Yasser Rahrovani

Yasser’s research interest focuses on exploring the emergent, unexpected aspects of innovating with digital technologies in organizations. While organizations invest billions of dollars in digitalization, drifting from devised strategies is increasingly a relevant and significant issue, given the openness of today’s digital technologies. Yasser’s research tries to understand the notion of digital drifting by studying the triggering sources and mechanisms by which digitalization may drift from intended plans and transform organizations, unexpectedly. To extend scholarship about digital drifting, he has developed three streams of research: (1) user innovations that change the nature of the work practices (types of innovative behavior with digital, their distinct antecedents, and consequences), (2) the emergent process of digital strategy change (micromechanisms of emergent strategy change); and (3) transforming organizations with digital technologies (change in organizational mission, logic, or identity).

Teaching

• Leveraging Information technology (HBA)
• Managing in the Creative Economy (HBA, MBA)
• Data Management (HBA)
• Information Systems (PhD)

Programs Taught

• HBA
• MBA
• PhD

Education

• PhD in Management, McGill University
• MSc. in Management, Queen's University
• MBA, Sharif University of Technology
• BSc. in Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology

Recent Refereed Articles

• Negoita, B.; Rahrovani, Y.; Lapointe, L.; Pinsonneault, A., 2022, "Distributed IT Championing: A Process Theory", Journal of Information Technology, March 37(1): 2 - 30.
• Rahrovani, Y.; Pinsonneault, A., 2020, "Innovative IT Use and Innovating with IT: A Study of the Motivational Antecedents of two Different Types of Innovative Behaviors", The Journal of the Association for Information Systems, July 21(4): 936 - 970.
• Rahrovani, Y., 2020, "Platform Drifting: When Work Digitalization Hijacks Its Spirit", The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, June 29(2)
• Moeini, M.; Rahrovani, Y.; Chan, Y. E., 2019, "A Review of the Practical Relevance of IS Strategy Scholarly Research", The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, June 28(2): 196 - 217.
• Rahrovani, Y.; Pinsonneault, A.; Austin, R. D., 2018, "If You Cut Employees Some Slack, Will They Innovate?", MIT Sloan Management Review, August 59(4): 47 - 51.
• Rahrovani, Y.; Addas, S.; Pinsonneault, A., 2014, "Exploring the Long Shadow of IT Innovation Adoption Decisions on IT Value", Systèmes d'Information et Management, December 19(4): 31 - 87.
• Rahrovani, Y.; Kermanshah, A.; Pinsonneault, A., 2014, "Aligning IT for Future Business Value: Conceptualizing IT Project Portfolio Alignment", Data base for Advances in Information Systems, August 45(3): 30 - 53.
• Rahrovani, Y.; Chan, Y. E.; Pinsonneault, A., 2014, "Determinants of IS Planning Comprehensiveness", Communications of the Association for Information Systems, March 34(59): 1133 - 1155.

Honours & Awards

• SSHRC Insight Grant (2022-2025). "Social media platform drifting in minority community‐based organizations." $66,459.
• Best Reviewer, Societal Impact of IS, International Conference on Information Systems: 2020
• Journal of Strategic Information Systems (JSIS) Best Paper Award, runner up: 2019
• McGill's Excellence in Teaching Award: April 2013
• Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRCS) (2011-2013). “La valeur des technologies de l'information par la gestion des ressources excédentaires.” $46,666

Experience

• Managing not-for-profit organizations (2012-2020: project manager, board member, or CEO)
• Management consultancy experience (2004-2007: IT project management, strategic planning projects)
• Engineering experience: electrical engineering (2000-2003: electronic circuit analysis and design, PLC programming, coding)