Derrick J. Neufeld

• Neufeld, D. J., 2023, "Computer crime motives: Do we have it right?", Sociology Compass, April 17(4): e13077 - e13077.
  Abstract: Academic, legal and practitioner responses to cyber threats have been predominantly reactive, punitive, and deterrence-based, with limited attention given to the motives underlying computer criminals' behaviors. This paper reasons that new and better theoretical perspectives are needed to explain computer criminals' motives. Following a review of the computer crime behavioral literature, a summary review of core philosophies and theories used to explain generalized crime and criminal motives is provided. A framework is proposed suggesting that criminological theories have evolved along two categorical dimensions: determinism-indeterminism, and individualism-collectivism. The paper then reasons that future computer crime research will benefit by considering indeterminist-collectivist (constructivist) theories. Two such theories, social construction of technology, and actor-network theory, are proposed in the discussion section, along with some cybercrime examples. The paper invites a deeper consideration of the origins and motivations of computer-based criminality as a means of building stronger theory and ultimately advancing more proactive and effective solutions.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.13077

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/soc4.13077

• Fang, Y.; Neufeld, D. J.; Zhang, X., 2022, "Knowledge coordination via digital artifacts in highly dispersed teams", Information Systems Journal, May 32(3): 520 - 543.
  Abstract: Virtual teams face the unique challenge of coordinating their knowledge work across time, space and people. Information technologies, and digital artifacts in particular, are essential to supporting coordination in highly dispersed teams, yet the extant literature is limited in explaining how such teams produce and reproduce digital artifacts for coordination. This paper describes a qualitative case study that examined the day-to- day practices of two highly dispersed virtual teams, with the initial conceptual lens informed by Carlile’s (2004) knowledge management framework. Our observations suggest that knowledge coordination in these highly dispersed virtual teams involves the continuous production and reproduction of digital artifacts (which we refer to as technology practices) through three paired modes: “presenting-accessing” (related to knowledge transfer); “representing-adding” (related to knowledge translation); and “molding-challenging” (related to knowledge transformation). We also observed an unexpected fourth pair of technology practices, “withholding-ignoring”, that had the effect of delaying certain knowledge coordination processes. Our findings contribute to both the knowledge coordination literature and the practical use of digital artifacts in virtual teams. Future research directions are discussed.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/isj.12358?af=R

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/isj.12358

• Neufeld, D. J.; Roghanizad, M., 2018, "Research: How Customers Decide Whether to Buy from Your Website", Harvard Business Review
  Abstract: Why do so many online shoppers fail to convert to purchasers? Research suggests that trust is essential to forming an intention to purchase, and intuitive reasoning is a critical component of trusting someone. In this piece, the authors share new research confirming that when making decisions involving risk — such as an online purchase — consumers tend to rely more on intuition than on deliberation. This finding has profound implications for how online businesses should consider redesigning their consumer experiences. Changing seemingly simple components like page layouts, fonts, images, and colors may be far more critical to building trust than we previously assumed.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://hbr.org/2018/01/research-how-customers-decide-whether-to-buy-from-your-website

• Brotheridge, C.; Neufeld, D. J.; Dyck, B., 2015, "Communicating Virtually in a Global Organization", Journal of Managerial Psychology, November 30(7): 909 - 924.
  Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the extent to which changes in communication media are associated with changes in the nature of manager-expatriate employee communications. Using an affordance lens, the authors explore how hierarchical level and communication medium interact to influence status dynamics manifested in communication attributes. Designmethodologyapproach The hypothesis was tested with a 2 (hierarchical level)3 (communication media) multivariate analysis of covariance (experience level) in a sample of 1,193 messages that were transmitted between managers and field employees in a global organization over a ten year period. Findings The authors found significant interaction effects between communication media and hierarchical level on communication attributes such that changes in communication media intensified status differences between managers and their employees. Research limitationsimplications Communications media may be appropriated differently depending on one’s hierarchical level. Practical implications Managers should adopt new communication media more consciously given their potential influence of how people communicate. Originalityvalue Unlike many computer-mediated communications (CMC) effects studies that compare face-to-face communications with CMC or employ self-report questionnaires or laboratory designs with student samples, this study examines a complete set of manager-employee communications over an extended period of time.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JMP-06-2013-0191

• Roghanizad, M.; Neufeld, D. J., 2015, "Intuition, risk, and the formation of online trust", Computers in Human Behavior, September 50: 489 - 498.
  Abstract: Understanding how consumers evaluate website trustworthiness is a critical factor for online vendors. The dominant view espouses a deliberative trust formation process whereby shoppers evaluate security certificates, return policies, user feedback and the like, implying a highly rational underlying trust calculus. In this paper we use a laboratory experiment to explore an alternative perspective, based on the non-rational associative reasoning approach. Our findings show that when faced with a no-risk hypothetical decision about whether or not they would purchase a book from an online bookseller, subjects’ decision-making processes were indeed consistent with the dominant deliberative view. However, when confronted with a decision entailing risk (i.e., sharing sensitive personal information with an unknown website), subjects became reliant on their non-rational, gut-level intuition. We adopt a dualprocess reasoning theory to make sense of these findings, and recommend that vendors take into account associative reasoning factors when designing online interfaces. Future research directions are provided.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.025

