No abstract

No abstract

by Irwin McGraw-Hill. His research interests include knowledge management, information resource management, expert systems, computer-integrated manufacturing, systems analysis and design, and telecommunications management.ABSTRACT: The concept of organizational learning (OL) is receiving an increasing amount of attention in the research and practice of management information systems (MIS) due to its potential for affecting organizational outcomes, including control and intelligence, competitive advantage, and the exploitation of knowledge and technology. As such, further development of the salient issues related to OL is warranted, especially measurement of the construct. Based on a domain definition grounded in the literature, this research represents the initial work in developing an empirically reliable and valid measure of organizational learning. The rigorous method utilized in the derivation of this measure, which integrates two methodological frameworks for Downloaded by [University of Leeds] at 23:40 05 July 2015 176 TEMPLETON, LEWIS, AND SNYDER instrument development, is the main strength of this work. The result is an eightfactor, 28-item instrument for assessing OL, derived from a sample of 119 knowledge-based firms. The empirically derived factors are awareness, communication, performance assessment, intellectual cultivation, environmental adaptability, social learning, intellectual capital management, and organizational grafting. MIS function managers can use these factors to gauge organizational or subunit success in the creation and diffusion of new applications of information technology.PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONAL THEORISTS have predicted that the amount of information and knowledge that organizations must process will continue to increase [46,70]. Several authors have responded to this new era by prescribing learning models for the design of organizations that are more responsive to turbulent environments [8,39, 91,99,112,128,134]. In such conceptualizations, organizational learning (OL) is depicted as having a great potential for affecting organizational outcomes, such as organizational control and intelligence, competitive advantage, and the exploitation of knowledge and technology. Since interest in applying OL designs has increased over the past several years [134], further development of the salient issues related to OL is warranted, especially measurement of the construct.OL theory has profound relevance to the science and practice of management information systems (MIS). Past research indicates MIS is useful in the facilitation and exploitation of the three modes of OL espoused by Argyris and Schön [5], who drew upon the work of Gregory Bateson [12] in the behavioral sciences. First, MIS can translate to superior single-loop learning (SLL), the mode corresponding with incremental organizational change initiatives. Stein and Zwass [128] proposed that successful SLL is better facilitated by the existence of organizational memory performance standards, which often accompany the adoption of organ...

Accounting information systems (AIS) research data may suffer from severe non-normality, which, if not handled properly, may lead to incorrect statistical inferences. To address this problem, we empirically evaluate the relative merits of a Two-Step normality transformation proposed by Templeton (2011) compared to four alternative distributions available to researchers (random-normal, original, natural log transformed, and winsorization transformed). Using 45 corporate financial performance ratios (CFP), we investigated three perspectives on measurement validity: construct validity, reliability, and difference testing. We then examined the efficacy of the Two-Step method in the context of business value of IT research—we regressed four IT investment and three control variables on 31 of theoretically relevant CFP indicators. The preponderance of our evidence shows that the Two-Step method consistently outperforms the prominently used alternatives in achieving statistical normality, retaining original series means and standard deviations, exhibiting validity and reliability, and theory testing. Our findings strongly suggest that AIS researchers consider adopting the Two-Step normality transformation when utilizing non-normally distributed data to obtain a more accurate understanding and interpretation of results.

Despite a cumulative tradition of over 50 years, the organizational learning (OL) literature contains very little research on its implementation into practice. Because OL is a multidisciplinary topic and consequently has a myriad of diverse definitions, research on getting organizational members to adopt its tenets has been scarce. Using the policy facet of the theoretical multi-faceted model (MFM) of OL, this paper presents 10 propositions intended to spur OL implementation research. Each of these propositions is aimed at advancing one of three expressed policies: (1) commitment to learning, which involves the symbolic behavior of managers which influences member learning; (2) tolerance for failure, which involves policies that do not punish (but even reward) errors; and (3) commitment to the workforce, which is policy guiding behavior that will lead to increased member commitment to the organization. Pertinent literature was reviewed to provide greater specificity and explanation of the antecedents of 'productive learning' in the MFM framework. Implications are that managers can influence OL implementation success through the design of these three organizational policies. The paper discusses: how these propositions contribute to MFM; a causal model developed from the propositions; prescriptive implications for practice and research; and measurement and testing issues. It is concluded that this research can contribute to the demystification of OL, especially as it pertains to MFM and its policy facet.