How Enterprises Adopt Agile Forms of Organizational Design: A Multiple-Case Study

2020 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Gerster, Daniel; Dremel, Christian; Brenner, Walter; Kelker, Prashant

Abstract: The question of how to increase speed and flexibility in times of digital disrup ... Expand

Abstract: The question of how to increase speed and flexibility in times of digital disruption is essential to almost any company. While previous research mainly addresses agility in the context of information systems development, as form for organizing startups or "born digital" companies, little knowledge exists about the adoption of agile practices and structures at established enterprises. With an exploratory study of fifteen global cases, we aim at examining how established enterprises adopt and scale agile forms of organizational design. We found that (1) agile forms of organizational design are currently adopted by enterprises at large scale, (2) agile forms of organizational design are adopted not only by IT, but successively also by business units and in contexts outside information systems development, and (3) while Spotify's organization serves as a widespread template for a fully agile unit, enterprises adapt and fine-tune this template according to their needs and scale. We identified three additional models for fully agile forms of organizational design where a fully agile unit with cross-product support is the most frequently observed model. Collapse

Topics: agile software development digital service Spotify innovation management business model

Methods: case study qualitative interview multiple case study design methodology survey

Theories: ambidexterity theory

Contrasting Internationalization Paths of Product- and Service-oriented Software Firms

2019 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Ojala, Arto; Rönkkö, Mikko; Peltonen, Juhana

Abstract: The internationalization of software firms has been widely researched topic over ... Expand

Abstract: The internationalization of software firms has been widely researched topic over the last two decades. However, the most of the studies have treated software firms as a homogeneous group, ignoring the fact that software firms actually differ greatly in terms of having either a product or a service orientation. Based on earlier literature, we hypothesized that software product firms would show a tendency to internationalize earlier and at a smaller size than software service firms, and that product firms would show a greater tendency to target countries that are both geographically and culturally distant. In fact, we found no support for most of our hypotheses, with relatively strong and statistically significant results emerging in the opposite direction. We offer several explanations for these counterintuitive findings. Collapse

Topics: software license computer hardware software as a service database system systems development

Methods: survey regression analysis method triangulation descriptive statistic longitudinal research

Theories: internationalization theory

Generating Value Through Open Source: Software Service Market Regulation and Licensing Policy

2018 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: August, Terrence; Shin, Hyoduk; Tunca, Tunay I.

Abstract: In the software industry, commercial open-source software vendors have recognize ... Expand

Abstract: In the software industry, commercial open-source software vendors have recognized that providing services to help businesses derive greater value in the implementation of open source–based systems can be a profitable business model. Moreover, society may greatly benefit when software originators choose an open-source development strategy as their products become widely available, readily customizable, and open to community contributions. In this study, we present an economic model to study how software licensing attributes affect a software originator’s decisions, aiming to provide policy makers with insights into how welfare-improving, open-source outcomes can be incentivized. We show that when a competing contributor is apt at reaping the benefits of software development investment, a less restrictive open source license (e.g., Berkeley Software Distribution, or BSD style) can improve welfare. On the other hand, when the originator is better at leveraging investment and service costs are high, a more restrictive license (e.g., General Public License, or GPL style) can be best for social welfare even when a contributor can cost-efficiently develop the software. Collapse

Topics: open source IS economics price management economic surplus system quality

Methods: sensitivity analysis economic model

The Effect of Big Data and Analytics on Firm Performance: An Econometric Analysis Considering Industry Characteristics

2018 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 81

Authors: Müller, Oliver; Fay, Maria; Vom Brocke, Jan

Abstract: The emergence of big data has stimulated enormous investments into business anal ... Expand

Abstract: The emergence of big data has stimulated enormous investments into business analytics solutions, but large-scale and reliable empirical evidence about the business value of big data and analytics (BDA) remains scarce. This article presents the results of an econometric study that analyzes the direction, sign, and magnitude of the relationship between BDA and firm performance based on objective measurements of BDA assets. Using a unique panel data set that contains detailed information about BDA solutions owned by 814 companies during the time frame from 2008 to 2014, on the one hand, and their financial performance, on the other hand, we estimate the relationship between BDA assets and firm productivity and find that live BDA assets are associated with an average of 3-7 percent improvement in firm productivity. Yet we also find substantial differences in returns from BDA when we consider the industry in which a firm operates. While firms in information technology- intensive or highly competitive industries are clearly able to extract value from BDA assets, we did not detect measurable productivity improvement for firms outside these industry groups. Taken together, our findings provide robust empirical evidence for the business value of BDA, but also highlight important boundary conditions. Collapse

