Business-IT alignment as a coevolution process: An empirical study

2023 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Amarilli, Fabrizio; Van Den Hooff, Bart; Van Vliet, Mario

Abstract: In this paper, we provide a detailed insight into the complex coevolution dynami ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper, we provide a detailed insight into the complex coevolution dynamics that shape the alignment process by analyzing how different mechanisms and factors are mutually related in complex networks of feedback loops. We combine insights from the literature on alignment as a (coevolution) process with literature on alignment as a state to identify the different components of the organization’s socio-technical system that influence alignment, the relationships between these components, and the role that different factors play. In our empirical analysis (based multiple case studies) we then focus on the actual interplay between relevant factors. Using a causal loop diagramming approach - based on system dynamics – we analyze how these factors mutually influence each other through various feedback loops and thus shape the alignment process. We extend previous literature on the alignment process by identifying the way that the complex interplay between different factors shapes this process. By identifying the feedback loops between relevant factors, we also provide more insight into the complex bottom-up and top-down dynamics that shape the process, and that provide explanations for why this process is charac­ terized by transitions between alignment and misalignment. For practice, our paper provides a deeper understanding of the alignment process, which is a precondition for improving alignment practices in organisations. Collapse

Topics: Chief Information Officer IT alignment strategic management IT project enterprise information system

Methods: qualitative interview case study multiple case study theoretical contribution system dynamics

Theories: co-evolution theory socio technical theory complex adaptive system

Lessons from enterprise systems competency centers in adopting digital transformation initiatives: An assemblage approach

2023 | Information and Organization | Citations: 0

Authors: Aryal, Arun; Truex, Duane; El Amrani, Redouane

Abstract: Firms are increasingly adopting digital transformation as a strategic priority. ... Expand

Abstract: Firms are increasingly adopting digital transformation as a strategic priority. However, the path to successful transformation remains uncertain for many organizations. This paper examines the establishment and evolution of competency centers in two case study organizations, historically used in enterprise systems, in addressing the complexity and challenges of digital transformation. The interactions within these competency centers are analyzed through assemblage theory to understand the emergent relations between heterogeneous parts (technology, people, and orga­ nization) and the dynamic processes of new configurations. The insights from this research show the critical role of the competency center in any enterprise system’s success and how it could continue playing a central role in future digital transformation initiatives. By providing a new lens to examine these issues, the assemblage theory provided a new theoretical perspective to the IS field and a new alternative empirical setting to the organizational literature. Collapse

Topics: enterprise information system digital transformation enterprise resource planning IT skill business process management

Methods: qualitative interview case study personal interview design artifact literature study

Workarounds as generative mechanisms for bottom-up process innovation—Insights from a multiple case study

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Bartelheimer, Christian; Wolf, Verena; Beverungen, Daniel

Abstract: Workarounds are goal-driven deviations from the standard operating procedures pe ... Expand

Abstract: Workarounds are goal-driven deviations from the standard operating procedures performed to overcome obstacles constraining day-to-day work. Despite starting as temporary fixes, they can become established across an organisation and trigger the innovation of processes and IT artefacts that can resolve misfits permanently. Although prior research has elicited antecedents and types of workarounds, it is not known how workarounds diffuse in an organisation and, thereby, innovating co-workers' activities, IT artefacts, and organisational structures. The results of our multiple two-year case study provide unique empirical insights into the diffusion of workarounds and how they can act as generative mechanisms for bottom-up process innovation. Collapse

Topics: business process management innovation management business process innovation organization structure business process redesign

Methods: design artifact case study business process modeling qualitative interview qualitative coding

Theories: socio technical theory structuration theory

Public Opinion and Impression Management in the Communication of Performance During the Second Iraq War

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Audia, Pino G.; Rousseau, Horacio E.; Stimmler, Mary Kate

Abstract: Although studies show that organizations engaged in controversial actions often ... Expand

Abstract: Although studies show that organizations engaged in controversial actions often aim to minimize the release of threatening information, scholars know relatively little about what may prompt organizations to increase transparency in these situations. In this study, we focus on support from public opinion as a condition that may influence the disclosure of sensitive performance information to the public. Using the second Iraq War as an empirical context, we focus on the extent to which public officials—Pentagon spokespersons—release and frame information about war performance. This outcome is critical because the way in which organizations communicate their performance to outsiders has often been regarded as a key defensive impression management tactic. We hypothesize that high public support for the war will increase the likelihood that Pentagon officials release information about sensitive combat performance indicators in their press briefings and identify contingencies, such as adversity and organizational spokespersons’ power, that moderate this relationship. We also explore whether high public support decreases the strategic use of alternate performance frames that emphasize metrics that signal progress toward a desirable end state. Using a unique data set based on the coding of press briefings, public opinion data, and other public sources, we find support for several of our hypotheses. We discuss implications for understanding the relationship between public opinion and impression management and highlight the importance of extending this research to nongovernmental organizations. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1598. Collapse

