1. In Blogs We Trust: Their Nature and Nurture in Organizations
Daniel C. (Dan) Smith
Summary Revised, Dissertation Proposal
(Non-longitudinal but lays groundwork for future)
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

2. There is enough substance in the proposed study
Assertion
There is enough substance in the proposed study
Combining blogging policies;
Disposition to trust and perception of trust;
Organizational climate;
Blogging; and
Their addition into existing models
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

3. Arguably a new, participatory medium
New Medium, New Message
Arguably a new, participatory medium
The essential elements are social -- sociability, linking, authenticity
Technical features -- Ease of use and linking promote collaboration
Hypothesis: Organizational climate and trust significantly affect adoption and use of blogs. There is a virtuous circle.
Need to manage risks
Ref: Blood (2004)
Note RSS
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

4. Research Question 1
What are organizations’ blogging policies and how they relate to stated goals and objectives? What are the processes and configurations in firms that produce or are perceived to produce positive results?
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

5. Research Question 2
Do firms attach special importance to blogs because of the need for virtual teams, collaboration with remote partners, network organizations, and other modes of operation driven by the Internet and globalization?
What is the mix of sociability, affective trust compared to cognitive and knowledge management goals?
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

6. Research Question 3
Do blogs, k-logs, and wikis contribute to an organizational climate encouraging trusting behaviors, knowledge sharing, and knowledge creation?
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

7. Research Question 4
What are the multi-dimensional trust levels of the firms surveyed? That is assessing trust as a personality variable, trust in fellow employees, and perceptions of structural trust in the immediate department, and the organization as a whole.
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

8. Research Question 5
What are the perceptions of, and changes in, the character of debate and discourse within the organization coincident with blogging activity? For example, can changes in communication patterns and sociality be documented?
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

9. Summary of Key Variables
Blogging policies and practices
Trust (multi-dimensional)
Organizational Climate (multi-dimensional)
Approach: See how the above fit into existing models
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

10. Trust Multi-dimensional and can cross levels of analysis.
Involves risk
Fukuyama (1995): “. . . the expectation that arises within a community of regular, honest and cooperative behavior based on commonly shared norms on the part of members of the community”
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

11. Trust
Fukuyama considers trust more important than financial or physical capital.
Allows delegation and interdependence
Trust has recently grown in research importance due to the Web, e-commerce, and virtual teams.
Not a free resource – requires resources to maintain in firms (Houtari & Iivonen, 2004)
Key concept is spontaneous sociability.
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

12. Factors of Perceived Trustworthiness
Mayer, Davis & Schoorman Model (1995)
Perceived Risk
Ability
Risk Taking in Relationship
Outcomes
Trust
Benevolence
Integrity
Point to the factors of perceived trustworthiness.
Point to feedback loop.
Both the trustor and the trustee have some risk elements in a relationship. Mutual obligations are created.
For example a learning community requires trust for individuals and organizations to recognize the need for help and/or knowledge. Or to acknowledge problems.
This is claimed as a dyadic model and has been extended to sociological trust – structural assurances.
Trustor’s Propensity
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

13. Limitations of Mayer, Davis & Schoorman, (1995) Model
Dyadic model
Serva, Fuller & Mayer (2005) conducted a field experiment and demonstrated an effect for reciprocal trust among interacting teams. In doing so the extended the theoretical model of Mayer, Davis & Schoorman (1995)
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

14. The Many Faces of Trust
Dispositional trust from Psychology & Economics (General trust in others)
Institutional Trust from Sociology (Trust in the structures/organizational climate)
Interpersonal Trust from Social Psychology (Trust in specific others / situations, e.g. bloggers?)
(Following McKnight & Chervany (2002)
Following McKnight & Chervany (2002) who revised the concepts to particularly deal with e-commerce.
Now let’s get specific about how blogging fits into previous research on organizational climate and trust.
In the best scientific tradition, I build on the work of others.
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

15. Organizational Climate
The concrete expression of organizational culture
Multi-dimensional
Some examples: Fairness, Affiliation. Innovativeness, Attitude toward knowledge sharing, Anticipated reciprocal relationships, Subjective norm – on sharing
Blogging may change the nature of discourse.
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

16. Organizational Culture and Climate as Resources of the Firm
Organizational Outcomes
Organizational Climate
Organizational climate dimensions have been linked to productivity gains. (Patterson, Warr & West, 2004)
Knowledge Management (KM) is a Common Goal To which Blogging can contribute . . .
Note Southwest on culture.
Key goal would be the learning organization. Learning from experience. Being agile. Sharing tacit knowledge.
Patterson et al:
Supervisory support
Concern for employee welfare
Skill development
Effort
Innovation & flexibility
Quality
Formalization
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

