Prof. Sujeet Kumar Sharma’s co-authored research paper titled ‘Invented-on-the-fly’ mobile application for disaster response: Construction of technological frames and impact’ has been published in the Information Systems Journal. Prof. Jang Bahadur Singh, Professor of Information Systems and Analytics at Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli, Tiruchirappalli, India & Prof. Mayank Kumar, Professor of Information Systems at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bangalore, India, are his co-authors.
The paper ‘Invented-on-the-fly’ mobile application for disaster response: Construction of technological frames and impact’ focuses on the natural disaster response efforts, which are time-constrained and require quick and on-the-fly development besides adopting technological innovations to meet the ever-changing contextual requirements. Limited insights on implementing and managing such ‘invented-on-the-fly’ innovations exist. This research draws upon sensemaking and technological frames to examine the adoption process of an on-the-fly developed mobile app in India’s context of the Gaja cyclone. The study’s findings inform that adopting technological innovation in disaster response is linked to the features actors draw upon in their sensemaking process and forming their technological frames.
Initial sensemaking and technological framing may involve ‘concrete features.’ However, the later sensemaking of evolving contingencies may include discovering various ‘abstract features’ in action. Discoveries of abstract features in action trigger reframing, leading to a congruent technological frame and better exploitation of innovations. Given that natural disasters are occurring more frequently, the findings from this study provide critical insights into managing technology innovations in these contexts.