Topics: armed conflict organization structure website database system terrorist incident

Methods: logistic regression descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test regression analysis method theory development

Theories: accountability theory

Examining the Use of Blockchain Technology in Virtual Worlds: A Socio-Technical Systems Perspective

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Augustin, Nils; Durani, Khalid; Kollmer, Tim; Eckhardt, Andreas

Abstract: Recent developments, including the rebranding of Facebook to Meta, have led to l ... Expand

Abstract: Recent developments, including the rebranding of Facebook to Meta, have led to large-scale media attention on the phenomenon of the Metaverse. Although not being a new phenomenon in Information Systems (IS) research, many intricacies in virtual worlds remain unexplored. In particular , prior research has directed attention to users‘ lack of ownership rights, creating tension between the creator and user. To solve this tension, we argue that blockchain technology can potentially help to structure ownership rights. Therefore, our research explores a blockchain-based Metaverse through the socio-technical system lens. Our study highlights that, in the underlying case, the use of blockchain technology goes beyond the application of Non- Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and can also be found in the general organizational structure, blurring the boundaries of existing stakeholders. Our work contributes to research by providing a gaze into blockchain-based Metaverses and highlighting the potential application and benefit of the technology in virtual worlds. Collapse

Topics: blockchain virtual reality virtual world organization structure non-fungible token

Methods: case study single case study

Theories: socio technical theory sociotechnical systems theory

The impact of enterprise architecture management on information systems architecture complexity

2023 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Beese, Jannis; Aier, Stephan; Haki, Kazem; Winter, Robert

Abstract: Significant investments in information systems (IS) over the past decades have l ... Expand

Abstract: Significant investments in information systems (IS) over the past decades have led to increasingly complex IS architectures in organisations, which are difficult to understand, operate, and maintain. We investigate this development and associated challenges through a conceptual model that distinguishes four constituent elements of IS architecture complexity by differentiating technological from organisational aspects and structural from dynamic aspects. Building on this conceptualisation, we hypothesise relations between these four IS architecture complexity constructs and investigate their impact on architectural outcomes (i.e., efficiency, flexibility, transparency, and predictability). Using survey data from 249 IS managers, we test our model through a partial least squares (PLS) approach to structural equation modelling (SEM). We find that organisational complexity drives technological complexity and that structural complexity drives dynamic complexity. We also demonstrate that increasing IS architecture complexity has a significant negative impact on efficiency, flexibility, transparency, and predictability. Finally, we show that enterprise architecture management (EAM) helps to offset these negative effects by acting as a moderator in the relation between organisational and technological IS architecture complexity. Thus, organisations without adequate EAM are likely to face large increases in technological complexity due to increasing organisational complexity, whereas organisations with adequate EAM exhibit no such relation. Collapse

Topics: enterprise architecture IT manager IT development project missing data organization structure

Methods: survey focus group survey design structural equation modeling partial least squares path modeling

INNOVATION ON THE VENDOR SIDE - ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF INNOVATION INITIATIVES ON OUTSOURCING PROVIDERS' PERFORMANCE

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Beimborn, Daniel; Mildenberger, Andreas

Abstract: Innovation through outsourcing' describes a firm's strategy to receive innovati ... Expand

Abstract: Innovation through outsourcing' describes a firm's strategy to receive innovation by outsourcing IT or IT-intensive processes to more competent and innovative service providers who, in turn, do not only operate those activities but also improve and innovate for or on behalf of their clients. This strategy has gathered some attention from recent research, though it has mainly examined the client perspective, yet. We contribute to this sub-field of outsourcing research by analyzing vendors' strategies to improve their innovation capability and thus to be more innovative for their clients. Based on a longitudinal dataset of 136 outsourcing vendors, we analyze which innovationenabling initiatives are related to superior firm performance (in terms of revenue growth). We find that particularly employee-involving initiatives are promising: outsourcing vendors that have implemented, e.g., idea/innovation platforms that support employee-driven innovation, receive above-average revenue growth. Collapse

Topics: innovation management outsourcing organizational productivity financial performance absorptive capacity

