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Understanding information technology and its related products and services is increasingly important because the everyday use of technology continues to expand and broaden. Despite this need for greater understanding, the extant theories that explore the dominant factors that drive intention to use a new technology are limited. The Technology Acceptancy Model (TAM) is the most popular model in explaining traditional technology adoption. The limitations of the TAM in grasping the overall evaluation of technology or service are one of motivations for developing new models in this dissertation. The two antecedents of the TAM- perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use- only capture partial utility of a service (or product). In addition, some researchers argued that key factors used in an initial acceptance model such as perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are not strong predictors of future continuance intention of the service because they do not consider future switching intention in the later stage. Hence, one goal of this dissertation is to develop and test new models to predict factors that drive intention and continuance intention decisions of new technology related products or services. This research involves three studies that examine different aspects of adoption and continuance intention decisions of new technology-related products or services. Essay 1 posits and empirically tests a new model that examines service vendor quality, service outcome quality, and trust as drivers of cloud-based services by adopting the frameworks from marketing, behavior intention and information technology research. The model is referred to as the quality trust model (QTM). The quality of cloud-based services involves the quality of vendors and the quality of service outcomes; its effectiveness is mirrored by trust of the services. Data from an online survey of 355 respondents were used to test the research model. The results show that vendor quality and outcome quality influence trust, which is positively correlated with intention. However, vendor quality appears less salient than outcome quality in motivating usage of cloud-based services. We discussed the implications of the model and findings for practitioners searching for solutions in driving user participation, as well as for academics fascinated with a deeper understanding of roles of quality and trust in an individual level of decision-making behavior. Essay 2 posits and develops a model that includes the influences of reliability and flexibility on service quality, and influences of service quality on consumer perceived benefits and satisfaction, which consequently influences continuance intention of cloud services. The model explained 50% of satisfaction, which consequently explained 58% of continuance intention. We also examined the mediated effects among key drivers and validated the prominence of service quality in the IS continuance intention model. We delivered implications for academia and practice. Essay 3 unifies two theoretical frameworks a motivational model (MM) and expectation and confirmation theory (ECT) related to continuance intention and develops a new model that examines continuance intention of using smart devices. The article investigates the role of confirmation in the success of continuance intention of smart devices- the case of smartphones. We propose that confirmation is an antecedent of perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction. We also posit that confirmation directly influences continuance intention to use the devices. The paper will also propose that three specific advanced attributes - cost advantages, access to specialized resources, and quality improvement- will affect confirmation. An empirical examination of the model showed that confirmation predicts perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction, which mediates the effects of confirmation on continuance intention of smartphones. Hence, confirmation constitutes an important indirect factor influencing smartphones post adoption. Furthermore, cost advantages, access to specialized resources, and quality improvement all had significant influences on confirmation. The research contributes to the literature by confirming the important role of confirmation in smartphones adoption and by presenting that specific advanced attributes available to a user during a later phase can help enhance perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction. For managers of smart devices design, the study implies that building into the devices the ability to accommodate advanced attributes can elevate the possibility of persistent success.

Absorptive capacity plays an important role in the organizational adaptation process. Prior research on absorptive capacity focuses on its role in organizational outcomes such as financial performance, innovation, new product development, etc. Recently, scholars have called for research on factors that influence absorptive capacity. Because absorptive capacity plays a vital role in achieving organizational outcomes, it behooves us to improve our understanding of absorptive capacity and its antecedents to serve both researchers and practitioners. In this investigation, strategic thinking is posited to be a key antecedent of absorptive capacity. Capability theory suggests that strategic thinking is a metaphysical (higher order) capability that influences an organization's absorptive capacity. Combining this argument with Miles and Snow's typology of organizational adaptation process, it is posited that the relationship between strategic thinking and absorptive capacity can be clustered into different "groups." Prospectors, defenders, and analyzers, characterized in Miles and Snow's typology of firms are viewed as distinctive groups that exhibit different relationships between strategic thinking and absorptive capacity. Results from an empirical examination suggest that strategic thinking is positively related to absorptive capacity. The results also suggest that the relationship between these two constructs is different between these groups and that the strategic thinking of prospectors has a weaker relationship with absorptive capacity than other type of firms.