• Neufeld, D. J.; Fang, Y.; Wan, Z., 2013, "Community of practice behaviors and individual learning outcomes", Group Decision and Negotiation, July 22(4): 617 - 639.
  Abstract: The community of practice (CoP) concept has grown in popularity, yet remains under-studied. In particular, we have not developed a sufficient understanding of the individual outcomes associated with CoP engagement. This paper offers a fresh research model that identifies three practice-based concepts described in the CoP literature shared repertoire, joint enterprise, and mutual engagement and links them to individual learning outcomes. Survey measures are developed using a card sorting procedure, a research model is pilot tested using survey data collected from 53 graduate students in a large Canadian university, and then the model is field-tested using interview and survey data collected from 59 employees in a non-profit organization. The paper offers a new set of distinct CoP measures, and examines how they are associated with learning. A discussion of practical implications and future research directions is provided.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10726-012-9284-8

• Neufeld, D. J.; Wan, Z.; Fang, Y., 2010, "Remote Leadership, Communication Effectiveness and Leader Performance", Group Decision and Negotiation, March 19(2): 227 - 246.
  Abstract: As remote work arrangements have gained in popularity, workforce dispersion has become increasingly widespread. Little research to date has examined how physical distance influences leader-follower communication effectiveness or leader performance. Building on top of transformational leadership theory, this paper explores how perceived leader performance is influenced by leadership style, physical distance, and communication effectiveness between leaders and followers. A survey of 138 followers, reporting to a total of 41 leaders, was conducted and data were analyzed at the individual follower-level using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. Our model explained 45% of the variance in communication effectiveness and 67% of the variance in perceived leader performance. Consistent with past empirical findings, transformational leadership was associated more strongly with perceived leader performance than transactional contingent reward leadership. Communication effectiveness was also a strong predictor of leader performance, and furthermore acted as a mediator of leadership behavior on performance. Surprisingly, distance had no influence on either communication effectiveness or perceived leader performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
• Fang, Y.; Neufeld, D. J., 2009, "Understanding Sustained Participation in Open Source Software Projects", Journal of Management Information Systems, June 25(4): 9 - 50.
  Abstract: Prior research into open source software (OSS) developer participation has emphasized individuals' motivations for joining these volunteer communities, but it has failed to explain why people stay or leave in the long run. Building upon Lave and Wenger's theory of legitimate peripheral participation (LPP), this paper offers a longitudinal investigation of one OSS community in which sustained participation is hypothesized to be associated with the two major elements of LPP theory: "situated learning" (the process of acting knowledgeably and purposefully in the world), and "identity construction" (the process of being identified within the community). To test these hypotheses, data were collected from multiple sources including online public project documents, electronic mail messages, tracker messages, and log files. Results from qualitative analyses revealed that initial conditions to participate did not effectively predict long-term participation, but that situated learning and identity construction behaviors were positively linked to sustained participation. Furthermore, this study reveals that sustained participants distinguished themselves by consistently engaging in situated learning that both made conceptual contribution (advising others) and practical contribution (improving the code). Implications and future research are discussed.
• Dong, L.; Neufeld, D. J.; Higgins, C. A., 2009, "Top Management Support of Enterprise Systems Implementations", Journal of Information Technology, March 24(1): 55 - 80.
  Abstract: Despite the general consensus regarding the critical role of top management in the information systems (IS) implementation process, the literature has not yet provided a clear and compelling understanding of the top management support concept. Applying metastructuring (Orlikowski, et al., 1995) as a guiding framework for understanding top management support behaviors, this paper attempts to address the gap by focusing on two key questions: (1) What supportive actions do top managers engage in during IS implementations? (2) How do these actions affect IS implementation outcomes? Analyses of in-depth case studies at two Canadian universities that had implemented a large-scale enterprise system revealed three distinct types of top management support actions: top management support-resource provision (TMSR - actions related to supplying key resources such as funds, technologies, staff, and user training programs) top management support-change management (TMSC - actions related to fostering organizational receptivity of a new information system) and top management support-vision sharing (TMSV - actions related to ensuring that lower-level managers develop a common understanding of the core objectives and ideals for the new system). Results suggest that different support behaviors exercise different influences on implementation outcomes, and that top managers need to adjust their support actions to achieve desired outcomes. In particular, TMSR affected project completion, TMSC impacted formation of user skills and attitudes, and TMSV influenced middle manager buy-in. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
• Dong, L.; Neufeld, D. J.; Higgins, C. A., 2008, "Testing Klein and Sorra's Innovation Implementation Model", Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, December 25(4): 237 - 255.
  Abstract: Despite a substantial volume of research activities on innovation implementation (Holahan, et al., 2004 Klein and Sorra, 1996 Kwon and Zmud, 1987), implementation outcomes continue to disappoint - particularly those related to large-scale information systems (IS) implementation projects (Aiman-Smith and Green, 2002 The Standish Group International Inc., 1995 Whittaker, 1999). In 1996, Klein and Sorra introduced a promising model that posited key determinants of implementation effectiveness. In this paper we present validated construct measures, and then test their model using a survey of 209 employees in seven organizations. Our results demonstrate that IS implementation effectiveness is influenced directly and indirectly by innovation-values fit, and indirectly by implementation climate.