17. Extension and Replication
We extend the model(s) to include organizational climate
We replicate and extend by adding blogging behaviors
Patterson, et al. (2005) have a multi-dimensional validated climate measure linked to productivity, etc. but it lacks a trust dimension
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

18. Next Step: Combining Trust and Organizational Climate with Blogging
Several climate models include trust elements
Trust dimensions can be added
Validated measures exist
Provides a comprehensive framework in which to view blogging
Need to settle on one, maybe two climate models
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

19. Climate as Enabler of KM
Knowledge Creation Process
Organizational Creativity
KM Enablers
Collaboration
Trust
Learning
Centralization
Add Blogging
First of three recently published model.
KM is knowledge management – how a company preserves and expands its stock of knowledge. K is crucial as business activity relies more on intellectual property rather than physical goods.
Organizational Performance
(Climate)
Adapted from Lee & Choi (2003)
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

20. Climate as Antecedents of Effective KM
Work Satisfaction
Autonomy
Cooperative Learning
Add Blogging
This study was particularly well done.
Performance (Work performance) evaluated by ‘customers’ (supervisors, users) No halo effect.
KM is about learning organizations which merge tacit (experience) and explicit knowledge.
Autonomy is an expression of trust!
Org climate in this case: risk acceptance/management, reward, warmth, support.
Work Performance
Organizational Climate
Adapted from Janz & Prasarnphanich (2003)
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

21. Climate and Intention to Share Knowledge
Attitude toward Knowledge Sharing & Subjective Norm
Anticipated Reciprocal Relationships
Intention to share Knowledge
Add Blogging
Sharing knowledge is a challenge in many circumstances. Takes effort. May be seen as giving up valuable ‘property.’
Blogging is sharing!
Org climate here: Fairness, affiliation, innovativeness
Year should be 2005
Now on to my research program . . .
Organizational Climate
Adapted from Bock, et al. (2005)
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

22. Research Model Organizational Climate Organizational Climate
Outcomes
Organizational
Outcomes
Trust
Environment
Trust
Environment
Blogging
Behavior
Individual
Outcomes
Blogging
Behavior
Individual
Outcomes
Individual
Trust
Individual
Trust
Blogging
Policy
Can be viewed as either extending the trust model or extending the organizational climate models.
Measures can include number of postings.
Phase 1 (current for dissertation) – show (or not) how blogging builds trust and improves organizational climate.
Phase 2: Future. Get better claim to causality by longitudinal study.
Organizational outcomes measures should be by other than those surveyed.
Hyp: High-blogging firms have better outcomes
Publicly traded firms – sample of
Blogging
Policy
Phase 2 (Future Longitudinal Study)
Phase 1
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

23. Organization(s) to be Researched
Despite the hype, blogs not widely used in intranets (Cayzer, 2004)
Businesses of varying sizes and industries of great interest
School systems would be a revealing area
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

24. Hypotheses about Outcomes
Trusting organizational climates correlate with numbers of employees blogging at, and about, work
There is a “virtuous circle” of a trusting organizational climate and blogging
Social networks will be broader with blogging and the social & professional contacts of blogging will be as important as KM issues.
Strength of weak ties – Granovetter (1973)
Granovetter’s “power of weak ties” is one of the most influential papers in social science.
In follow up phases – longitudinal -- it will be possible to make more definitive claims of causality.
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

25. Data Collection & Analysis
Most blog research has been rich but based on interviews
Need more systematic survey of organizational (1) policies, (2) expectations of management, (3) employee attitudes and behaviors
Make a contribution on the first phase – addition to the organization climate models -- while laying the ground work for a longitudinal study
Content analysis of blogging policies
Structural equation modeling of survey data
Will use overwhelmingly previously-validated measures to support SEM.
Policy study and behavioral study.
Two phase research program.
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

26. Anticipated Contributions
There is a lot of information on personal blogging but less practices, goals, and policies inside firms. Plan to add valid statistics
Gain theoretical insights on the impact of blogs on desirable social behaviors, particularly trust and organizational climate
Contribute to practice
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

27. Anticipated Contributions
There is a lot of information on personal blogging but less on inside firms. Plan to add valid statistics
Gain theoretical insights on the impact of blogs on desirable social behaviors, particularly trust and organizational climate
Contribute to practice
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa

28. References and Draft Surveys at:
Thank the judges panel as well!
May 1, 2006
UH Manoa