The effectiveness of strategic information systems planning under environmental uncertainty

Exploring the relationship among structured-on-the job training, mentoring, job rotation, work environment factors and tacit knowledge transfer

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationships among structured-on-the job training (ST), mentoring, job rotation and the work environment factors on tacit knowledge transfer from training.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used quantitative research techniques to examine the causal relationships among the key study variables. A questionnaire-based survey has developed to evaluate the research model by drawing a convenience sample includes 239 employees working in the Arab Potash Company located in Jordan. Surveyed data were examined following the structural equation modeling procedures.

Findings

The results revealed that adapting of the ST, mentoring and job rotation in industrial firms had direct effect on the employees’ abilities to learn and transfer tacit knowledge from training to the actual work, and how these learning strategies strengthen employees’ abilities in solving work problems, improving customers’ satisfaction and quality of products and services. As well as, it affirmed the strong direct effect of work environment factors such as supervisor and peer support on the employees’ abilities to learning and transferring tacit knowledge to their jobs. However, this study showed that work environment factors have no significant mediating role on the relationship among ST, mentoring, job rotation and the employees’ abilities to learn and transfer tacit knowledge to their jobs.

Research limitations/implications

The study results are opening the doors for future studies to examine the relationships among the methods of training and learning in the workplace, the work environment factors and tacit knowledge transfer from training to the jobs as prerequisites for improving the employees and organization performance. These results would be validated by conducting future research, examining larger samples of industrial companies to give more accurate data and clear explanations to the relationships among the study variables. It also suggests to replace the characteristics of work environment (supervisor support and peer support) by trainees’ characteristics (self-efficacy and career commitment) to give a better understanding to the relationships among the key study variables.

Practical implications

With regard to improving the employees’ competency while doing their jobs, this study developed a conceptual framework that guides managers to recognize the importance of ST, mentoring and job rotation in increasing the employees’ learning together; and giving them the chance to use the new learned experiences and knowledge to improve the organization performance and its competitive advantage. This study helps managers build a positive work environment that encourages social interaction, respect and mutual interest among employees, and increases their sense of responsibility for learning and transferring skills and knowledge to the jobs.

Social implications

The training methods in the workplace go beyond immediate work performance to act as a promising tool make employees’ learning more easily and faster, and help them to transfer and retain new skills and knowledge, adapt with changing environments, build stronger relationships with stakeholders and at the same time, make the organizations ensure that employees comply with their societal goals.

Originality/value

The authors have noticed that large portions of the studies on training and human resources development neglected the role effect of (ST, mentoring and job rotation) on the tacit knowledge transfer from training to the jobs. Hence, these gaps in researches have motivated to develop a theoretical model that helps to examine the relationship between the two constructs. This study also suggests to examine the mediating role effects of work environment factors on the relationships among (ST, mentoring and job rotation) and tacit knowledge transfer, as well as it extends to examine the mediating role of work environment factors on transferring knowledge to jobs, attributed to the demographic variables such as gender, age, work experience and education level.

Factors Affecting the Use of Social Networks and Its Effect on Anxiety and Depression among Parents and Their Children: Predictors Using ML, SEM and Extended TAM

Previous research has found support for depression and anxiety associated with social networks. However, little research has explored parents' depression and anxiety constructs as mediators that may account for children's depression and anxiety. The purpose of this paper is to test the influence of different factors on children's depression and anxiety, extending from parents' anxiety and depression in Jordan. The authors recruited 857 parents to complete relevant web survey measures with constructs and items and a model based on different research models TAM and extended with trust, analyzed using SEM, CFA with SPSS and AMOS, and ML methods, using the triangulation method to validate the results and help predict future applications. The authors found support for the structural model whereby behavioral intention to use social media influences the parent's anxiety and depression which correlate to their offspring's anxiety and depression. Behavioral intention to use social media can be enticed by enjoyment, trust, ease of use, usefulness, and social influences. This study is unique in exploring rumination in the context of the relationship between parent-child anxiety and depression due to the use of social networks.

Predictors for E-Government Adoption of SANAD App Services Integrating UTAUT, TPB, TAM, Trust, and Perceived Risk

Using mobile applications in e-government for the purpose of health protection is a new idea during COVID-19 epidemic. Hence, the goal of this study is to examine the various factors that influence the use of SANAD App As a health protection tool. The factors were adopted from well-established models like UTAUT, TAM, and extended PBT. Using survey data from 442 SANAD App from Jordan, the model was empirically validated using AMOS 20 confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) and machine learning (ML) methods were performed to assess the study hypotheses. The ML methods used are ANN, SMO, the bagging reduced error pruning tree (RepTree), and random forest. The results suggested several key findings: the respondents’ performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived risk, trust, and perceived service quality of this digital technology were significant antecedents for their attitude to using it. The strength of these relationships is affected by the moderating variables, including age, gender, educational level, and internet experience on behavioral intention. Yet, perceived risk did not have a significant effect on attitude towards SANAD App The study adds to literature by empirically testing and theorizing the effects of SANAD App on public health protection.