Topics: organizational productivity productivity organizational value enterprise resource planning big data

Methods: econometric modeling longitudinal research instrumental variables estimation Compustat statistical power analysis

A Theory of Responsive Design: A Field Study of Corporate Engagement with Open Source Communities

2017 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 28

Authors: Germonprez, Matt; Kendall, Julie E.; Kendall, Kenneth E.; Mathiassen, Lars; Young, Brett; Warner, Brian

Abstract: Although our general knowledge about open source communities is extensive, we ar ... Expand

Abstract: Although our general knowledge about open source communities is extensive, we are only beginning to understand the increasingly common practices by which corporations design software through engagement with these communities. In response, we combine design theorizing with field-study research (1) to analyze rich qualitative data from over 40 corporations participating in the Linux open source community and (2) to synthesize the observed corporate-open source community engagements into a new type of information systems design theory that we call responsive design. Empirically, we document how corporate participants in these contexts respond to market decisions, interdependent ideologies, and distributed relationships by continuously establishing and maintaining connections with community members; connections that stem from the social and material rules inherent in the open source community. Based on these observations, we create the theory of responsive design as a particular form of corporate software design which, beyond the inclusion of external participants, distinguishes itself from traditional monocentric design in which one corporation controls a dedicated team of software designers focused on solving an isolated and singular organizational problem. Guided by the principles of interconnection, opportunism, and domestication, we define responsive design as the kind of design approach that enables corporate participants to create and maintain productive design practices in response to the complex and dynamic landscapes of activities that are the foundation of corporate-communal engagements. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of this new form of corporate software design. Collapse

Topics: open source community open source online community Linux systems design

Methods: qualitative interview field study design theory focus group theory development

Going Paperless with Electronic Data Safes: Information Ecology Fit and Challenges

2016 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Pfister, Joachim; Schwabe, Gerhard

Abstract: In private households, once received paper-based documents are increasingly subs ... Expand

Abstract: In private households, once received paper-based documents are increasingly substituted by electronic documents. In order to “get organized”, an individual nowadays needs to oversee a plethora of digital and physical information items stored at various locations. As a technological solution, cloud-based storage services such as an Electronic Data Safe (EDS) emerge as a home for all digital valuables. In this paper, we analyze how such an EDS fits into an individual’s information ecology by drawing upon the results of a qualitative interview study with 39 users of three different EDS services. We develop a typology of the content that is kept safe in an EDS, reflect upon the motivations and upon an EDS’s role with respect to other cloud-based storage services individuals are using. The challenges of maintaining a digital, personal archive are depicted and “data value zones” are introduced as a sensitizing concept to reflect upon problematic areas. Collapse

Topics: digital ecosystem cloud storage cloud computing password Google+

Methods: qualitative interview personal interview qualitative content analysis qualitative coding literature study

Theories: social practice theory theory of affordance co-evolution theory

Enhancing Strategic IT Alignment through Common Language: Using the Terminology of the Resource-based View or the Capability-based View?

2015 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Amiri, Amin Khodabandeh; Cavusoglu, Hasan; Benbasat, Izak

Abstract: Despite all the studies on alignment in the past 30 years, alignment is still CI ... Expand

Abstract: Despite all the studies on alignment in the past 30 years, alignment is still CIOs’ top concern, denoting the lack of prescriptive studies on antecedents of alignment. Particularly, shared language between CIO and top management team is one of the most important yet neglected antecedent of alignment. While previous studies suggest CIOs avoid technical language and use business terminologies, they do not provide further details. The purpose of this study is to prescribe guidance for CIOs regarding the terminologies that should be used in a conversation with the top management team. Leveraging the literature on strategic management, we suggest CIOs apply the nomenclature of theories of Resource-based View or Capability-base View instead of technical jargons. Moreover, using the Semantic Memory Theory, we hypothesized that applying the nomenclature of Capability-based View results in higher top managers’ understanding of the role of IT. An experiment is suggested to evaluate the hypotheses. Collapse

