Punctuated Equilibrium Theory in IS Research

Punctuated Equilibrium is a theory originating in paleobiology which has been adopted by management researchers to explain organizational change. In this theory, episodes of radical change are preceded and followed by longer periods of relative stability. Comprised of equilibrium periods, revolutionary periods, and punctuations, Punctuated Equilibrium can be contrasted with other perspectives on organizational change including persistent gradualism, tectonic shift, and turbulent adaptation. The use of the theory in IS research is identified in areas as diverse as virtual teams, IS implementation, organizational change, and strategic alignment. Finally, suggestions regarding how researchers may operationalize Punctuated Equilibrium are made focusing on key components of the definition of punctuations.

[1]  Suprateek Sarker,et al.  Understanding Virtual Team Development: An Interpretive Study , 2003, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[2]  Tammy E. Beck,et al.  RADICAL CHANGE ACCIDENTALLY: THE EMERGENCE AND AMPLIFICATION OF SMALL CHANGE , 2007 .

[3]  W. Powell,et al.  The iron cage revisited institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields , 1983 .

[4]  Guy Fitzgerald,et al.  The turnaround of the London Ambulance Service Computer-Aided Despatch system (LASCAD) , 2005, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[5]  Andrew J. Hoffman,et al.  INSTITUTIONAL EVOLUTION AND CHANGE: ENVIRONMENTALISM AND THE US CHEMICAL INDUSTRY , 1999 .

[6]  Shirley Gregor,et al.  The Nature of Theory in Information Systems , 2006, MIS Q..

[7]  David Arnott,et al.  Decision support systems evolution: framework, case study and research agenda , 2004, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[8]  Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa,et al.  Business Process Redesign: Tactics for Managing Radical Change , 1995, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[9]  Christoph H. Loch,et al.  A Punctuated-Equilibrium Model of Technology Diffusion , 1999 .

[10]  J. Schumpeter,et al.  The Theory of Economic Development , 2017 .

[11]  David A. Nadler,et al.  Organizational Frame Bending: Principles for Managing Reorientation , 1989 .

[12]  Leiser Silva,et al.  Fighting Against Windmills: Strategic Information Systems and Organizational Deep Structures , 2007, MIS Q..

[13]  Rudy Hirschheim,et al.  The History of Texaco's Corporate Information Technology Function: A General Systems Theoretical Interpretation , 2005, MIS Q..

[14]  L. Greiner.  Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow , 1997 .

[15]  Rajiv Sabherwal,et al.  The Dynamics of Alignment: Insights from a Punctuated Equilibrium Model , 2001 .

[16]  C. Gersick.  MARKING TIME: PREDICTABLE TRANSITIONS IN TASK GROUPS , 1989 .

[17]  K. Weick,et al.  Organizational change and development. , 1999, Annual review of psychology.

[18]  K. Eisenhardt,et al.  The Art of Continuous Change : Linking Complexity Theory and Time-Paced Evolution in Relentlessly Shifting Organizations , 1997 .

[19]  Michael J. Earl,et al.  Transformation of the IT Function at British Petroleum , 1997, MIS Q..

[20]  Kathleen M. Eisenhardt,et al.  DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES, WHAT ARE THEY? , 2000 .

[21]  Darren B. Meister,et al.  Small Business Growth and Internal Transparency: The Role of Information Systems , 2004, MIS Q..

[22]  R. Drazin,et al.  Autogenesis: A Perspective on the Process of Organizing , 1992 .

[23]  Alan D. Meyer,et al.  ENVIRONMENTAL JOLTS AND INDUSTRY REVOLUTIONS: ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSES TO DISCONTINUOUS CHANGE , 1990 .

[24]  G. Hendrikse.  Fundamental Issues in Strategy , 1995 .

[25]  Blaize Horner Reich,et al.  IT alignment: what have we learned? , 2007, J. Inf. Technol..

[26]  Kim Sterelny.  Dawkins vs. Gould: Survival of the Fittest , 2007 .

[27]  T. Kuhn,et al.  The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. , 1964 .

[28]  Nicolaj Siggelkow.  Evolution toward Fit , 2002 .

[29]  K. Eisenhardt,et al.  Accelerating Adaptive Processes: Product Innovation in the Global Computer Industry , 1995 .

[30]  Blake Ives,et al.  The Global Network Organization of the Future: Information Management Opportunities and Challenges , 1994, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[31]  M. Tushman,et al.  Organizational Evolution: A Metamorphosis Model of Convergence and Reorientation , 1985 .

[32]  Traci Carte,et al.  A Capabilities-Based Theory of Technology Deployment in Diverse Teams: Leapfrogging the Pitfalls of Diversity and Leveraging Its Potential with Collaborative Technology , 2004, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[33]  Paul A. Pavlou,et al.  Understanding and Mitigating Uncertainty in Online Exchange Relationships: A Principal-Agent Perspective , 2007, MIS Q..

