Browsing by Author "Palmer, Mark"

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Citation Count: 7
Dissidents with an innovation cause? Non-institutionalized actors' online social knowledge sharing solution-finding tensions and technology management innovation
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2015) De Kervenoael, Ronan; Bisson, Christophe; Palmer, Mark
Purpose - Traditionally most studies focus on institutionalized management-driven actors to understand technology management innovation. The purpose of this paper is to argue that there is a need for research to study the nature and role of dissident non-institutionalized actors' (i.e. outsourced web designers and rapid application software developers). The authors propose that through online social knowledge sharing non-institutionalized actors' solution-finding tensions enable technology management innovation. Design/methodology/approach - A synthesis of the literature and an analysis of the data (21 interviews) provided insights in three areas of solution-finding tensions enabling management innovation. The authors frame the analysis on the peripherally deviant work and the nature of the ways that dissident non-institutionalized actors deviate from their clients (understood as the firm) original contracted objectives. Findings - The findings provide insights into the productive role of solution-finding tensions in enabling opportunities for management service innovation. Furthermore deviant practices that leverage non-institutionalized actors' online social knowledge to fulfill customers' requirements are not interpreted negatively but as a positive willingness to proactively explore alternative paths. Research limitations/implications - The findings demonstrate the importance of dissident non-institutionalized actors in technology management innovation. However this work is based on a single country (USA) and additional research is needed to validate and generalize the findings in other cultural and institutional settings. Originality/value - This paper provides new insights into the perceptions of dissident non-institutionalized actors in the practice of IT managerial decision making. The work departs from but also extends the previous literature demonstrating that peripherally deviant work in solution-finding practice creates tensions enabling management innovation between IT providers and users.
Citation Count: 0
Web Designers, Social E-Value Creation and E-Business Planning: Understanding Resistance from Conflicting Demands
(Igi Global, 2012) De Kervenoael, Ronan; Bisson, Christophe; Palmer, Mark
This chapter investigates the conflicting demands faced by web designers in the development of social e-atmospherics that aim to encourage e-value creation, thus strengthening and prolonging market planning strategies. While recent studies have shown that significant shifts are occurring concerning the importance of users' generated content by way of social e-communication tools (e.g. blogs), these trends are also creating expectations that social and cultural cues ought to become a greater part of e-atmospherics and e-business strategies. Yet, there is growing evidence that organizations are resisting such efforts, fearing that they will lose control of their e-marketing strategy. This chapter contributes to the theory and literature on online cross-cultural understanding and the impact website designers (meso-level) can have on improving the sustainability of e-business planning, departing from recent studies that focus mainly on firms' e-business plans (macro-level) or final consumers (micro-level). A second contribution is made with respect to online behavior regarding the advancement of technologies that facilitate the development and shaping of new social e-atmospherics that affect users' behavior and long term e-business strategies through the avoidance of traditional, formal decision making processes and marketing strategy mechanisms implemented by firms. These issues have been highlighted in the literature on the co-production and co-creation of value, which few organizations have thus far integrated in their strategic and pragmatic e-business plans. Drawing upon fifteen online interviews with web designers in the USA, as key non-institutional actors at the meso-level who are developing what future websites will be like, this chapter analyzes ways in which identifying points of resistance and conflicting demands can lead to engagement with the debate over the online co-creation of value and more sustainable future e-business planning. A number of points of resistance to the inclusion of more e-social atmospherics are identified, and the implications for web designers' roles and web design planning are discussed along with the limitations of the study and potential future research for e-business studies.