Topics: Chief Information Officer strategic management competitive advantage IT alignment Apache Hadoop

Methods: statistical hypothesis test experiment survey card sorting design science

Theories: resource based view of the firm

Institutional Investors and the Development of IT Capability: Evidence from Publicly Listed Companies

2014 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Schäfferling, André; Wagner, Heinz-Theo

Abstract: Investors often influence the strategic decisions of their holdings, such as lon ... Expand

Abstract: Investors often influence the strategic decisions of their holdings, such as long-term orientation and investments in intangible assets. Investigating IT capability as a strategic asset, we examine the influence of institutional shareholders’ investment horizon and blockholdings on the development of organizational IT capability. We perform a panel data analysis of eleven years of archival data from publicly listed U.S. companies. Our findings show a positive relationship between a firm’s ownership structure and the development of its IT capability. In particular, we find that equity owners that remain invested over long periods of time increase firms’ likelihood of developing a continuous IT capability. In contrast, investors that can be classified as blockholders do not exert significant influence on their portfolio firms. By linking accounting research on firm ownership with ongoing IS research on IT capability, we provide new insides into the firm-level benefits of long-term oriented institutional investors on IT capability. Collapse

Topics: information technology capability accounting logistics management software license IT project

Methods: longitudinal research robustness check statistical hypothesis test hierarchical linear modeling archival research

The Firm as a Coordination System: Evidence from Software Services Offshoring

2014 | Organization Science | Citations: 17

Authors: Srikanth, Kannan; Puranam, Phanish

Abstract: To examine what, if any, are the differences in how activities are coordinated w ... Expand

Abstract: To examine what, if any, are the differences in how activities are coordinated within versus between firms, we conducted interviews with 32 project managers regarding 60 projects in the offshore software services industry. Uniquely, our projects were sampled along two dimensions: (1) colocation versus spatial distribution and (2) delivery by groups of individuals from a single firm versus from multiple firms. Our evidence suggests that in colocated projects, the same broad categories of coordination mechanisms are used both within and between firms. However, there is a qualitative difference in how geographically (i.e., spatially) distributed projects are coordinated within versus between firms. Distributed projects conducted within firms rely extensively on tacit coordination mechanisms; such mechanisms are not readily available in between-firm projects that are spatially distributed. This difference may arise because of the lack of shared history and lack of enforcement through common authority in the between-firm context. Collapse

Topics: offshoring onshoring communication service infrastructure video conference electronic mail

Methods: qualitative interview design science capability maturity model qualitative content analysis

A Real Options Model for Generalized Meta-Staged Projects—Valuing the Migration to SOA

2013 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Ghosh, Suvankar; Li, Xiaolin

Abstract: This paper develops an innovative real options (RO) model for valuing multistage ... Expand

Abstract: This paper develops an innovative real options (RO) model for valuing multistage information technology (IT) projects that can be viewed as comprising meta stages. In RO literature, multistage investment programs have been treated as either interproject or intraproject programs, with intraproject programs being evaluated using n-fold Geske compound options and interproject programs valued using the so-called “subsidy-to-exercise price” logic. Our innovative RO model integrates the Geske compound option model with the subsidy-to-exercise price approach to value sequential investment programs that are neither purely interproject nor purely intraproject in nature but are composed of meta-stages. A meta-stage as a whole can be considered an interproject stage resulting in cash flows, but internally it consists of several intraproject stages that do not result in cash flows. We show that a key problem in IT, which is migrating to a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) for integrating a firm's many disparate applications, systems, data, and business processes, is best viewed as an investment program comprising meta-stages. Examining SOA migration from an RO lens is particularly apt at this time not only because of the importance of SOA but also because doubts have surfaced about the value of SOA. We illustrate our RO model by applying it to the simulated case of a firm migrating to SOA. We also develop a software tool based on the MathematicaTM computational platform so that practitioners can easily apply our innovative options pricing model to determine the true value of SOA in their business contexts. Collapse

Topics: price management IT investment web service computer hardware internet technology

Methods: computational algorithm sensitivity analysis descriptive statistic