Adaptation and Appropriation of Different Web-Based Idea Management System Types

Abstract

Abstract Research purpose. Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST), developed by Poole and DeSanctis (1990), implies that the application of information communication technologies (ICT) alone does not automatically lead to better outcomes and is dependent on the appropriation by the users of these ICT systems. So, authors in this paper research web-based idea management system (IMS) application adaptation and their relations with different IMS types and how it is all related to idea quantity (number of ideas generated). Do different IMS application types have different adaptation and appropriation levels? Design / Methodology / Approach. The method applied for data collection was a global survey of >500 web-based IMS experienced organisations. The survey creation was based on the AST to evaluate web-based IMS in 8 different AST areas. In this paper, the authors analyse blocks about appropriation and adaptation. The survey was distributed through 100 web-based IMS developers that shared it with their clients (organisations that use web-based IMS). The holistic answer to the research question was based on 500 responses from diverse enterprises (different sizes, industries, and countries): the data analysis - statistical analysis. The study only deals with available commercial web-based IMS, not with privately designed or non-commercial IMS. Findings. Different types of IMS applications have different adaptation and appropriation levels that could result in different outcomes. All adaptation and appropriation elements based on Innovation diffusion theory, Appropriation Scales and UTAUT models have a different impact on outputs. This paper answers the question: do different IMS application types have different adaptation and appropriation levels by exploring IMS application adaptation and their relations with different IMS types and how it is all related to idea quantity (number of ideas generated). Results prove that different IMS application types have different adaptation and appropriation levels: (H1) Active IMS provide higher adaptation and appropriation levels in the idea generation process than passive; (H2) External IMS provide higher adaptation and appropriation levels in the idea generation process than internal; (H3) Mixed IMS provides higher adaptation and appropriation level in idea generation process than internal. Originality / Value / Practical implications. The research contributions can be summarised as follows: (1) the practical contribution helps organisations to predict what kind of idea quantity organisations could expect from different IMS application types based on their different adaptations and appropriations in the companies; (2) the research results highlight the elements of adoption of different types of IMS for organisations.