INCREMENTAL INNOVATION BY DESIGN: A DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES PERSPECTIVE (44)

Drawing together knowledge and research from a variety of fields, it is demonstrated that although IT-enabled innovation might be critical to the long-term success of all organisations, it is not an ambition that is always easy to achieve. Consequently, the broad purpose of this short, conceptual paper is to both provide an overview of our proposed, new approach to innovation - Incremental Innovation by Design – and to reflect upon the role dynamic capabilities may have to play in supporting its successful deployment. In so doing, we introduce a provisional research agenda, to indicate how our research interests may be productively developed in the future

Digital Leadership

Customers are demanding services using evolving technologies, and firms need agility in the way systems are designed and delivered to quickly meet customer expectations. Such agility is in fact an organizational capability where a combination of internal and supplier/partner resources allow firms to quickly create customer value propositions and deliver value through digital services, that is, services using advanced digitization. Leadership that enables such a customer-centric and service-driven culture using technology is referred to as digital leadership. This chapter develops a 10-step methodology not only to show how an innovative value proposition moves from conception to implementation using an agile system and business architecture, but also to lead to the next set of innovations for review. This methodology, developed over four years iteratively using over 100 graduate student projects, is briefly illustrated through two case examples

Integrating Emerging Technologies in IT Services Companies – The “Driver” CIO

The task of the CIO or information technology (IT) manager is to steer the technology base of the company in the right direction with the right solution choices. To innovate their business models companies often rely on emerging technologies in IT (EIT). Disruption introduced by EIT affects the ability of IT organizations to sustain the continuity of services required by the business. Therefore, IT organizations are reluctant to act quickly to integrate EIT. Through in-depth case studies in IT services companies, field interviews and focus group discussions with practitioners who underwent business model innovations based on IT, the research attempts to learn what mechanisms CIOs adopt to motivate IT organizations to innovate. Whilst proposing several directions for future research, this study offers an empirically supported CIO typology in the context of business model innovation based on IT

Using a Business Case Throughout an Investment: An Exploratory Case Study on a Business Case Process

A discretionary information technology (IT) enabled business investment is often associated with an enterprise-wide transformation (e.g. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) investment). Although it may deliver operational excellence and a competitive advantage, it is a risky endeavour with high failure rates. One of the critical factors to achieve a successful outcome is to develop a sound business case. In response to a lack of business case knowledge, Ward, Daniel, and Peppard (2008) designed a business case development process. The process ends on investment approval while others scholars call for a continuous business case process used throughout the entire investment life cycle. The present paper responds to this call with an exploratory case study and identifies multiple business case tasks which complement the process of Ward et al. (2008) resulting in an initial business case process

THE STRUCTURAL ANCHORING OF IS/IT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT: TOWARD AN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN THEORY

The importance of information systems and information technology (IS/IT) is growing constantly, reaching top positions on agendas of CEOs, which is fueled by current discussions about digitization and digital transformation. To gain or maintain competitive advantages, many organizations have started conducting systematic IS/IT innovation management. Empirical research has shown that cur-rent initiatives are still immature and unsuccessful. An analysis of the obstacles shows that a missing or inadequate organizational structure is one of the main challenges. Nevertheless, research on this issue is still scarce. This gap motivates our research, which aims to develop a design theory for insti-tutionalizing IS/IT innovation management. To derive our results, we conducted an exploratory inter-view study, comprising ten expert interviews. We identified eight meta-requirements for a successful institutionalization. We also found that there is no “one-fits-all solution”, therefore we present six design variants and formulate propositions about the implications of each variant for the fulfillment of the meta-requirements. As a next research step, we will initiate an evaluation cycle to increase our theory’s validity and utility. Our design theory helps practitioners to find the right variant for institu-tionalizing IS/IT innovation management and contributes to the nascent body of knowledge on IS/IT innovation management

Review: Disruptive Innovation & Information Technology – Charting a path

While it has been established that the Information technology (IT) capability of an organization contributes to its ability to innovate and respond to threats, very little has been done in understanding the significance, if any, of the role of IT in disruptive innovation (DI) scenarios. This paper systematically reviews prior research on the concept of DI in relation to IT. Importantly, this paper lays out a research agenda for the exploration of IT and IS research on the subject of DI. Topical questions are raised and calls are made for further studies to position the relevance of IT/IS to the maturing discussion of disruptive innovation. Concurrently, a general review of the evolution of the theory of disruptive innovation and its current status is also presented. A framework classifying disruptive innovation based on typology and definitions is demonstrated in tandem with ensuing questions on the role of information technology

Australasian Conference on Information Systems

While it has been established that the Information technology (IT) capability of an organization contributes to its ability to innovate and respond to threats, very little has been done in understanding the significance, if any, of the role of IT in disruptive innovation (DI) scenarios. This paper systematically reviews prior research on the concept of DI in relation to IT. Importantly, this paper lays out a research agenda for the exploration of IT and IS research on the subject of DI. Topical questions are raised and calls are made for further studies to position the relevance of IT/IS to the maturing discussion of disruptive innovation. Concurrently, a general review of the evolution of the theory of disruptive innovation and its current status is also presented. A framework classifying disruptive innovation based on typology and definitions is demonstrated in tandem with ensuing questions on the role of information technology.</p