Factors Influencing YouTube as a Learning Tool and Its Influence on Academic Achievement in a Bilingual Environment Using Extended Information Adoption Model (IAM) with ML Prediction—Jordan Case Study

YouTube usage as a learning tool is evident among students. Hence, the goal of this study is to examine the various factors that influence the use of YouTube as a learning tool, which influences academic achievement in a bilingual academic context. Using survey data from 704 YouTube users from Jordan’s bilingual academic institutes, the research model was empirically validated. Using Amos 20, structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to assess the study hypotheses. SEM permits concurrent checking of the direct and indirect effects of all hypotheses. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the instrument items’ properties in addition to machine learning methods: ANN, SMO, the bagging reduced error pruning tree (RepTree), and random forest. The empirical results offer several key findings: academic achievement (AA) is influenced by the information adoption (IA) of YouTube as a learning tool. Information adoption (IA) is influenced by information usefulness (IU). Source credibility (SC) and information quality (IQ) both influence information usefulness (IU), while information language (IL) does not. Information quality (IQ) is influenced by intrinsic, contextual, and accessibility information quality. This study adds to the literature by empirically testing and theorizing the effects of YouTube as a learning tool on the academic achievement of Jordanian university students who are studying in bilingual surroundings.

Factors Influencing Students’ Intention to Use E-Textbooks and Their Impact on Academic Achievement in Bilingual Environment: An Empirical Study Jordan

E-textbooks are becoming increasingly important in the learning and teaching environments as the globe shifts to online learning. The key topic is what elements influence students’ behavioral desire to use e-textbooks, and how the whole operation affects academic achievement when using e-textbooks. This research aims to investigate the various factors that influence the behavioral intention to use an e-textbook, which in turn influences academic achievement in a bilingual academic environment. The research model was empirically validated using survey data from 625 e-textbook users from bilingual academic institutes from Jordan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was employed to test the research hypotheses by using Amos 20. To validate the results, artificial intelligence (AI) was employed via five machine learning (ML) techniques: artificial neural network (ANN), linear regression, and sequential minimal optimization algorithm for support vector machine (SMO), bagging with REFTree model, and random forest. The empirical results offer several key findings. First, the behavioral intention of using an e-textbook positively influences academic achievement. Second, attitude toward e-textbooks, subjective norms toward e-textbooks, and perceived behavior control toward e-textbooks positively influence behavioral intention toward using e-textbooks. Attitude toward using e-textbooks and perceived behavioral control both are positively influenced by independent factors. This study contributes to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing the impacts of e-textbooks on the academic achievement of university students in a bilingual environment in Jordan.

An Empirical Investigation of Reasons Influencing Student Acceptance and Rejection of Mobile Learning Apps Usage

Sustainable learning and education (SLE) is a relatively new ideology based on sustainability principles and developed in response to the United Nations’ recently proclaimed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a result, technologies should be adopted to equip educational institutions with the tools necessary to attain SLE. Recently, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected educational systems globally, leading them to embrace more innovative technological methods to meet academic demands while maintaining SLE principles. Mobile learning apps (MLA) refers to using the unique capabilities of mobile apps to engage and collaborate towards establishing robust online learning. However, the effectiveness of MLA depends on learners’ acceptance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that could affect MLA acceptance. In order to analyze the collected data from 415 Jordanian students among schools and universities, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. The empirical findings confirm that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are significantly influenced by self-efficacy and perceived compatibility. Furthermore, perceived usefulness is significantly influenced by perceived convenience and perceived ease of use. Additionally, perceived enjoyment significantly influences the behavioral intention to use MLA. On the other hand, perceived compatibility has no significant influence on perceived enjoyment. Finally, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived compatibility have no significant effect on behavioral intention to use MLA. This study addresses a critical research gap in the distance learning acceptance literature by proposing an exhaustive model in the post-COVID-19 era that can help to improve students’ performance and outcomes in Jordanian schools and universities.