[34]  Jaana Porra,et al.  Colonial Systems , 1999, Inf. Syst. Res..

[35]  Yu Zhao,et al.  The process of enterprise resource planning implementation and business process re‐engineering: tales from two Chinese small and medium‐sized enterprises , 2008, Inf. Syst. J..

[36]  R. Brent Gallupe,et al.  A Proposal for Operationalizing the Pace and Scope of Organizational Change in Management Studies , 2009 .

[37]  David Boddy,et al.  Maintaining alignment over the long-term: lessons from the evolution of an electronic point of sale system , 2005, J. Inf. Technol..

[38]  Anol Bhattacherjee,et al.  Physicians' resistance toward healthcare information technology: a theoretical model and empirical test , 2007, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[39]  M. Sastry.  Problems and Paradoxes in a Model of Punctuated Organizational Change , 1997 .

[40]  A. Luchins.  Mechanization in problem solving: The effect of Einstellung. , 1942 .

[41]  Kalle Lyytinen,et al.  Explaining information systems change: a punctuated socio-technical change model , 2008, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[42]  R. Greenwood,et al.  Understanding Radical Organizational Change: Bringing Together the Old and the New Institutionalism , 1996 .

[43]  Ravindra Krovi,et al.  Identifying the causes of resistance to IS implementation: A change theory perspective , 1993, Inf. Manag..

[44]  D. Teece,et al.  Fundamental Issues in Strategy: A Research Agenda , 1994 .

[45]  T. Schopf.  Models in Paleobiology , 1972 .

[46]  Marshall Scott Poole,et al.  Alternative Approaches for Studying Organizational Change , 2005 .

[47]  K. Lewin,et al.  Defining the 'field at a given time' , 2011 .

[48]  Tim Stevens.  3M Reinvents Its Innovation Process , 2004 .

[49]  D. Sandy Staples,et al.  Toward Contextualized Theories of Trust: The Role of Trust in Global Virtual Teams , 2004, Inf. Syst. Res..

[50]  M. Tushman,et al.  Technological Discontinuities and Dominant Designs: A Cyclical Model of Technological Change , 1990 .

[51]  A. V. D. Ven,et al.  Explaining Development and Change in Organizations , 1995 .

[52]  John Amis,et al.  The pace, sequence, and linearity of radical change , 2004 .

[53]  Bernard C. Y. Tan,et al.  A Cross-Cultural Study on Escalation of Commitment Behavior in Software Projects , 2000, MIS Q..

[54]  C. Gersick.  Time and Transition in Work Teams: Toward a New Model of Group Development , 1988 .

[55]  I. Prigogine,et al.  Order out of chaos , 1984 .

[56]  Suresh Kotha,et al.  Continuous “Morphing”: Competing Through Dynamic Capabilities, Form, and Function , 2001 .

[57]  James C. Brancheau,et al.  Adoption and Utilization of Commercial Software Packages: Exploring Utilization Equilibria, Transitions, Triggers, and Tracks , 1999, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[58]  C. Gersick.  REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE THEORIES: A MULTILEVEL EXPLORATION OF THE PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM PARADIGM , 1991 .

[59]  Rudy Hirschheim,et al.  Strategic Alignment In Mergers And Acquisitions: Theorizing IS Integration Decision making , 2007, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[60]  D. Levinson,et al.  Seasons of a man's life , 1978 .

[61]  Nicolaj Siggelkow.  Change in the Presence of Fit: the Rise, the Fall, and the Renaissance of Liz Claiborne , 2001 .

[62]  John W. Meyer,et al.  Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony , 1977, American Journal of Sociology.

[63]  M. Tushman,et al.  Technological Discontinuities and Organizational Environments , 1986 .

[64]  Hind Benbya,et al.  Using coevolutionary and complexity theories to improve IS alignment: a multi-level approach , 2006, J. Inf. Technol..

[65]  K. Lewin,et al.  Field Theory in Social Science: Selected Theoretical Papers , 1951 .

[66]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  A Comprehensive Conceptualization of Post-Adoptive Behaviors Associated with Information Technology Enabled Work Systems , 2005, MIS Q..

[67]  Kalle Lyytinen,et al.  The Disruptive Nature of Information Technology Innovations: The Case of Internet Computing in Systems Development Organizations , 2003, MIS Q..

[68]  M. Tushman,et al.  Organizational Transformation as Punctuated Equilibrium: An Empirical Test , 1994 .

[69]  P. Watzlawick,et al.  Change. Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution. New York (Norton) 1974. , 1974 .

[70]  Heather A. Haveman,et al.  Organizational Environments in Flux: The Impact of Regulatory Punctuations on Organizational Domains, CEO Succession, and Performance , 2001 .