Discovering the Role of Information Technology In Disruptive Innovations - Enabler, Sustainer or Barrier

IT Capability has traditionally been used as one of the constructs used to high-light the value of IT both to competitive advantage and firm performance. However, a school of thought is rising with the banner that IT no longer matters as a source of competitive advantage. The argument is that IT is becoming a utility like electricity and organizations need to look elsewhere for unique competitive advantage. This dissertation is therefore positioned to investigate the value (if any) of IT in today’s organisations particularly in disruptive innovation scenarios. Disruptive innovations (DI) are innovations that typically gain initial adoption at the fringe of a market but gradually attract the mainstream customers of an established firm thereby threatening the survival of such firms. Disruptive Innovations have caused leading firms to drop from their esteemed position not because of bad management or lack of technological skills but because they introduce a different set of business rules and performance measures. Therefore, DI can be a source of competitive advantage for the firm that successfully implements it and a cause for alarm for firms facing such disruptions. By adopting a qualitative study and extensive review of literature and secondary data, the dissertation explores how IT plays a role in disruptive innovations in two streams – IT as DI and IT for DI. IT as DI considers - what is the significance of IT when the disruptive innovation is a digital/IT Innovation? While IT for DI considers - what is the essence of IT in the creation or response to disruptive innovations (regardless of the type of innovation)? For the IT as DI study, the dissertation advances a theoretical proposition of Wickempowerment using the theory of empowerment and wicked problems to articulate the identified duality when a disruptive innovation is also a digital/IT innovation. Using IT capability as a theoretical lens for the IT for DI study, the dissertation posits that IT remains a potent source of competitive advantage in two ways. These are conceptualized as Disrupt-ability (ability to create disruptive innovations) and Disruptability (ability to be disrupted or expressed conversely as ability to respond to disruptive innovation threats). With this theoretical conceptualization, we articulate three roles of IT capabilities in disruptive innovations – IT as an enabler, IT as a sustainer and IT as a barrier.Yrityksen kykyä hyödyntää tietotekniikkaa (IT) on perinteisesti tutkimuksessa tarkasteltu yhtenä merkittävänä yrityksen tulokseen ja kilpailukykyyn vaikuttavana tekijänä. Toisaalta osa tutkijoista on esittänyt, että tietotekniikka ei enää ole merkittävä kilpailuedun lähde. Tämän näkemyksen mukaan tietotekniikka on sähköverkkojen tavoin osa kaikille yhteistä infrastruktuuria ja organisaatioiden tulisi hakea muita tapoja erottautua kilpailijoistaan. Tämä väitöskirja asemoituukin tutkimaan sitä, millainen arvo tietotekniikalla on yritysten markkina-asemaa voimakkaasti muuttavien disruptiivisten innovaatioiden (DI) muotoutumisessa. Disruptiiviset innovaatiot on määritelty innovaatioiksi, jotka alkuvaiheessa kiinnostavat vain pientä osaa toimialan asiakkaista, mutta jotka vähitellen tavoittavat myös suuria asiakasryhmiä ja näin uhkaavat alan perinteisten suurten yritysten markkina-asemaa. Muutos ei siis johdu välttämättä huonosta johtamisesta tai puutteellisista teknisistä taidoista, vaan siitä, että innovaatio muuttaa alan liiketoiminnan sääntöjä ja menestystekijöitä. Yrityksen kyky tuoda tällainen uusi innovaatio markkinoille voi siis tuoda yritykselle merkittävää kilpailuetua, mutta samalla sen tulisi herättää alan muut yritykset vastaamaan uuden innovaation aiheuttamiin muutoksiin. Käsillä oleva tutkimus hyödyntää laadullisen tutkimuksen ja systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen menetelmiä tarkastellakseen tietotekniikan roolia sekä tietotekniikkaan perustuvissa innovaatioissa erityisesti (IT as DI) että liiketoimintaan liittyvissä innovaatioissa yleisemmin (IT for DI). Ensimmäinen tutkimuskysymys (IT as DI) siis tarkastelee erityisesti digitaalisten innovaatioiden syntyä ja vaikutuksia. Toisen tutkimuskysymyksen kautta (IT for DI) huomio kohdistuu tietotekniikan rooliin liiketoiminnan innovaatioiden luomisessa ja innovaatioihin vastaamisessa (innovaation tyypistä riippumatta). Digitaalisten innovaatioiden tarkastelussa teoreettisena viitekehyksenä hyödynnetään monitahoisten ja vaikeasti ratkaistavien ongelmien käsittelyyn ja voimaistamiseen liittyvää kirjallisuutta. Näin tarkasteltuna digitaalisissa innovaatioissa voidaan erottaa kahdensuuntaiset (positiiviset ja negatiiviset) vaikutukset niin yksilöiden, yritysten kuin yhteiskunnankin tasolla. Toisen tutkimuskysymyksen tarkastelu perustuu IT kyvykkyyksiä käsittelevään tutkimukseen. Tältä osin tutkimuksessa esitetään, että IT voi tuottaa yritykselle kilpailuetua kahdella eri tavalla: IT kyvykkyydet ovat osa yrityksen kykyä luoda uusia disruptiivisia innovaatioita (Disrupt-ability), IT kyvykkyyksien puuttuminen taas voi heikentää yrityksen kykyä vastata muiden luomiin innovaatioihin (Disruptability). Tämän teoreettisen viitekehyksen kautta IT kyvykkyyksilletunnistetaan kolme roolia disruptiivisissa innovaatioissa: IT mahdollistajana, IT ylläpitäjänä ja IT esteenä.Siirretty Doriast