The ability for an organization to innovate has become one of the most important capabilities needed in the new knowledge economy. The research has demonstrated that an organization’s culture of innovation in particular predicts organizational innovativeness across multiple industries. To provide support to these organizations in their abilities to understand the culture of innovation, researchers have developed instruments to measure culture of innovation, and while many of these instruments have been widely used to inform organizational opportunities for improvement, few of these instruments have been validated or replicated beyond their initial use. The current study employs multiple factor analytic methods to validate the factor structure of the Innovation Quotient instrument developed by Rao and Weintraub and assess the extent to which the instrument is reliable for multiple organizational groups. The results of this study, as well as implications for researchers interested in culture of innovation, are presented.

This thesis investigates how to create an environment for organizational change within the Market Research Department at the Gangler Company (a US-based consumer products company). I explore what is influencing the current cultural environment and which of those influencers can be shifted to encourage organizational change toward the “ideal” culture that the organization has identified. Using new institutionalism as the theoretical approach, I discuss the significance of institutional forces (such as the economy and the rise in technology) on the cultural elements (i.e. behaviors, ideas, material artifacts and social structures) in the Market Research Department. Lastly, I show that by understanding those institutional influences, I can better assess what cultural elements can be shifted and which cannot. Of the cultural elements that are able to be shifted, I recommend three interventions that the organization should employ: 1) from a contrive culture to a culture of candor, 2) from a culture of division to a culture of cohesion, and 3) from a culture of knowing to a culture of learning.

In the last three decades, strategic management scholars have explored the organization’s need to reconfigure its capabilities to leverage opportunities in a changing environment. The first objective of this study was to identify the underlying elements of the managerial processes of dynamic capabilities, and to offer a reconceptualization of the dynamic capabilities construct. The second objective of this investigation was to determine how the reconceptualized dynamic capabilities construct could influence the alignment of ordinary capabilities. Findings from this investigation indicate that organizational processes and managerial processes are unique components of dynamic capabilities. In addition, these organizational processes were found to be significantly and positively correlated with the alignment of ordinary capabilities. Furthermore, managerial processes were found to moderate the relationship between organizational processes and one type of ordinary capability alignment (i.e. innovation-operations capability alignment). Taken together, the findings of this study support the notion that dynamic capabilities are context specific, and that understanding how they influence the organization’s ability to change is complex. The developments and findings in this study offer a reconceptualized and empirically tested framework for the capability alignment process, thereby providing a more comprehensive picture of the underlying processes.

This study extends research findings directed at a micro-focus of change by assessing individual organizational members' perspectives and psychological constructs influencing change efforts by an organization. The change initiative in question regards the construction of a new facility and subsequent relocation to said facility. Moral commitment to the organization (negative), change initiative's fit with organizational vision, and social influence significantly contributed to variance in members' affective commitment to change. Trust in leadership and normative commitment to the organization (NCO) significantly contributed to variance in members' normative commitment to change. Continuance commitment to the organization and participation (negative) significantly contributed to variance in members' continuance commitment to change. NCO, change initiative's fit with organizational vision, and participation significantly contributed to variance in support of the proposed change initiative. Affective commitment to the organization (negative), NCO (negative), trust in leadership (negative), and disruption of influence significantly contributed to variance in members' intent to leave the organization.

Due to rapid environmental change, today's business requires a more collaborative management to ensure positive performance. One of the important means that can help firms adapt successfully to a changing environment is knowledge management. The management of information and knowledge as key to retaining competitive advantage and has recently evolved into a more strategically focused research topic for both business and academic study. Managing knowledge, however, is deemed difficult because many companies recognize the importance of their proprietary knowledge and are not willing to share it freely. Recognizing this weakness, many countries have promoted the development of regional clusters where firms can co-develop their competences and competitive advantage against the world's best competitors by sharing knowledge, resources, and innovative capabilities. Other than industrial clusters, trust is also considered an important factor in knowledge management study. Trust reduces the need to monitor others' behaviors, formalize procedures, and it lowers transaction costs. At the macro level, trust can enhance organizations' core competencies and sustain their competitive advantages through co-evolution. This may occur through the development of group collaborations, cooperative relationships, and networks. The study adopted a field survey research method and used multiple regressions as the data analysis technique. The dependent variable in the study was organizational adaptation, while the independent variables were knowledge management, trust and industrial cluster. Data were collected using survey of key informants from 943 companies. The results of the analysis suggested that knowledge management does have significant influence on organizational adaptation and both industrial cluster and trust impact on organizational learning activities. The major contribution of this study is that it offers a more holistic approach in studying knowledge management by adding a new element: knowledge applying. Moreover, this study offers an initial attempt to test industrial cluster in hopes of advancing the research in management related fields.

