Role of Dynamic Capabilities for Digital Transformation : Developing Dynamic Capabilities Essential for Digital Transformation

Digital transformation pursued by firms is characterized by business distruptions and dynamic changes. Thus, the normal resource base and routine capabilitities are not adequate to manage these changes. ’Dynamic capabailities’, born out of strategic management studies are necessary to manage rapidly the distruptions to pursue the strategic objectives of digital transformation. In this study, 6 dynamic capabilities have been developed through strategic actions as creating and modifying the company’s resource base or integrating and reconfiguring its competences. They are identified either as ’first order’ or ’second order dynamic capabilties’. The results of this research further shows that firms that would have a strong resource base will have lesser firm specific ’second order dynamic capabilities’ while having more ’first order dynamic capabilities’ that would be more homogenous in the manufacturing industry at a higer level. The ’second order dynamic capabailties’ are extension of the ’first order’ and can be developed through the firm specific strategic actions performed to maintain the distruptions during digital transformation

Exploring Implementation Strategies of IoT Technology in Organizations: Technology, Organization, and Environment

AbstractAfter organizations successfully adopt the internet of things (IoT) technology, many corporate information technology (IT) leaders face challenges during the implementation phase. Corporate IT leaders\u27 potential failures in implementing IoT devices may impede organizations from integrating IoT solutions and promoting business benefits. Grounded in technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory, the purpose of this qualitative, pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies that corporate IT leaders use to implement IoT technology in their organizations. The participants were six corporate healthcare IT leaders who successfully used implementation strategies for implementing IoT solutions for their organizations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and industry security documents. After using the thematic analysis for the data analysis process, six themes were identified: using all identified internal project staff skills, aligning current IoT technology with business needs, using all identified current internal infrastructure, using all identified external support technologies, taking full advantage of vendor support, and using all identified external influencers and influences. A key recommendation for IT leaders is to use the IoT ecosystem from the implemented IoT solutions to promote benefits and profits. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve technology to support and encourage benefits to organizations and increase the number of organizations successfully implementing IoT technology. Businesses and end-users can benefit from the IoT ecosystem with IoT devices in smart cities, offices, hospitals, or homes

Exploring Implementation Strategies of IoT Technology in Organizations: Technology, Organization, and Environment

AbstractAfter organizations successfully adopt the internet of things (IoT) technology, many corporate information technology (IT) leaders face challenges during the implementation phase. Corporate IT leaders\u27 potential failures in implementing IoT devices may impede organizations from integrating IoT solutions and promoting business benefits. Grounded in technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory, the purpose of this qualitative, pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies that corporate IT leaders use to implement IoT technology in their organizations. The participants were six corporate healthcare IT leaders who successfully used implementation strategies for implementing IoT solutions for their organizations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and industry security documents. After using the thematic analysis for the data analysis process, six themes were identified: using all identified internal project staff skills, aligning current IoT technology with business needs, using all identified current internal infrastructure, using all identified external support technologies, taking full advantage of vendor support, and using all identified external influencers and influences. A key recommendation for IT leaders is to use the IoT ecosystem from the implemented IoT solutions to promote benefits and profits. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve technology to support and encourage benefits to organizations and increase the number of organizations successfully implementing IoT technology. Businesses and end-users can benefit from the IoT ecosystem with IoT devices in smart cities, offices, hospitals, or homes

How CIOs Engage Boards on Digitisation: The Case of Financial Services Companies in South Africa

Boards as custodians of companies have to understand and lead digital transformation. Chief Information Officers (CIOs) can assist with educating and advising the board on digital transformation, but how do CIOs engage boards on the matter? Digitisation is at the heart of the financial services companies. Accordingly, this dissertation focussed on companies in the financial services industry. The main research question for this dissertation is: how do CIOs of South African (SA) financial services companies engage boards on digitisation? A detailed literature review was conducted which suggested research questions on digitisation, the role of the board and the CIO’s, engagement between them, and performance. The interview schedule was based on the foregoing topics. The researcher adopted an interpretivist epistemological perspective to understand digitisation engagements from the perspectives of board members, non-IT executives, and CIOs. The researcher employed a qualitative research method to gain an in-depth understanding of the subject. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with board members, non-IT executives and CIOs from financial services companies. Six key themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the interviews, namely: digitisation, the board’s role, the CIO’s role, non-IT executives’ role, digitisation engagement, and value. It’s important to note that the non-IT executives’ role was an additional role that emerged from the thematic analysis, this role had not been discussed in the literature review. Non-IT executives owned strategy and owned digitisation initiatives. A new Chief Digital Officer (CDO) role also emerged from the thematic analysis as a sub-theme of the CIO’s role. The CDO’s mandate was to drive company-wide digitisation over and above the CIO’s role. Considering the six themes collectively, the three entities (boards, non-IT executives, & CIOs) have a key role to play pertaining to digitisation. The findings suggested that CIOs often engaged the board through board meetings, board committees, and ad-hoc engagements. CIOs often educated the board on digital technologies, digitisation opportunities and digitisation issues. Further, findings suggested that digitisation engagement influenced How CIOs Engage Boards on Digitisation: The Case of Financial Services Companies in South Africa - 2 - value (e.g. responding to digitisation opportunities & issues) rather than performance which was difficult to prove. The dissertation concludes with methodological, substantive and scientific reflections, and recommendations for practice and future research. The dissertation contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digitisation and demonstrates how the logic espoused in the Complex context of Snowden and Boone's (2007) Cynefin framework can be used to guide how CIOs and boards engage on digitisation

