchmarking problem. Rough-cut set-theory and mutual-exclusivity of components allow the causal-summing of typological website components into an objective WAM artifact WB solution. This new, comprehensive, objective-measurement approach to WB thus offers comparative, competitive, and website behavioral implications for corporates.
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The advancement of human knowledge is the result of evolution of human capabilities for absorbing, developing and processing human intelligence, and perhaps just as equally, on…
Abstract
The advancement of human knowledge is the result of evolution of human capabilities for absorbing, developing and processing human intelligence, and perhaps just as equally, on the human capability to develop symbols and artifacts for assisting in the creation, diffusion and sharing of knowledge. These artifacts not only have evolved in their sophistication and ability to help human knowledge enterprise, but also they have become embedded in the knowledge networks and the global knowledge enterprises. The universal knowledge architecture today can be best represented as a set of interconnected networks linking the neural networks of our brain with our organizational, institutional, professional and societal networks, and the networks of knowledge artifacts. Within this context the knowledge enterprise is viewed as a sustaining quest for sense making through the human to human process for scaffolding of knowledge where the knowledge artifacts play quintessential and inseparable roles. The effectiveness of our efforts in developing and implementing the knowledge artifacts or management tools depends to a large extent on our ability to refocus the design context of these tools as artifacts, from an information centric paradigm to one of knowledge within the context of a sense‐making paradigm.
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Marie Marchand and Louis Raymond
As calls have been made to characterize and theorise performance measurement systems (PMS) and as these systems are highly contextualised because of their mission-critical nature…
Abstract
Purpose
As calls have been made to characterize and theorise performance measurement systems (PMS) and as these systems are highly contextualised because of their mission-critical nature, the purpose of this paper is to generate empirically-valid and useful findings with regard to their characterisation as information technology artefacts through an approach founded upon the user’s perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Using both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches, the authors conducted a field study through extensive interviews in situ with the owner-managers of 16 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Findings
The PMS are characterised, from their users’ point of view, in terms of their functional attributes as information systems dedicated to the management of organisational performance, that is, as being either operational, functional, managerial or organisational systems.
Research limitations/implications
Having modelled the PMS artefact in terms of its artefactual dimensions and features, the authors have empirically validated a characterisation approach that allows researchers to circumscribe this artefact within its specific usage context and to identify its salient attributes as study variables.
Practical implications
The research findings provide an empirical basis for the design and evaluation of PMS that is coherent with the specific context of their use in SMEs.
Originality/value
This study validates a novel and demonstrably useful artefactual perspective to characterize and theorise PMS as objects of empirical research.
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