Perceived usefulness of technology and multiple salient outcomes: the improbable case of oil and gas workers

This research aimed at assessing the effect perceived usefulness of technology on multiple salient outcomes in Nigeria. Specifically determining how employee performance affects the perceived usefulness of technology in the oil and gas sector. The study used a descriptive research design. The target population of the study was 495 employees of selected oil and gas firms in Nigeria who have been recognized to have adopted strategies to communicate the usefulness of adopted technology in their business operations. This study used the purposive sampling technique to collect data from the employees of the selected firm. The questionnaire was used as the main data collection instrument, on a population of 495 and a total of 460 was collected back for the study analysis. A descriptive research design was adopted to establish trends related to the objectives of this study. Specifically, this research used a quantitative method (questionnaire) for the collection of data while structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data collected. The result showed that the perceived usefulness of technology has a significant effect on salient outcomes on workers in the oil and gas. Hence, the result shows that the perceived usefulness of technology contributes more to employees' satisfaction, organizational support, and employees' productivity while employees' commitment had the least. This study recommended that organizations in the oil and gas industry have to increase their efforts using strategies to improve the use of adopted technologies to promote employees’ commitment. However, organizations are to maintain strategies of perceived usefulness of technology on organizational support.

Investigating the effects of leaders’ stewardship behavior on radical innovation: a mediating role of knowledge management dynamic capability and moderating role of environmental uncertainty

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of leaders’ stewardship behavior (LSB) on followers’ radical innovation (RI). Followers’ knowledge management dynamic capability (KMDC) has been a mediating role, while environmental uncertainty (EU) acted as a moderating factor in the context of the textile and apparel industry in the developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional quantitative study has been designed to evaluate the conceptual framework. Data were collected from the relevant stakeholders with a structured survey questionnaire – a total of 304 responses considered from industry–university collaborative leaders and followers. A partial least square-based structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the hypothesis using Smart-PLS 3.8 package program.

Findings

The result reveals that the KMDC has a significant mediating impact between LSB and RI. Similarly, the EU significantly moderates the relationship between KMDC and RI, especially as the intensity of environmental instability increases–decreases, LSB and adherents of KMDC is likely to enhance RI performances.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the current literature extending the scope of steward leadership behavior and the theory of knowledge-based view incorporating EU factors.

Practical implications

While industries have invested a lot of money and resources to improve the followers’ radical creative thinking, skills and abilities, this study provides specific implications for the textile industry managers, leaders, policymakers and practitioners to comprehend and implement the strategy of RI.

Originality/value

Overall, the current research contributes to the LSB literature by highlighting significant complementarities between KMDC and RI under the EU.

Managing digital knowledge for ensuring business efficiency and continuity

Purpose

Today many firms are pushed towards digitalization to ensure business continuity and their survival due to COVID-19. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the emerging knowledge management models in the era of digitalization and disruption.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have adopted a semi-structured approach composed of qualitative data collection from 37 business executives from India representing different industry sectors. The authors adopted a three-layer coding process (axial, open and selective) to develop a framework grounded in organizational information processing theory.

Findings

Scanning the business environment leads to understand the status of current and potential business through intelligence of information, whereas better planning and execution can be achieved through employing and using the information intelligently that fits to the overall and strategic objective of the business. Overall, the business continuity can be obtained by information prosperity across the business by engaging diverse stakeholders. According to the findings, these aspects lead to the effective implementation of digital knowledge to ensure business continuity in uncertain business environment.

Practical implications

The study offers the insights for managing and executing the knowledge in digital platforms, where they can think of developing a system architecture on the basis of degree of uncertainty and information processing requirements for combining the knowledge.

Originality/value

The present study is unique, where it offers the meaningful visions to the designers and users of virtual knowledge management systems.

How can Strategy-as-Practice Enable Innovation under the Influence of Environmental Dynamism?

ABSTRACT Purpose: the objective of this study was to analyze innovation in Brazilian organizations when enabled through SIS, in the strategy-as-practice approach, on the influence of moderating environmental dynamism. Methods: we performed structural equation modeling using the statistical technique of partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) and post hoc analysis to identify unobserved heterogeneity, with a sample of 256 Brazilian companies from different sectors. Results: the results revealed that the SIS had a strong and significant influence on the innovation of exploitation and exploration. The environmental uncertainty of dynamism moderation was not present in the relationship between SIS and the innovation of exploitation. However, SIS showed a strong and significant influence on innovation of exploration in high levels of dynamism. The existence of unobserved heterogeneity was identified for two segments of the sample, demonstrating a strong path effect between SIS and innovation of exploration and exploitation on the high presence of dynamism in service companies with a size greater than 500 employees. Conclusions: the study contributed to the extension of the strategy-as-practice and innovation literature, by identifying SIS as an alternative in the planning process to enable innovation in the organization, in environments with a high rate of change and unpredictability.

Como a Estratégia como Prática pode Habilitar a Inovação sob Influência do Dinamismo Ambiental?