Smart Technology Adoption’s Impact on the Value of Logistics Service Providers’ Firms

Although it took a pandemic to raise awareness about supply chain issues in the minds of the public at large, industry players have long understood supply chain complexities—particularly in the face of continually evolving technologies and ever-more interconnected global enterprises. With Logistics 4.0 and the rapid developments in smart technologies, these complexities make the ongoing need for technology adoption even more complicated for logistics providers. While the literature regularly reports on the adoption of specific technologies, there is little research on the adoption process and even less that might guide providers in prioritizing their technology targets. This research examined the literature for drivers and consequences of technology adoption among providers, then tested those concepts through in-depth interviews with 40 senior-level executives at global logistics provider firms. Among the study’s findings are that the drivers and consequences of smart technology adoption are similar among logistics providers. However, firm size, business tenure, and client relationships moderate the adoption of these innovations. The study identifies incumbent people, processes, and systems as “excess baggage” that slows adoption because of adjustments needed to accommodate new technologies and creates bottlenecks for these firms. However, when combined with new competencies, streamlined processes, and proper change management, this baggage may improve firm performance because of the legacy processes integrated with customers’ supply chains. The study also developed a framework to inform practitioners’ adoption efforts. The framework addresses the research questions. It also recommends that to realize quicker revenue gains when adopting smart technology. Providers focus on two key drivers: customer relationships and market demands. This research also suggests that providers adopting smart technology leverage their incumbent human resources, processes, and technologies to deliver customer value and improve firm performance

Technological, organisational, and environmental factors affecting the adoption of blockchain-based distributed identity management in organisations

Background: Blockchain is a disruptive technology with the potential to innovate businesses. Ignoring or resisting it might result in a competitive disadvantage for organisations. Apart from its original financial application of cryptocurrency, other applications are emerging, the most common being supply chain management and e-voting systems. However, there is less focus on information and cybersecurity applications, especially from the enterprise perspective. This research addresses this knowledge gap, focussing on its application of distributed identity management in organisations. Objectives: The main objective is to investigate technological, organisational, and environmental (TOE) factors affecting the adoption of blockchain-based distributed identity management (BDIDM) in organisations to determine the most critical factors. Secondary objectives include determining whether the blockchain type affects BDIDM adoption and whether the TOE-BDIDM model measuring the phenomenon is effective and appropriate. But given the relative newness of blockchain, the initial goal consists of intensively exploring the topic to understand the practicality of adopting BDIDM in organisations and establishing whether claims made around it are factual than just due to the blockchain hype. Methodology: The study uses meta-synthesis to explore the topic, summarising 69 papers selected qualitatively from reputed academic sources. The study then surveys 111 information and cybersecurity practitioners selected randomly in South African organisations to investigate the TOE factors affecting BDIDM adoption. To do so, it utilises an online questionnaire rooted in an adapted TOE model called TOE-BDIDM as a data collection instrument. The analysis of this primary data is purely quantitative and includes (i) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) of the measurement model, i.e. confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); (ii) binary logistics regression analysis; and (iii) Chi-Square tests Results: Meta-synthesis revealed theoretical grounds underlying claims made around the topic while spotting diverging views about BDIDM practicality for the enterprise context. It also identifies the TOE theory as more suitable to explain the phenomenon. Binary logistics regression modelling reveals that TOE factors do affect BDIDM adoption in organisations, either positively or negatively. The factors predict BDIDM adopters and non-adopters, with Technology Characteristics being the most critical factor and the most that could predict BDIDM non-adopters. Organisation Readiness was the second critical factor, the most that could predict BDIDM adopters. Overall, TOE-BDIDM effectively predicted 92.5% of adopters and 45.2% of non-adopters. CFA indicates that TOE-BDIDM appropriateness for investigating the phenomenon is relatively fair. The Chi-Square tests reveal a significant association between Blockchain Type and BDIDM adoption. Implications: The discussion highlights various implications of the above findings, including the plausibility of the impartiality of typical privacy-preserving BDIDM models like the Selfsovereign identity: The majority of respondents preferred private permissioned blockchain, which tends to be centralised, more intermediated, and less privacy-preserving. The rest implications relate to the disruptiveness nature of BDIDM and the BDIDM adoption being more driven by technological than organisational or environmental factors. The study ends by reflecting on the research process and providing fundamental limitations and recommendations for future researc