The purpose of this case study was to increase the knowledge base of how research librarians experience and cope with the turbulence of change within their library system. This research also examined the issues that surround the organizational structures and leadership of transformative change in one research library. A library belonging to the Association of Research Libraries was selected for case study investigation. Seventeen librarians participated in on-site interviews, utilizing a protocol composed of a clustering technique and semi-structured interviewing. Instrumental case studies of each individual were then developed through a collective case method to present the intrinsic case study of the library system as an organization. Data were analyzed primarily through a complex systems theoretical framework while at the same time were grounded in a broad literature base of organizational, leadership, individual change, and library organizational development theories. The findings of the study include: the competing tensions between the physical and virtual environments, the search for professional meaning, coping with the experiences of professional change, the evolution of the organizational structure, and leadership as a shared experience. Analysis of the findings suggest: the emergence of a hypercritical state, the limiting nature of negative feedback, a complex systems framework for professional thinking, coping in the hypercritical organization, the emergence of disorder in the complex system, the blending of self-organizing systems with structural feedback mechanisms, and the complexity of leadership in the new research library.

The study of change management and innovation is a perplexing and challenging undertaking. A review of the literature revealed that change management practices and methodological frameworks are currently insufficient to counteract the challenges associated with leading and driving change within organizations. This exploratory study endeavored to ascertain the viability of a new, alternative organizational change and innovation model, the Brain Trust Model (BTM). The BTM combines the benefits of reliable NPD (New Product Development) processes, creative problem solving processes, and organizational change management principles to provide a robust and prescriptive methodological approach to change management. A three round Delphi study was conducted with leaders and experts within the profit, non-profit, non-secular, government and educational sectors to not only assess the practical utility of the model, but to realize improvements based on their expert participant feedback. Findings indicated that the BTM was considered a viable alternative to the traditional change management methodologies and could help mitigate the common obstacles to leading change. Finally, the study forwarded recommendations on steps to further augment the model and assess its applicability in varying organizational contexts.

The effects of multiple interventions in organizational development change were studied in a comprehensive meta-analytic review. Thirteen organizational interventions were assessed on five outcome variables based upon previous research of six major meta-analytic reviews. Findings based on 138 studies indicated that there were no significant effects of multiple interventions on positive organizational change as opposed to individually implemented interventions. The findings are not congruent with previous findings of organizational development change, and possible issues surrounding these differences are discussed.

Organizational change and development (OCD) has been studied by researchers to identify the effectiveness of change initiatives. Because of the broad scope of interventions in OCD, these studies have covered a range of areas including multiple interventions and the methodological rigor used by researchers. However, few have looked at organizational versus individual change within an organization, to examine whether individual change is more effective than organizational change. The purpose of this study is to determine if organizational change occurs in a top down or bottom up manner. A meta-analysis was conducted using 238 field experiments. Each study was coded for intervention and organizational outcome and for individual or organizational level variables. Effect sizes were calculated for each study, each level, and each level by intervention and outcome measure. Results indicate that while OCD interventions overall had a moderate effect size, the level of intervention or outcome was not a moderating variable.

Organizational innovation has been of central interest in recent years because of its importance for organizational survival and competitive advantage. Researchers in the field have divided the innovation process into stages in an attempt to understand the innovation process and the factors that affect it. However, empirical studies that examine the relationship between the stages are scarce. In addition, although business strategy is emphasized as an important factor in the innovation process, little is known about its role in the innovation process and its effect on the stages. This research provides empirical support for the relationship between the stages of the innovation process and the moderating effect of organizational strategy on the relationship between the stages within the two stage model of innovation. In this study, a direct, positive relationship is proposed between the innovation generation (first stage) and innovation outcome (second stage) stages of the innovation process. Dimensions of innovation outcome that are examined include innovation type (product innovation and process innovation), innovation radicalness and innovation frequency. Low cost, differentiation and market orientation strategies are proposed to be moderators on the relationship between the stages. To test the proposed relationships, a survey was mailed to executives who are involved in the innovation process in organizations where innovation is expected to be common and they were asked to complete the questionnaire. Hierarchical regression was the primary data analysis method and General Linear Model was applied as the pot-hoc data analysis method. Results of the primary data analyses provided support for the direct, positive relationship between the innovation generation and innovation outcome stages of the innovation process. Specifically, there was a direct, positive relationship between innovation generation and product innovation, process innovation, innovation frequency and innovation radicalness. Result of the primary data analysis provided support for the moderating effect of strategy (market orientation and differentiation) on the relationship between innovation generation and only innovation frequency dimension of innovation outcome. Post-hoc analysis suggested a significant moderating effect of strategy (market orientation and differentiation) on the relationship between innovation generation and innovation radicalness dimension of innovation outcome. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