ABSTRACT Purpose: the objective of this study was to analyze innovation in Brazilian organizations when enabled through SIS, in the strategy-as-practice approach, on the influence of moderating environmental dynamism. Methods: we performed structural equation modeling using the statistical technique of partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) and post hoc analysis to identify unobserved heterogeneity, with a sample of 256 Brazilian companies from different sectors. Results: the results revealed that the SIS had a strong and significant influence on the innovation of exploitation and exploration. The environmental uncertainty of dynamism moderation was not present in the relationship between SIS and the innovation of exploitation. However, SIS showed a strong and significant influence on innovation of exploration in high levels of dynamism. The existence of unobserved heterogeneity was identified for two segments of the sample, demonstrating a strong path effect between SIS and innovation of exploration and exploitation on the high presence of dynamism in service companies with a size greater than 500 employees. Conclusions: the study contributed to the extension of the strategy-as-practice and innovation literature, by identifying SIS as an alternative in the planning process to enable innovation in the organization, in environments with a high rate of change and unpredictability.

Digital Strategy Decision Support Systems: Agrifood Supply Chain Management in SMEs

The specific attributes of agrifood supply chains, along with their importance for the economy and society, have led to an increased interest in the parameters that enhance their effectiveness. Recently, numerous digital tools aimed at improving supply chain effectiveness have been developed. The majority of existing research focuses on optimizing individual processes rather than the overall growth of a food supply chain. This study aims to identify the stages of the information systems planning (ISP) process that affect the success of developing a strategic decision support system (DSS) for improving the decision-making process in the agrifood supply chains. Data were collected from 66 IT executives from Greek small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agrifood sector and analyzed using regression analysis. The results revealed that situation analysis is the only stage of ISP that predicts ISP success. These findings can assist managers in appreciating the critical role of ISP for improving the performance of agrifood supply chain operations. Implementing the most appropriate information systems (IS) and digital tools results in increased competitive advantage, cost savings, and increased customer value.

Effects on corporate performance through ISS-enabled strategy-making on dynamic and improvisational capabilities

Purpose

This study develops the idea that resource orchestration (RO) of ISS-enabled strategy-making (ISS-SM) can influence dynamic and improvisational capabilities in innovation resulting in corporate performance (CP) gains under a hostile environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation modeling is applied to the data collected from 551 Brazilian firms.

Findings

The results suggest that ISS-SM facilitates dynamic and improvisational capabilities in innovation, consequently promoting CP. The research also showed that, under conditions of high environmental hostility, the impact of improvisational capabilities in innovation on CP is significantly amplified. Finally, in the specific case of high hostility, ISS-SM is especially important in enabling organizational capabilities on CP, for digital mastery firms, large firms in the manufacturing and services sectors.

Practical implications

The findings provide insights on how RO of ISS and resource management action enable strategy-making to leverage innovation and corporate performance during an uncertain environment.

Originality/value

This study developed an original contribution to resource orchestration, information systems strategies, and strategy-making literature through developing a novel construct of ISS-enabled strategy-making to enhance proximate and distal outcomes under a hostile environment.

CEO Empowering Leadership and Corporate Entrepreneurship: The Roles of TMT Information Elaboration and Environmental Dynamism

In this paper we investigate the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) empowering leadership and corporate entrepreneurship. In addition, the mediating role of information elaboration in top management teams (TMTs) and the moderating role of environmental dynamism are examined. Drawing on the information exchange/sharing perspective, we hypothesize that CEO empowering leadership has a positive effect on corporate entrepreneurship, and TMT information elaboration mediates the relationship above. Furthermore, we find that environmental dynamism positively moderates the relationship between empowering leadership and information elaboration, and negatively moderates the relationship between information elaboration and corporate entrepreneurship. Data from a sample of Chinese firms provide empirical evidence in support of these hypotheses.

Exploring the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, communities of practice and employees’ abilities: The case of KADDB in Jordan

Purpose

This study aims to assess the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, communities of practice (CoPs) and employees’ abilities to solve problems, customer’s satisfaction and innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This quantitative research aims to examine the causal relationships among the key study variables. A questionnaire-based survey was developed to evaluate the research model by drawing a convenience sample that includes 219 employees working in the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau which is located in Amman, Jordan. Surveyed information was examined following the structural equation modelling procedures.

Findings

Results revealed that sharing tacit knowledge in defence organizations had no direct effect on employees’ abilities to solve problems, customer’s satisfaction and innovation, while there was an affirmative effect to CoPs on employees’ abilities in those areas. Also, this study showed that CoPs had a significant mediating role to play in the relationship between sharing knowledge and employees’ abilities in terms of solving work problems, customer’s satisfaction and innovation.

Research limitations/implications

Findings of this study have laid the basis for future studies related to examining the effect of tacit knowledge sharing and the CoPs on improving employees’ abilities as preconditions for organization performance. These findings can be supported by conducting further research studies to examine the large samples of defence companies to give deeper meanings and insights to the relationship among the key study variables. The authors recommend expanding future studies and examine the mediating role of other social learning methods such as mentoring and storytelling on the relationship between sharing tacit knowledge and employees’ abilities.

