EMPIRICAL-EVIDENCE ON SWANSONS TRI-CORE MODEL OF INFORMATION-SYSTEMS INNOVATION

Research in IS innovation has been isolated and fragmented. These stud ies typically examine single innovations and do not effectively integr ate notions of IS innovation with organizational innovation. Swanson ( 1994) extends the prior dual-core model of innovation into a tri-core model specifically for the unique nature of IS innovation. This model provides a useful typology of IS innovation that can form the foundati on for innovation theory in this important area. In this paper we pres ent Swanson's tri-core model of IS innovation along with preliminary d ata to test aspects of the model proposed by Swanson. Adoption of ten IS innovations is studied using two analyses, one based only on adopte r sub-samples and the other using a more rigorous treatment of nonadop ters based on survival analysis. The objective of this study is simple -to test theory and encourage continued focused inquiry in IS innovati on. The results of this study provide partial support for the proposed hypotheses, leading us to conclude on an optimistic note regarding th e viability of this model as an integrating framework for IS innovatio n.