My research interests focus on the adoption of information technology by individuals and organizations

How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.
--Henry David Thoreau

Overview

My research can be classified into three broad streams. The first, and primary, research area is adoption and diffusion of information technology. The second area is the role and use of communication technologies. The third area is in development and use of knowledge systems. Intermingled across these perspectives are theories of communication, learning, and individual behavior.

In the area of adoption and diffusion of information technology, my research has been conducted at the individual, household, and departmental level of analysis. The overarching question driving my research is, how can we improve the process of finding, selecting, and introducing technologies into organizations and society?

In the area of communication technologies, my research is primarily focused on how individuals interact with technology. In this stream of research, I am interested in how communication apprehension and computer anxiety combine to influence how people use communication technologies. I am also interested in the cues that people attend to when evaluating others electronically, as well as the development and evolution of virtual collectives over time. The overarching question driving my research is, how do communication technologies influence learning and relationship development, and how do they alter existing social network structures?

In the area of knowledge systems, my research examines both the development and implementation of various types of knowledge-based systems. The overarching question in this stream of research is, how can knowledge capture, storage, and dissemination be done so as to enhance individual and organizational processes?

Grants

I am the Social Science team leader for the iPlant Collaborative. The goal of the collaborative is to bring together a diverse group of researchers (e.g., biologists, computer scientists, social scientists, etc.) to tackle grand challenge problems in plant sciences. Social science research in the collaborative examines questions associated with adoption, diffusion, social networks, cultural differences, and virtual organizations, to name a few. If you are interested in examining these or other social science issues associated with this complex virtual organization, please contact me.

Publications

Venkatesh, V., Brown, S.A., Maruping, L., and Bala, H. “Predicting Different Conceptualizations of System Use: The Competing Roles of Behavioral Intention, Facilitating Conditions, and Behavioral Expectation,” forthcoming in MIS Quarterly.

Brown, S.A., Venkatesh, V., Massey, A., and Kuruzovich, J. “Expectation Confirmation: An Examination of Three Competing Models,” in press at Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (corrected proof available 10/22/07).

Brown, S.A., Chervany, N.L., and Reinicke, B. “New Information Technology Introduction: What Matters When,” Communications of the ACM, September 2007.

Brown, S.A., Venkatesh, V. and Bala, H. “Household Technology Use: Integrating Household Lifecycle and the Model of the Adoption of Technology in Households,” Vol. 22 No. 4, The Information Society, September-October 2006, pp. 205-218.

Hasty, B., Massey, A.P. and Brown, S.A. “Asymmetric Knowledge Transfer in Virtual Teams: An Exploratory Study,” Group Decision and Negotiation, Summer/Fall 2006, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 367-387.

Fuller, R., Vician, C., and Brown, S.A., “E-Learning and Individual Characteristics: The role of computer anxiety and communication apprehension,” Journal of Computer Information Systems, summer 2006, 46:4, pp, 103-115.

Brown, S.A., Kelly, H., and Schwarz, A. “Reflections on the Role of Theoretical Extensions in the IS Discipline,” special issue introduction, The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, Vol. 27, No.s 2-3, 2006, pp. 8-14.

Venkatesh, V., Maruping L., and Brown, S.A. “Time and the Self-Prediction of Behavior,” Vol. 100, No. 2, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2006, pp. 160-176.

Brown, S.A. and Venkatesh V., “A Comparison of Competing Models and an Extension of the Model of Adoption of Technology in the Household: An Investigation of Household Adoption of Personal Computers,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 3, September 2005, pp. 399-426.

Ward, K.W., Brown, S.A., and Massey, A.P. “Organisational Influences on Attitudes toward Mandatory System Use: A Longitudinal Study,” International Journal of Business Information Systems, Vol. 1, Nos. 1/2, 2005, pp. 9-30.

Brown, S.A., Fuller, R., and Vician, C. “Who’s Afraid of the Virtual World? The Role of Anxiety in Computer-Mediated Communication Use and Satisfaction,” Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 5:2, February 2004, pp. 81-109.

Brown, S.A. and Venkatesh, V. “Bringing Non-Adopters Along: The Challenge Facing the PC Industry,” Communications of the ACM, 46:4, April 2003, pp. 76-80.

Brown, S.A., Massey, A.P., Montoya-Weiss, M., and Burkman, J. "Do I Really Have To: Understanding Technology Acceptance when Use is Mandatory," European Journal of Information Systems, 11:4, 2002, pp. 283-295.

Massey, A.P., Montoya-Weiss, M., and Brown, S.A., “Reaping the Benefits of Innovative IT: The Long and Winding Road,” IEEE Transactions for Engineering Management, 48:3, August 2001, pp. 348-357.

Venkatesh, V. and Brown, S.A., "A Longitudinal Investigation of Personal Computers In Homes: Adoption Determinants and Emerging Challenges," MIS Quarterly, 25:1, March 2001, pp. 71-102.

Vician, C. and Brown, S.A. “Re-engineering Participation Through On-Line Learning Environments: An Examination of Communication Apprehension, Choice, and Performance,” Journal of Computer Information Systems, 42:1, 2001, pp. 26-36.

Massey, A.P. and Brown, S.A., “IN-QUOTES: Development of a Decision-Aiding System to Support Manufacturing Cost Quotation,” International Journal of Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance, and Management, 7, 1998, pp. 153-171.

Agarwal, R., Brown, S.A., and Tanniru, M., “Assessing the Impact of Expert Systems - The Experiences of a Small Firm," Expert Systems with Applications, (7:2) 1994, pp. 249-257.