Practical implications

The research model may enable managers and practitioners to make decisions related to the improvement of collective learning by encouraging employees’ engagement in the process of tacit knowledge sharing. The model also helps managers to understand the role of CoPs as a knowledge sharing tool that contributes to increasing employees’ abilities and organizational competitiveness. Furthermore, the research model can be a step forward for further research studies on the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, CoPs and employees’ abilities.

Social implications

The suggested model can act as the promising step for continuous improvement to the defence industry in terms of producing high-quality products and services that protect national security, humans’ lives and society at large from enemies and terrorist groups.

Originality/value

In spite of the fact that most academic studies on knowledge management show a positive relationship between tacit knowledge sharing and organizational performance, a few studies have examined the effect of mediating the CoPs on relationships between sharing tacit knowledge and employees’ abilities as preconditions for raising the performance of the organizations working in security and defence industry. Hence, this research attempts to fill these gaps and gives a new direction for future research.

How do agribusinesses thrive through complexity? The pivotal role of e-commerce capability and business agility

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown how agricultural foods and e-commerce initiatives are critical for many organizations, regions, and countries worldwide. Despite this vital importance, prior IS research on the business value of IT has not paid enough attention to the potential specificities of the agribusinesses. This study examines the impact of e-commerce capability on business agility in agribusinesses. Using a sample of Chinese agriculture firms, we find that: 1) The e-commerce capability of agribusinesses enables two types of business agility: market capitalizing agility and operational adjustment agility, and 2) while environmental complexity positively moderates the effects of e-commerce capability on the market capitalizing agility and operational adjustment agility, environmental dynamism does not. This study contributes to the IS research on the business value of IT by providing an eloquent theoretical explanation and empirical evidence on how e-commerce capability help agricultural firms to thrive through complexity by enabling market capitalizing agility (strategic focus) and operational adjustment agility (operational focus).

The Relationships among Environments, External Knowledge Acquisition, and Innovation

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediation effects of external knowledge acquisition on the relationships between environments (dynamism, complexity, and hostility) and innovation. Although prior studies have extensively examined the relationships between environments and innovation or innovativeness, the results of the studies appear to lack consistency. To help clarify the relationships between environments and innovation, this study intends to examine the impact of environments on innovation through external knowledge acquisition, and it is argued that environments are likely to motivate or force firms to acquire new knowledge from the outside, which, in turn, tends to enhance their ability to innovate. Based on data collected from manufacturing SMEs in China through a questionnaire survey, we have found that dynamism, complexity and hostility have all positive total effects on innovation and that they also have positive influences on firms’ external knowledge acquisition. Besides, we have found that external knowledge acquisition has a complete mediation effect on the relationships between all three environmental dimensions and innovation. The results further show that the positive direct effects of all three environmental dimensions on innovation disappear completely when external knowledge acquisition is considered as a mediator. These results imply that the significant relationships between three respective environmental dimensions and innovation demonstrated in prior studies may be spurious. Based on these findings, we have presented key conclusions, implications, and limitations with the direction of future research.

How Managers Use Information Systems for Strategy Implementation in Agritourism SMEs

Agritourism is long established and the interest in diversification of agricultural enterprises into tourism has increased. However, many challenges have emerged regarding the lack of appropriate skills, strategic planning, Information Systems (IS), as well as increased costs in production processes. In Greece, the contribution of agritourism to economic growth has increased in the last decade, but the relationship between the agricultural sector and agritourism is a reason for certain people having largely taken advantage from the development of tourism in a specific area. Greek businesses operating in the agritourism sector are seeking long-term sustainability. However, they lack strategic planning and effective use of IS. As the strategic implementation of Information Technology (IT) in Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the agritourism sector is under-researched, this paper aims to investigate how the process of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) affects the success of Greek SMEs in the agritourism industry. IS executives completed the survey and ANOVA analysis was used for data analysis. The findings of the paper indicate that IS executives do not focus on the analysis of the external environment and the evaluation of opportunities for IS development. In addition, the lack of formulation of the IT strategy creates inefficient and unsuccessful IT projects.

Innovation and intellectual capital as intermediary variables among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and organizational performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of intellectual capital and innovation on the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and organizational performance in Jordanian banks located in Irbid city.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire that targeted 350 respondents resulted in 298 usable ones with a response rate of 85.14 percent. To test the research hypotheses, a structural equation model was conducted, in addition to descriptive statistics that provided background on the respondents.

Findings

The findings indicate that transformational and transactional leadership relate positively to organizational performance. The results also support the argument that intellectual capital and innovation played mediating roles in transformational and transactional leadership and organizational performance.

Practical implications

The present study provides managers with empirical proof that possessing strong intellectual capital in its three dimensions seems to help the banking sector in Jordan to reinforce their ability to generate both radical and incremental innovation. Also, applying an effective leadership style will motivate and lead to superior performance.