• Neufeld, D. J.; Dong, L.; Higgins, C. A., 2007, "Charismatic Leadership and User Acceptance of Information Technology", European Journal of Information Systems, December 16(4): 494 - 510.
  Abstract: Although there is widespread agreement that leadership has important effects on information technology (IT) acceptance and use, relatively little empirical research to date has explored this phenomenon in detail. This paper integrates the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003) with charismatic leadership theory (Conger & Kanungo, 1988 Conger & Kanungo, 1998), and examines the role of project champions influencing user adoption. PLS analysis of survey data collected from 209 employees in seven organizations that had engaged in a large-scale IT implementation revealed that project champion charisma was positively associated with increased performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating condition perceptions of users. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research in this area are provided.
• Wan, Z.; Fang, Y.; Neufeld, D. J., 2007, "The Role of Information Technology in Technology-Mediated Learning: A Review of the Past for the Future", Journal of Information Systems Education, December 18(2): 183 - 192.
  Abstract: Technology-mediated learning refers to an environment in which the learner's interactions with learning materials, peers, andor instructors are mediated through information technologies (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). The objective of this paper is to review current research on technology-mediated learning using a theoretical framework derived from the existing literature. The framework presents three dimensions (primary participant, instructional design, and information technology) that influence students' psychological learning processes, and eventually lead to different learning outcomes. The literature review reveals that certain relationships identified by this framework have received significant attention (e.g., the influence of a technology feature on learning outcomes), while others have been ignored (e.g., the influence of IT on psychological processes). Research questions that can help advance our understanding of technology-mediated learning are discussed.
• Neufeld, D. J.; Fang, Y.; Huff, S. L., 2007, "The IS identity crisis", Communications of the Association for Information Systems, April 19(19): 447 - 464.
  Abstract: Defining the central identity of the information systems (IS) field is a subject of ongoing concern and debate among IS researchers. Published empirical studies to date have focused on restricted sets of IS-related journal publications spread across relatively short time periods. This paper offers a broader review of the central identity of the IS field, using three dimensions proposed by Albert and Whetten [1985: central character (i.e., what topics do IS scholars research?) temporal continuity (i.e., to what extent has the identity of the IS field remained static over time?) and distinctiveness (i.e., how unique is research published in IS vs. non-IS research journals?). The first two dimensions are examined using a dataset containing 6,466 journal citations drawn from seven leading IS journals over a 32-year period, and the third is evaluated by comparing results from these seven journals with research published in 15 leading non-IS business journals over the same time period. Results suggest that articles published in leading IS journals do share a strong central character that is distinct from research published in non-IS journals, and yet an identity that has continually shifted over time. This study contributes to the literature by providing an empirically supported review of who we are, how we are different, and some thoughts about where we may be going as a discipline.
• Fang, Y.; Neufeld, D. J., 2006, "The Pendulum Swings Back - Individual Acceptance of Centralized Computing Platforms", Data base for Advances in Information Systems, December 37(2/3): 33 - 41.
  Abstract: After two decades of actively distributing computing power to individual users in the form of desktop and notebook PCs, IT executives are now being drawn back to the benefits of centralized computing platforms, as evidenced by the emergence of thin client technology and the application service provider (ASP) business model. But will individual users embrace this "re-centralization?" This study examines major influencing factors on end-user use of centralized application platforms using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Two new perceived behavioral control factors are identified: (1) relative functional advantage of the local PC versus the central server, and (2) response promptness of the central server. Data were collected using a paper-and-pencil survey of twenty-six users who had access to a centralized application platform. The two new measures demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity, and both were strong predictors of intention to use the centralized platform and actual usage. Results also suggest that TPB has strong predictive power for individual use of centralized application platforms.
• Neufeld, D. J.; Fang, Y., 2005, "Individual, Social and Situational Determinants of Telecommuter Productivity", Information and Management, September 42(7): 1037 - 1049.
  Abstract: Productivity of remote workers is of critical concern to organizations and managers contemplating telecommuting arrangements. Here we suggest a general theoretical framework for understanding telecommuter productivity, and then report on a two-phased research study. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews with 32 telecommuters were conducted in one organization, and individual, social, and situational factors associated with telecommuter productivity were qualitatively explored. The second phase involved a survey of 100 telecommuters in two organizations, followed by predictive discriminant analyses to identify factors that might usefully distinguish between telecommuters exhibiting low and high levels of productivity. Results indicate that telecommuter beliefs and attitudes, and the quality of their social interactions with managers and family members, were strongly associated with productivity. Furthermore, telecommuters' social interactions with colleagues, managers, and family members had a strong influence on their beliefs and attitudes about telecommuting.

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