Paper Number

2339

Paper Type

Complete

Description

Investments in fashionable IT do not make organizations more successful than investments in less fashionable alternatives. Many organizations nevertheless associate with fashionable IT to signal compliance with norms of progress and rationality. These decisions can be risky as they require the ability to navigate hype narratives and fit the new technology into the adopting organization. In this paper, we explore a so far understudied fit perspective: cultural fit between the values attributed to the fashionable IT and those of the recipient organizational context. Through an interpretivist case study of two blockchain projects, we find that cultural sensemaking and dissonance reduction can be important determinants for successful adoption of fashionable IT. Moreover, we identify two recursive paths for how organizations can reduce cultural dissonance. They can adapt their implementation and the narratives surrounding the fashionable IT or they can transform their local or overarching organizational culture.

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07-Blockchain

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Dec 12th, 12:00 AM

The Role of Cultural Fit in the Adoption of Fashionable IT: A Blockchain Case Study

Investments in fashionable IT do not make organizations more successful than investments in less fashionable alternatives. Many organizations nevertheless associate with fashionable IT to signal compliance with norms of progress and rationality. These decisions can be risky as they require the ability to navigate hype narratives and fit the new technology into the adopting organization. In this paper, we explore a so far understudied fit perspective: cultural fit between the values attributed to the fashionable IT and those of the recipient organizational context. Through an interpretivist case study of two blockchain projects, we find that cultural sensemaking and dissonance reduction can be important determinants for successful adoption of fashionable IT. Moreover, we identify two recursive paths for how organizations can reduce cultural dissonance. They can adapt their implementation and the narratives surrounding the fashionable IT or they can transform their local or overarching organizational culture.

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