Originality/value

Although papers have shown that leadership style is an important factor influencing employees' performance and outcomes, this is one of the few studies that investigates the interrelationships between leadership styles, intellectual capital, and innovation on organization performance. Furthermore, it is the first to test the model on the banking sector in Jordan.

Exploring the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, mentoring and employees’ abilities

Purpose

This study aims to assess the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, mentoring and employees’ abilities in the areas of solving the work problems, adaptation to environments and creation of new innovative ideas.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied quantitative research methods to examine the causal relationships among the key study variables. A questionnaire-based survey developed to evaluate the research model by drawing a convenience sample includes 123 employees working in the selected company headquarters in Jordan. Surveyed data were examined following the structural equation modeling procedures.

Findings

Results revealed that tacit knowledge sharing had a positive effect on employees’ abilities in the areas of adaptation to the work environments and creation of innovative ideas, while there was no an affirmative effect on employees’ abilities in the area of solving the work problems. In addition, the study showed that mentoring had a positive effect on employees’ abilities in terms of solving work problems, adaptation to work environments and creation of new innovative ideas. Furthermore, mentoring had mediated the relationship between tacit knowledge sharing and employees’ abilities.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study lay a basis for future studies pertain to the effect of tacit knowledge sharing and mentoring on the employees’ abilities as preconditions for improving organizational performance. These findings would be supported by future research studies, the examining of larger samples of pharmaceutical companies to give deeper meanings and more understandings of the relationship, among key study variables. The authors argue that it is useful to expand the current research by conducting future studies, examining the mediating role of other social learning methods such as storytelling and community of practices on relationship between tacit knowledge sharing and employees abilities.

Practical implications

The current research model will assist knowledge managers and practitioners to take serious decisions pertaining employees’ involvement in the process of tacit knowledge sharing and mentoring as preconditions for superior organizational. As well as, it can be a step forward for conducting further research studies on relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, mentoring and employees abilities.

Social implications

This suggested model may act as a catalyst for continuous improvements to the Jordan pharmaceutical industry in terms of producing high-quality medicines that improve health of humans and the society at large.

Originality/value

Although academic studies on knowledge management showed a positive relationship between tacit knowledge sharing and organizational performance, few studies examined the relationships between tacit knowledge sharing and employees’ abilities as preconditions for superior organizational performance. Furthermore, they ignored to examine the effect of the crucial mediating role of mentoring on the relationship between the two constructs. Therefore, this research tries to fill these gaps appropriately.

Strategizing Information Systems: An Empirical Analysis of IT Alignment and Success in SMEs

IT investment is a crucial issue as it does not only influence the performance in Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) but it also helps executives to align business strategy with organizational performance. Admittedly, though, there is ineffective use of Information Systems (IS) due to a lack of strategic planning and of formal processes resulting in executives’ failure to develop IS plans and achieve long-term sustainability. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the phases of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) process that contribute to a greater extent of success so that guidelines regarding the implementation of the process in SMEs can be provided. Data was collected by 160 IS executives in Greek SMEs during February and May 2017. Multivariate Regression Analysis was applied on the detailed items of the SISP process and success constructs. The results of this survey present that managers should be aware of the strategic use of IS planning so as to increase competitive advantage. Senior executives should choose the appropriate IT infrastructure (related to their business strategy and organizational structure), so as to align business strategy with organizational structure. The findings of this paper could help IS executives concentrate their efforts on business objectives and recognize the great value of the planning process on their business.

The impact of knowledge management system on student performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the role of knowledge management system (KMS) on the performance of students in higher educational institutions (HEIs).

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the extensive review of literature, the authors explored the factors of KMS to arrive at the conceptual model which was then validated using structural equation modeling. For the quantitative analysis, data were collected from undergraduate students using questionnaires distributed both through online and offline modes.

Findings

Empirical evidence supports the view that KMS have a direct and significant impact on the student performance (SP) in HEIs.

Research limitations/implications

The data are limited to 311 undergraduate students from the University of Delhi, India.

Practical implications

With the onset of national rankings framework like NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council), NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) and the attempt to achieve global recognition in THE (Times Higher Education), Quacquarelli Symonds and other world university rankings, the HEIs are trying hard to improve their performance comprehensively. In such a scenario, this paper provides insights into how HEIs can enhance performance of its students by harnessing KMS.

Originality/value

The current paper empirically validates the effect of KMS on the performance of students in an educational institution. While the impact of KMS on performance is measured empirically in corporations, such studies are scanty in academic centers. Moreover, while measuring the performance in HEIs using KM, the focus on ranking parameters has never been there. Such an orientation is essential as the rankings are getting wide acceptance from a global audience.