Methods: regression analysis method statistical hypothesis test longitudinal research Student's t-test linear regression analysis

Theories: dynamic capabilities theory

Attention to Digital Innovation: Exploring the Impact of a Chief Information Officer in the Top Management Team

2023 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Bendig, David; Wagner, Robin; Piening, Erk; Foege, Johann

Abstract: We draw on the attention-based view of the firm to examine whether and when the ... Expand

Abstract: We draw on the attention-based view of the firm to examine whether and when the presence of a CIO in the TMT has a positive effect on both firms' ideated digital innovation (IDI) (i.e., the intensity of firms' digital patenting activity) and commercialized digital innovation (CDI) (i.e., the digital sophistication of firms' new products). Building on the idea that attention processes are context dependent, we also explore the moderating roles of CEO characteristics (IT background and role tenure) as well as environmental characteristics (the industry's IT attention). We analyze data from a cross-industry panel of U.S. S&P 500 firms over eight years that includes up to 2,852 firm-year observations. The results indicate that CIO presence in the TMT is positively related to a firm's IDI and CDI. Furthermore, they show that the organizational context related to CEO characteristics moderates the CIO-CDI relationship and that the environmental context related to the industry's IT attention moderates the CIO-IDI relationship. Our research contributes to the information systems literature by providing robust evidence that CIO presence in the TMT positively influences a firm's digital innovation outcomes, showing how internal and external boundary conditions affect the work of CIOs, and elaborating the role of managerial attention as an underlying mechanism explaining digital innovation. Collapse

Topics: Chief Information Officer innovation management digital innovation research and development IT investment

Methods: regression analysis method theory development instrumental variables estimation Compustat descriptive statistic

Network Centralization and Collective Adaptability to a Shifting Environment

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 1

Authors: Bernstein, Ethan S.; Shore, Jesse C.; Jang, Alice J.

Abstract: We study the connection between communication network structure and an organizat ... Expand

Abstract: We study the connection between communication network structure and an organization’s collective adaptability to a shifting environment. Research has shown that network centralization—the degree to which communication flows disproportionately through one or more members of the organization rather than being more equally distributed—interferes with collective problem-solving by obstructing the integration of existing ideas, information, and solutions in the network. We hypothesize that the mechanisms responsible for that poor integration of ideas, information, and solutions would nevertheless prove beneficial for problems requiring adaptation to a shifting environment. We conducted a 1,620-subject randomized online laboratory experiment, testing the effect of seven network structures on problem-solving success. To simulate a shifting environment, we designed a murder mystery task and manipulated when each piece of information could be found: early information encouraged an inferior consensus, requiring a collective shift of solution after more information emerged. We find that when the communication network within an organization is more centralized, it achieves the benefits of connectivity (spread of novel better solutions) without the costs (getting stuck on an existing inferior solution). We also find, however, that these benefits of centralization only materialize in networks with two-way flow of information and not when information only flows from the center of the network outward (as can occur in hierarchical structures or digitally mediated communication). We draw on these findings to reconceptualize theory on the impact of centralization—and how it affects conformity pressure (lock-in) and awareness of diverse ideas (learning)—on collective problem-solving that demands adaptation.History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.Funding: The authors acknowledge financial support from the Division of Research at the Harvard Business School for making this research possible. Collapse

Topics: social influence problem solving internet technology social network debugging

Methods: experiment machine learning simulation Poisson regression logistic regression

Theories: organizational theory

Scaled Agile Framework Meets Traditional Management – A Case of a Financial Services Provider

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Bitzer, Michael; Brax, Franziska; Teuchert, Antonie

Abstract: Inspired by the success of agile practices in small teams, organizations seek t ... Expand

Abstract: Inspired by the success of agile practices in small teams, organizations seek to achieve agility at scale, leading to large-scale agile transformations. Several frameworks have been developed to guide organizations through this process. While multiple challenges for adopting scaled agile frameworks have already been identified, research on the interplay between traditional management approaches and scaled agile frameworks is scarce. We conduct an in-depth exploratory case study with a German financial services provider to identify tensions that arise when applying a scaled agile framework in a non-agile environment. As a result, we derive 13 tensions along with three areas: goal-setting, planning, and reporting. Thereby, we advance the understanding of tensions within large-scale agile transformations and provide a foundation for future research on scaled agile practices in traditional organizations. Further, we provide insights for managers to ensure the successful application of scaled agile frameworks. Collapse

Topics: scaled agile framework agile software development Scrum marketing management customer relationship management

Methods: qualitative interview design methodology case study triangulation personal interview