信息技术应用对企业文化影响

AModeloftheImpactofCorporateCultureonInformationTechnologyAdoptionKofiPokuPh.D.CandidateRichardP.VloskyProfessor,ForestProductsMarketingForestProductsMarketingProgramSchoolofRenewableNaturalResourcesLouisianaStateUniversityAgriculturalCenterBatonRouge,LouisianaWorkingPaper#57LouisianaForestProductsLaboratorySchoolofRenewableNaturalResourcesLouisianaStateUniversityAgriculturalCenterBatonRouge,LADecember2,20022IntroductionTheforestproductsindustryisoftencharacterizedasbeingreactiveratherthanproactivewhenitcomestoimplementinginter-organizational(IOS)technologies.TheindustrygenerallylagsinIOSadoptionrelativetomostotherindustries.ThisissupportedbyVlosky(2002)whofindstheindustrylagginginadoptinginformationtechnologiessuchastheuniversalproductcode(UPC),barcodingforinventorymanagement,electronicdatainterchangeandtheInternet(VloskyandWestbrook2002).Inaddition,recentdatafromtheDepartmentofCommerceshowthepulpandpapersectorranked14thwithregardtopercentoftransactionsconductedusingtheInternet.Thesolidwoodproductssectorrankeddeadlast(Anonymous2002).Thislate-adopterbehaviorhasbeenattributedtoanumberofreasonsincludingtheindustry’shistoryofcomplacencyemanatingfromtheconceptoftimberprimacy(Bennett1965),alackofunderstandingofeBusinessandotherIOStechnologies,alackofadequatelytrainedinformationtechnologystaff,expenseofIOSdevelopment(Vlosky2000a,JuslinandHansen2002)andaproduction-orientedculturethatdoesnotrequireintensivecustomer/supplierelectroniccommunication.ItisthisnotionofcorporatecultureasamoderatingvariableinthecontextofanIOSadoptionmodelthatwepresentinthispaper.AnOverviewofInformationTechnology(IT)Informationtechnology(IT)isdefinedas“allformsoftechnologyusedtocreate,store,exchangeanduseinformationinitsvariousforms(businessdata,voiceconversations,stillimages,motionpictures,multimediapresentationsandotherforms,includingthosenotyet2conceived).”Itisaconvenienttermforarapidlyexpandingrangeofequipment,applicationsservicesandbasictechnologiesthatprocessinformation.TheelementsofITfallintothreeprincipalcategories:computers,telecommunicationsandmultimediadataandmanycombinationsofthebuildingblocksthatmaybeusedtocreatetheITresourceacrossanorganization(Keen1995).Informationtechnology(IT)hasbecomethetoolusedtomanagechangeinbusinessstrategiesandinternalcorporateprocessesbymanycompanies(Vlosky1999).Gates(1997)consideredITasthenervoussystemofacompany,andthatitsexcellencedeterminesacompany’scompetitiveness.CompaniesusingITareabletolearnaboutthemarket,thecompetition,theinternalandexternalcustomers,leveragingitforcompetitiveadvantagetoincreasemarketshareandprofits(MahmoodandSoon1991).Informationtechnologyisusedtospeedcommunicationsbetweentradingpartners,shortenproductlifecycle,establishbetterrelationshipswithcustomers,suppliersandpartnersandreduceexpenditures(Franklin1997)asshowninbusiness-to-business(B2B)andbusiness-to-consumer(B2C)transactions.CorporateCultureOnecommonthreadthatgreatlyaffectsmanyoftheorganizationalaspectsthatenhanceperformanceandincreaseproductivityisthewidelysharedandstronglyheldvaluesthatunderlieanddefineanorganization’sculture.DesphandéandWebster(1989)reviewedseveralstudiesanddefinedorganizational(orcorporate)cultureas“thepatternofsharedvaluesandbeliefsthathelpindividualsunderstandorganizationalfunctioningandthusprovidethemwiththenormsfor3behaviorintheorganization.”SchneiderandRentsch(1988)describecultureas“whythingshappenthewaytheydo,”andorganizationalclimateas“whathappensaroundhere.”Culturescanbedeterminedbythevalues,assumptionsandinterpretationsoforganizationmembers(Hales1998).Thesefactorscanbeorganizedbyacommonsetofdimensionsonbothpsychologicalandorganizationallevelstoderiveamodelofculturetypestodescribeorganizations(CameronandFreeman1991).Corporatecultureisanimportantpredictoroforganizationalcapabilitiesandoutcomessuchascustomerorientation(Desphandéetal.1993)andnewproductdevelopment(Moorman1995).Formanyyears,scholarsinorganizationalbehaviorhavealsoattemptedtodemonstratethelinkbetweenanorganization’scultureanditsperformance.Ithasbeenarguedthatthesuccessofanorganization’sstrategydepends,toasignificantextent,onthecultureoftheorganization(Yip1995).Inconsideringcultureinthelightofastrategicmanagementparadigm,Barney(1986)arguedthatforanorganization’sculturetoprovidesustainedcompetitiveadvantages,itmustaddvalue.Itmustberareoruniqueandbedifficulttoimitatebycompetitors.MarketingandProduction-orientedCorporateCulturesInmodelwedefinetwocorporatecultures,marketingandproduction.Marketingculturesincludeamarketorientationwhereorganizationsdevelopandmaintainaviablefitbetweentheorganizations’objectives,skillsandresourcestothechangingmarketopportunities(JaworskiandKohli1993).Ineffect,market-orientedorganizationsdesigntheirproductsand4serviceofferingstomeetcustomerneedswithaprofit.Businesssuccessdependsoneffectiveanalysisofmarketingopportunities,researchingandselectingtargetmarkets,designingmarketingstrategies,planningmarketingprogramsandorganizing,implementingandcontrollingthemarketingeffort(Kotler2000).Waldera(2000)creditscorporate