Organizational development and change (ODC) is a broad field because change occurs in all organizations, occurs at multiple organizational levels, consists of numerous interventions, and can impact multiple outcomes. Many ODC efforts attempt to examine the effectiveness of their initiatives, yet fail to account for the quality, or rigor of their methods. The purpose of this paper is to examine how methodological rigor and intervention implementation quality impact ODC outcomes. The results indicate that overall methodological rigor is not a significant predictor of organizational change outcomes; however, several individual rigor criteria exhibit predictive power. Implementation quality is a significant predictor of organizational outcomes, but in a negative direction.

A review of literature indicates limited effort to understand and explain employees' acclimation to, and adoption of, new behaviors required by organization change initiatives. Psychological theories of individual behavior change have, in restricted instances, been applied into organizational environments. The transtheoretical model of change (TTM) offers a comprehensive explanation of behavior change uniting multiple theories of individual change. TTM describes change as a series of stages that individual progress through before arriving at the decision to implement a change in behavior. Movement through the stages is facilitated by processes which increase the probability of a behavior change effort's success. The present research investigated the potential applicability of TTM for explaining individual level change within a new context, specifically, an organizational environment. To examine if individual change in the context of an organization occurs in the fashion described by TTM, measures of core TTM constructs were delivered to employees in a water department of a city in the American southwest. The water department was immersed in an organization change initiative necessitating individual behavior change by its employees. Results of TTM core construct measures and their relationships with each other and the stages of change were examined. Initial findings are indicative of TTM's potential applicability as a description of behavior change within an organizational context. Implications of these findings, potential applications, imitations of the current research, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The case study described in this thesis involves a process improvement project in the Tax Department of a Certified Public Accounting firm. A process map was created by interviewing employees involved in the process. A process analysis identified problems and possible solutions. The Partners in the firm decided to streamline the process for simple tax returns in order to make them more profitable. This study examined what impact, if any, the process improvement intervention had on key financial and operational measures. Results indicated that the tax returns prepared in the new process were faster, cheaper, and more profitable. This study indicates that organizations conducting process improvement interventions can beneficially affect key financial and operational measures.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the innovation process in municipal personnel offices by answering three questions. What factors are related to the innovativeness of personnel offices? What factors are involved in the diffusion of personnel innovations from one city to another? What intraorganizational processes are involved in the decision to adopt personnel innovations? This research focuses on ten innovations selected by a panel of both personnel academicians and practitioners. Data collection involved a mail survey sent to all cities over 25,000 in the Chicago and Dallas federal regions and in-depth interviews with personnel directors in twenty-two cities. The implications of this research are both practical and theoretical. Officials interested in more complete innovation diffusion would do well to stress the nonradicalness of the change and any applicable governmental mandates. Federal, state, and regional governments can obviously improve both the availability and applicability of personnel information. In terms of theory, the research offers support to both the rational and power-based models of decision making and change, although the latter seems most appropriate in explaining radical change.

This research is a study of the relationship of the organizational characteristic of technology to rate of change in a human services organization. The first operation, directed to the technology construct, collected data and analyzed statistical differences on each of the separate indices of task difficulty and task variability and on the combined indices of the two dimensions. A second operation, directed to the rate of change construct, collected data and ranked the five social services programs. This research indicates that multiple technologies do exist among programs within the corporate structure of a single human services organization, and that programs differ in the rate at which rule changes occur. This research, however, indicates that technology is not related to change. The definition of change used in this study considered only one form of organizational adaptation: rate of change in program policies and procedures. Technology, however, may be related to other measures of change such as new programs, reorganizations, and staff increases.