Effects of strategic information systems on competitive strategy and performance

Purpose

This study argues that strategic information systems (SISs) are necessary for organizations’ survival and corporate performance in turbulent economic environments. Applying Miles and Snow’s strategy typology, the purpose of this paper is to explore how SIS supports business strategy and corporate performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses quantitative survey data from 389 Brazilian companies during economic crises and analyzes them using structural equation modeling.

Findings

There is strong evidence that SIS promotes capacity and flexibility to create competitive strategies in response to environmental changes. SIS significantly and positively predicts firms’ use of prospector strategies, reducing the need to sacrifice efficiency for innovation. SIS can predict corporate performance more strongly than firms’ strategic orientations can.

Practical implications

The results provide organizations insights on how SIS enables strategic planning processes to create competitive strategy and improve performance during economic turbulence.

Originality/value

This research demonstrates SIS’s positive effects during economic turbulence on competitive strategy and performance, revealing that corporate performance is influenced more by SIS (strategic process) than strategic orientation (content). Hence, this study fills a research gap in the information systems strategy literature by contributing new insights about SIS.

Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Employees' Turnover Intention in United Arab Emirates (UAE) Health Care Services

The article aims to examine the relationship between the human resource practices and employees' turnover intention in United Arab Emirates health care sector. This quantitative study utilized a structure equation model (SEM) technique with Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 18 software package to analyze data and to investigate the impact of human resources practices on employees' turnover intention in United Arab Emirates health care services. Results of the study showed that human resources (HRM) practices in health care sector (recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, compensation, and career development) have significant relationship with turnover intention. However, this research was limited to the Public Health Care Sector in UAE and it is recommended to include Private health care sector. Moreover, inclusion of health care workers from different emirates such as Dubai and Sharjah will be needed in future researches. Health care facilities management should have a closer look at the significant human resource practices as an initiative to restructure HRM practices, policies, procedures to increase staff satisfaction, reduce employees' turnover intention and retain its valuable health care professionals. This article is among the first and most exhaustive ones carried out in health care sector in UAE. It explores the relationship between the human resource management practices and the employees' turnover intentions.

Sistemas de Informação Estratégicos Habilitando Estratégia-como-prática na Incerteza Ambiental

Resumo Recentes pesquisas da nova era do planejamento estratégico (PE) destacam a sua capacidade ambivalente de racionalidade prescritiva como forma de orquestrar a criação de estratégias emergentes e flexíveis para enfrentar os desafios da turbulência ambiental. Contudo, há um número limitado de pesquisas sobre como essa capacidade pode ser desenvolvida e, ainda menos, sobre o papel das práticas do PE habilitadas pelo strategic information systems (SIS). Investigou-se sobre a lente da teoria da Contingência e da Prática, como o SIS habilita a efetividade do PE na dimensão da prática sobre a influência da incerteza ambiental. Utilizou-se da técnica estatística de PLS-PM com uma amostra de 139 empresas. O estudo confirmou que o SIS habilita a efetividade do PE em todas as suas fases sobre a influência dos diferentes níveis de contingência de dinamismo, heterogeneidade e hostilidade. Resultados a partir do estudo pós-análise: (a) o SIS demonstrou maior poder preditivo na formulação e no controle da estratégia e da menor ênfase para executá-la; (b) o SIS apresentou maior influência da efetividade do PE em ambientes de alta heterogeneidade; (c) as empresas mostraram maior ênfase para controlar e formular do que para executar a estratégia. O estudo contribuiu para compreensão da criação de valor do SIS na abordagem da estratégia-como-prática frente aos desafios da incerteza ambiental.

Information technology capability, knowledge management capability, and organizational agility: The role of environmental factors

This study precisely investigates the relationship of information technology (IT) and knowledge management (KM) capabilities with organizational agility along with the moderating influence of external environmental actors on this linkage. A matched-pair field survey was conducted and pretested structured questionnaires were administered to accumulate primary responses from 300 business and IT personnel working in various Indian financial groups. The research findings encompass first, IT and KM capabilities are enablers of organizational agility, while KM capability is more effective on agility. Second, a more diverse and less hostile environment is required for IT and KM capabilities to have more positive influence on agility, yet the moderating effects of environmental factors are found to be more on IT–agility linkage than on KM–agility relationship. These inferences provide several implications for the business and IT executives to concentrate on leveraging both IT and KM capabilities for generating augmented organizational agility.

The impact of knowledge management on job performance in higher education

Purpose

This is an empirical study of knowledge management performance (KMP) at a university and the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between knowledge management process (KMPR), KMP and job performance (JP).

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected using a questionnaire, as the instrument for the primary data collection, with total collected back responses of 207 from university lecturers who have actually participated. Structural equation modeling technique was used to fully analyze the data in order to determine what level of the relationship between knowledge management (KM) and JP existed.

