Diffusion, Technology Transfer, and Implementation

Eveland, J. D.

doi:10.1177/107554708600800214

Cited by 61 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This restriction prompted researchers to try and generalize the scope of the technology variable so as to encompass organizations such as service firms and educational institutions. The technology concept was thus extended to "social technologies," thereby including the generic tasks, techniques, and knowledge utilized when humans engage in any productive activities [Eveland 1986;Perrow 1967;Thompson 1967]. For example, Perrow [1967] sees organizations as places where raw materials are transformed, thus defining what is done to raw materials and how it is done, as the technology of organizations, while Thompson [1967] characterizes the work flow of different organizations in terms of longlinked, mediating, and intensive technologies.…”

Section: Differences In Scopementioning

confidence: 99%

The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations

Orlikowski

1992

Organization Science

3,217

2,160

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This paper develops a new theoretical model with which to examine the interaction between technology and organizations. Early research studies assumed technology to be an objective, external force that would have deterministic impacts on organizational properties such as structure. Later researchers focused on the human aspect of technology, seeing it as the outcome of strategic choice and social action. This paper suggests that either view is incomplete, and proposes a reconceptualization of technology that takes both perspectives into account. A theoretical model--the structurational model of technology--is built on the basis of this new conceptualization, and its workings explored through discussion of a field study of information technology. The paper suggests that the reformulation of the technology concept and the structurational model of technology allow a deeper and more dialectical understanding of the interaction between technology and organizations. This understanding provides insight into the limits and opportunities of human choice, technology development and use, and organizational design. Implications for future research of the new concept of technology and structurational model of technology are discussed.ii Technology has always been a central variable in organizational theory, informing research and practice. Despite years of investigative effort there is little agreement on the definition and measurement of technology, and no compelling evidence on the precise role of technology in organizational affairs. I will argue that the divergent definitions and opposing perspectives associated with technological research have limited our understanding of how technology interacts with organizations, and that these incompatibilities cannot be resolved by mutual concession. What is needed is a reconstruction of the concept of technology, which fundamentally re-examines our current notions of technology and its role in organizations.In this paper, I undertake such a reconstruction and present a view of technology that draws on Giddens' [1976, 1979, 1984] theory of structuration. My re-examination leads to a model for analyzing the nature and role of technology in organizations, which I term the structurational model of technology. Before proceeding to the premises and components of this model, prior views of technology are reviewed to serve as background and motivation for the alternative proposed here. RETHINKING PRIOR CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF TECHNOLOGYPrior conceptualizations of technology have each focused selectively on some aspects of technology, at the expense of others, with the result that the current state of knowledge about technology in organizations is ambiguous and conflicting [Attewell and F ile 1986;Barley 1990;Davis and Taylor 1986;Hartmann et al. 1986;Scott 1981]. Two important aspects of the technology concept are scope--what is defined as comprising technology, and role--how is the interaction between technology and organizations defined. Both these aspects inform prior technologi...

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Section: Differences In Scopementioning

confidence: 99%

The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations

Orlikowski

1992

Organization Science

3,217

2,160

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Peres et al (2010) discuss the diffusion of new technologies as 'the process of the market penetration of new products and services that is driven by social influences, which include all interdependencies among consumers that affect various market players with or without their explicit knowledge'. Eveland (1986) argues that 'Technology is information, and exists only to the degree that people can put it into practice and use it to achieve value'. Researchers basically agree on the main concepts driving this theory, such as the importance of the social setting, the innovation's attributes, the timeframe of the diffusion, and channels of communication used to convince others to adopt.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 98%

Fatwa and the internet: a study of the influence of Muslim religious scholars on internet diffusion in Saudi Arabia

Al-Kandari

Dashti

2014

Prometheus

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This study uses diffusion of innovations theory to examine the influence of Muslim religious scholars on internet diffusion in Saudi Arabia. It applies content analysis to the fatwa, the religious edicts that Muslim religious scholars issue, to explore fatwa decisions relating to the internet since its launch in Saudi Arabia in 1999. There are 34 fatwa in total, 11 with approving decisions, 11 with disapproving ones, and 12 with conditionally approving decisions. Those who issue approving fatwa argue that it helps to spread the word of Allah and that if Muslims do not exploit the opportunities provided by the internet, then non-Muslims and non-believers will use it for evil. To explain their disapproving fatwa, other scholars argue that the internet corrupts people. The study discusses the impact of religion and religious scholars on the dissemination of communication technologies in Saudi society. It also predicts a pattern of opinions that scholars may be expected to adopt on the introduction of any new communication technology that is culturally controversial.

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“…The choices made by network islands in our proposed model play a vital role on the resultant migration profile, be it the choice of strategy estimation approach (deterministic/probabilistic), routing preferences (single/multi-path) or the values of the various coefficients. Equations (7)- (12) capture real-life constraints on these coefficients to reflect the real-world conditions. Similarly, incorporation of more and more such relationships would bring the model closer to real-world conditions.…”

Section: Simulation Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The term diffusion process was first coined to track the purchase patterns of hybrid seed corn by farmers [10], and have since found widespread applications in various context, including technology adoption [11,12]. This idea was further generalized to describe spread of new ideas and technologies in different cultures [13].…”

Section: Technology Adoption and Diffusion Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Network Migration to New Technologies Using Agent-Based Modeling Techniques

et al. 2014

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Conventionally, network migration models study competition between emerging and incumbent technologies by considering the resulting increase in revenue and associated cost of migration. We propose to advance the science in the existing network migration models by considering additional critical factors, including (1) synergistic relationships across multiple technologies, (2) reduction in operational expenditures as a reason to migrate, and (3) implications of local network effects on migration decisions. To this end, we propose a novel agent-based migration model considering these factors. Based on the model, we analyze the case study of network migration to two emerging networking paradigms, i.e., IETF Path Computation Element (PCE) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN). We validate our model using extensive simulations. Our results demonstrate the synergistic effects of migration to multiple complementary technologies, and show that a technology migration may be eased by the joint migration to multiple technologies. In particular, we find that migration to SDN can be eased by joint migration to PCE, and that the benefits derived from SDN are best exploited in combination with PCE, than by itself.

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Diffusion, Technology Transfer, and Implementation

Cited by 61 publications

References 17 publications

The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations

The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations

Fatwa and the internet: a study of the influence of Muslim religious scholars on internet diffusion in Saudi Arabia

Study of Network Migration to New Technologies Using Agent-Based Modeling Techniques

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