Organizational adoption of Web 2.0 technologies: An empirical analysis

  My first review is about the article Organizational adoption of Web 2.0 technologies: An empirical analysis written by Saldanha, T.J.V & Krishnan, M.S.

 This article examines the use of various Web 2.0 technologies in different industries and looks at why some industries embrace these technologies while others are more resistant to their use. Some companies see great benefits in using the more social technology to enhance employee involvement, however there is still resistance because of negative perceptions of social media. Whether Web 2.0 technologies would increase productivity or cause concerns in relation to security and privacy is a question this article explores.

 Saldanha and Krishnan’s research looks at the factors that lead companies to adopt Web 2 technologies and based on their research of case studies, empirical evidence and interviews make several hypothesises. The article suggests that when employees use these new technologies they demonstrate higher productivity and companies are advantaged by using Web 2.0 technologies in the workplace because they improve communication and collaboration. In their article they suggest large firms are more likely to use the Web 2.0 technologies more than smaller companies because Web 2 technologies are more useful to larger companies with many employees. Different products are also considered to be more suited to these new Web technologies where greater knowledge sharing benefits the business model. The authors also hypothesize that highly competitive industries are more likely to use Web 2.0 technologies because they can then keep up with competitors and business partners. The new technologies offer greater sharing of information and save money in making work practises more efficient.

Saldanha and Krishnan  claim that whether the new web based technology can be integrated easily into the systems a company is using is also a relevant factor influencing whether or not Web 2.0 applications are adopted. Companies with IT based on open standards who can incorporate Web 2.0 technologies easily are more likely to bring them into their business model. The theories put forward by the authors are tested by statistics gathered from many respondents and some of their hypotheses are supported. The authors admit however that it is difficult to prove the exact benefits of web 2.0 technologies and they readily acknowledge their research is limited to only some web 2.0 technologies. Although their research shows larger firms are adopting the newer technologies ahead of others it may only be because of their greater resources and doesn’t really prove that they are more receptive to web 2.0 technologies than their smaller counterparts. 

This clip shows how Web 2.0 technologies can be used in business:

 

The authors’ hypotheses are already dated because Web 2.0 technologies have already been hugely influential in all types of business and some of the research articles they base their claims on are up to fifteen years old. The articles cited by Saldanha and Krishnan are over a decade old in many instances and Web 2.0 technologies have become integrated in many companies : the last ten years has already heralded many changes.   Usage of all social media technologies has already become more prevalent.    Enormous change has taken place with developing web technology that to hypothesize based on facts and figures from a decade ago is not a true reflection of current trends.  Houghton and Berryman highlight the issues of privacy, security and ethics, issues which are largely ignored in the article by Saldanha and Krishnan and note the impact the digital environment has had on information sharing in a commercial world (Houghton & Berryman, 2007.p.279). I expect many companies are concerned about the repercussions of web 2.0 technologies used in the workplace without due care taken to protect privacy and security.

 

I find Saldanha and Krishnan’s findings inconclusive and the links they make as a result of their research are tenuous. According to Anderson in his article, What is Web 2.0?Ideas, technologies and implications for education, these web based technologies are essential in day to day productivity are the way forward for any organization using the Web. The idea that business can ignore these essential technologies is refuted by Anderson who illustrates how essential they have become in day to day interactions (Anderson, 2007).

  Saldanha and Krishnan’s article seems too broad in its assumptions and seeks to encompass too large a range of issues to really prove conclusively that any of the hypotheses put forward are correct. It does however highlight the issue of whether this technology is creating a further divide in the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.  Barr highlights this divide in his book Challenges and Change and this article leads me to the conclusion if Web 2.0 technology is not adopted by these smaller companies in a timely manner it will impact on their profitability and sustainability in the future (Barr 1987). Web 2.0 technologies are the way forward for companies to advertise, interact with co-workers, share information and gather feedback from their client base.

 

References:

Anderson, P.(2007). What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education. JISC Technology and Standards Watch, Feb, 2-64.

Barr,T. (1987). Challenges and Change: Australia’s Information Society, Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Houghton, J. and Berryman, J. (2007). Ethics and law for information practice. In Libraries in the twenty-first century. S. Ferguson (Ed.). Centre for Information Studies, CSU: Wagga Wagga. Retrieved from http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/ereserve/pdf/houghton-j.pdf

Saldanha, T.J.V & Krishnan, M.S. (2012). Organizational adoption of Web 2.0 technologies: An empirical analysis, Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 22 (4), 301-333.

Smart Telecom and Web 2.0 Technologies, retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LnT53G2Cs&feature=youtu.be