Findings

The main findings were related to confirming the two main hypotheses of the research that were related to testing if there were relationships between the KMPR (represented by seven surrogate measures, namely, knowledge identification, knowledge creation, knowledge collection, knowledge organizing, knowledge storage, knowledge dissemination and knowledge application) and KMP, as well as if the KMP was related to the JP.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on investigating the actual role of KM at a university, which is assumingly a knowledge factory. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that presumes the importance of KM and specially when there is no proper KM regiment in place, the paper reports the limited influence KM has on staff JP. It is one of the few studies that fills the gap in the literature concerned with the relationship between KM and JP and perhaps the first to provide insights about the KM intricacies at a Jordanian University.

How Environmental Uncertainty Moderates the Effect of Relative Advantage and Perceived Credibility on the Adoption of Mobile Health Services by Chinese Organizations in the Big Data Era

Despite the importance of adoption of mobile health services by an organization on the diffusion of mobile technology in the big data era, it has received minimal attention in literature. This study investigates how relative advantage and perceived credibility affect an organization's adoption of mobile health services, as well as how environmental uncertainty changes the relationship of relative advantage and perceived credibility with adoption. A research model that integrates relative advantage, perceived credibility, environmental uncertainty, and an organization's intention to use mobile health service is developed. Quantitative data are collected from senior managers and information systems managers in 320 Chinese healthcare organizations. The empirical findings show that while relative advantage and perceived credibility both have positive effects on an organization's intention to use mobile health services, relative advantage plays a more important role than perceived credibility. Moreover, environmental uncertainty positively moderates the effect of relative advantage on an organization's adoption of mobile health services. Thus, mobile health services in environments characterized with high levels of uncertainty are more likely to be adopted because of relative advantage than in environments with low levels of uncertainty.

Antecedents of ERP systems implementation success: a study on Jordanian healthcare sector

Purpose

– Most small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use some business management software to manage their daily operations. Ultimately they consider transitioning to an enterprise resources planning (ERP) system. However, implementing ERP system successfully is costly and complex, and often shows high disappointment rates or even abandonment due to need of fit with the business or social culture. In Jordan, large businesses have been using the ERP system for a long time, but SMEs usage of the system is relatively new. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of ERP implementation success antecedents which consists of training, supportive leadership and ease of use on ERP implementation success itself through a mediating effect of user satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical data were collected using a survey questionnaire which was distributed to ERP users in Jordanian healthcare organizations. A total of 175 responses were collected and analyzed using structure equation modeling.

Findings

– A significant relationship was found between these antecedents and ERP implementation success. Furthermore, user satisfaction plays a significant mediating role between ease of use and ERP implementation success.

Practical implications

– The outcomes of this study are useful to ERP users as they would be able to strategize future ERP system implementation in different sectors such as education, manufacturing and insurance industry. Finally, the findings may be useful to ERP system adopters in different developing countries.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first studies which adequately covers the relationships between antecedents of user satisfaction and ERP implementation success which consists of training, supportive leadership and ease of use on ERP implementation success itself through a mediating effect of user satisfaction.

A Jordanian empirical study of the associations among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, knowledge sharing, job performance, and firm performance

Purpose

– Knowledge sharing adoption has been considered as a significant practice for organizations. However, there is a modest empirical confirmation to indicate how these organizations value the richness of their knowledge capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate both transformational and transactional leadership styles that influence employees’ knowledge sharing practices, and the impact of the latter on job performance, and then on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data collected from 179 employees at the higher council of youth in Jordan were empirically tested using structural equation modelling.

Findings

– The findings revealed that both transformational and transactional leadership styles have significant impact on job performance, and the latter on firm performance. Also, it was found that transactional leadership impacted knowledge sharing, whereas transformational leadership did not.

Originality/value

– This research proposes a new approach to understand knowledge sharing adoption, and outlines some theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.

How the effects of IT and knowledge capability on organizational agility are contingent on environmental uncertainty and information intensity

The significance of agility is widely accepted because agile organizations are more successful in changing and competitive environments. Although the relationship of information technology (IT) capability and knowledge capability with organizational agility has been documented, limited information is available on the extent to which these two capabilities affect organizational agility. Attempts to understand the effect of IT and knowledge capability on organizational agility in the presence of contextual factors have also been few. Based on data collected from 123 organizations in China, we examine the moderating effects of two contextual factors (environmental uncertainty and information intensity) on the relationship of IT and knowledge capability with organizational agility. We contribute to current knowledge by showing that environmental uncertainty positively moderates the effects of IT capability and knowledge capability on organizational agility and that information intensity positively moderates the effects of knowledge capability on organizational agility. IT capability and knowledge capability are more effective in the presence of high environmental uncertainty and information intensity. While we find that both IT and knowledge capabilities have positive effects on organizational agility, knowledge capability is more effective than IT capability.