The purpose of this study was to (1) report changes in elementary teachers' and principals' perceptions of organizational climate as climate was perceived by (a) elementary teachers in individual schools, (b) elementary teachers as a total group, (c) elementary principals in individual schools, and (d) elementary principals as a total group. The subjects in the study included 13 elementary principals and 247 elementary teachers. Each principal had a least two years tenure in the elementary school. The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) was administered at the beginning of the school year, at midyear, and at the end of the school year.

"Think-Assess-Design" is a model for guiding traditional organizations through the steps necessary to redesign themselves into a more empowered, team-based work environment. Three broad steps—think, assess, and design—provided the framework for organizational change in this case study.

The purpose of this research project was to develop and test a theoretical model of technical professionals in self-managing work teams using a number of constructs that have not been tested with this population. The overall aim was to begin to humbly fill a significant gap in the research literature focused on self-managing work teams. The rationale for the need to address technical professional perspectives in team settings is discussed in the following section.

Rapid and chaotic changes in market environments have caused business organizations to modify their organizational structures and social relationships. This paper examines the change in relationship between management and employees, which is shifting from an adversarial and controlling role to facilitation and employee empowerment. This paper's research question concerns how classical sociological theory would explain power redistribution within organizations and the formation of an associative and collaborative relationship which contradicts traditional paradigms. Traditional bureaucratic and contemporary organizational forms are compared and contrasted. Organizational climate, psycho-social components of underlying assumptions and group ethics are seen to be the mechanisms impelling transformation. Organizational change is driven by an emerging secular ethic. This ethic is embodied in an applied model of leadership and examined as an ideal type. The common ethic impelling organizational change is seen to be the same as that causing social transformation in both national and international spheres.

Reorganization efforts within colleges and universities are increasingly considered as institutions look for ways to streamline operations for financial cost savings or competitive advantage. The purpose of this study was to assess a particular change effort in a university library which took place between August, 1996 and July, 1997. A team was formed to manage the change effort, and an outside consultant was hired to facilitate the process and guide the team. Stufflebeam's evaluation model was used as a conceptual framework to evaluate the entire process which included a particular change management model brought in by the consultant. The entire change effort was described by the author as a participating member of the team and assessed by gathering feedback from team members, library staff members affected by the effort, and members of the library administration.

Major changes in organizational structural paradigms have been occurring. Recent journal articles propose that the older philosophies of expanding organizations and increasing internal specialization are no longer viable means to enhance competitiveness as espoused in earlier journal articles. Downsizing, rightsizing, and business process reengineering have all been used as methods of accomplishing organizational work force reduction (OWFR) and enhancing organizational posture. It has been established that as organizations grow, specialization increases. Causes for OWFR have not been established nor have effects upon structure been studied. Previous structural factor studies have focused upon organizations engaged in end-game strategies done during periods of internal and economic growth. This study evaluates the impacts of OWFR and its relationship to the structural factor of specialization during a non-munificent economic period. Three independent variables, dis-integration, change in the number of employees, and change in technology, were used as measures to determine whether specialization decreased when organizations downsized. The dependent variable, specialization, was obtained through a pre-tested questionnaire. The three independent variables were obtained using the Compustat data base as a secondary source of information. The Compustat data was verified using data from Compact Disclosure. Questionnaires were mailed to fifty-one fully integrated oil companies. Forty were returned after three mailings yielding a response rate of seventy-eight percent. The unit of analysis for the data collected was the firm. The data were analyzed using multiple regression to determine the strength of the relationship between the variables. Results indicate a significant relationship between two of the independent variables and the dependent variable: dis-integration and specialization and change in the number of employees and specialization. Findings were insignificant for the third independent variable and the dependent variable: change in technology and specialization. Analysis of the quantitative results and the qualitative responses of the participants show that dis-integration and a change in the number of employees are both useful for measuring structural change for organizations engaged in organizational work force reduction.

Recently, the organizational literature has acknowledged the human spirit and the need for organizations and their leaders to tend to the spiritual needs of organizational members. There is agreement that human beings at work have spiritual needs in this emerging body of literature. However, there is no clear consensus about what constitutes this "spirit." In this research, the primary question is: What is the human spirit within the work experience? The secondary question is: What is the significance of spirit for the administration of organizations?