Building IT-Enabled Innovation Capabilities at Intel

IT units are increasingly being asked to improve the innovative capabilities of their enterprises. However, few chief information officers (CIOs), or indeed their business counterparts, feel their IT units have the competencies and credibility to deliver on those demands.This case describes how Intel’s IT function rose to the challenge. It developed a network of innovation centers, a set of methods and enabling tools, a dedicated innovation delivery team, a clear delivery process, and numerous training programs and innovator workshops, all brought to fruition through a bootstrap-oriented funding approach.Three years after launching its innovation initiatives, IT was the fastest-growing contributor to Intel’s intellectual capital, and IT innovations had delivered significant business benefits. The innovation capabilities enabled by Intel’s IT units have become an important contributor to the firm’s strategy of building competitive advantage through innovation.The Intel case provides seven lessons for CIOs aiming to build innovation capabilities: (1) Take the lead in innovation; (2) Build momentum and use it to expand scope; (3) Measure value and publicize progress; (4) Culture is not a prerequisite; (5) Build an enabling environment and infrastructure for innovation; (6) Don’t innovate alone; and (7) Gain and maintain executive support

Exploring the Framework of Digital Transformation: A Multilevel Investigation from an Organizational and Employee Perspective

Les tecnologies digitals estan revolucionant les indústries, les organitzacions i les persones a tot el món. En aquest context, sorgeixen noves oportunitats i amenaces per a les organitzacions que requereixen respostes estratègiques i de comportament. Aquesta tesi doctoral va sorgir a partir de la pregunta sobre com el fenomen de la transformació digital impacta a les organitzacions i els empleats en un entorn disruptiu. La motivació inicial resideix en l'entorn digital en canvi constant que genera incerteses i la necessitat de canviar les estratègies digitals de les empreses, en l'economia global, per continuar sent competitius i atraure empleats. Per tant, aquesta tesi té com a objectiu explorar el marc de la transformació digital mitjançant una investigació multinivell des d'una perspectiva organitzacional i dels empleats. La investigació existent fins ara no té evidència empírica sobre predictors crítics i conseqüències d'una transformació digital amb èxit per a les empreses. A més, la pandèmia recent i les oportunitats digitals han conduït a una ràpida transformació digital del lloc de treball que ha afectat els empleats en diferents àmbits. Per tant, els dos primers articles d’aquesta tesi presenten un marc per garantir l’èxit de la transformació digital de les empreses, aprofitant les capacitats dinàmiques. El tercer article introdueix l’experiència de l’empleat i posa èmfasi en la cultura digital de les organitzacions. Els dos darrers articles d'aquesta investigació aprofundeixen en la transformació del lloc de treball digital i tanquen la bretxa del marc de la transformació digital. Es van fer múltiples estudis consecutius per assolir els objectius de recerca d'aquesta tesi. Començant amb les troballes d'un estudi de cas de múltiples indústries amb nou empreses multinacionals (article A i article D), es va fer un estudi quantitatiu posterior amb dades d'enquestes de executius d'empreses i TI espanyols (article B i article C). Els estudis anteriors es van complementar amb una investigació quantitativa de les preferències laborals dels empleats al mercat nord-americà per seguir un enfocament generalitzable (article E). Les troballes exploradores inicials indiquen que les capacitats dinàmiques i els valors culturals digitals influeixen en l'èxit de la transformació digital. La següent anàlisi quantitativa dona suport al paper de les capacitats i mostra que la transformació digital augmenta encara més el rendiment de l'empresa. A més, els resultats indiquen que la transformació digital condueix al compromís organitzacional dels empleats quan la relació és intervinguda pel lideratge digital i l'aprenentatge continu. Finalment, aquesta tesi estudia el futur del treball destacant la importància de les habilitats crítiques al lloc de treball digital i les preferències dels empleats al lloc de treball híbrid. En general, aquesta investigació explora el marc de la transformació digital i, per tant, representa un avenç substancial a la literatura acadèmica actual. Més precisament aquesta tesi assegura l'avenç de la teoria en aclarir el concepte d'èxit de la transformació digital entenent els facilitadors en termes de capacitats dinàmiques i valors culturals digitals. Especialment, aquest treball se centra a analitzar el paper del lideratge digital, de l'aprenentatge continu i dels nous coneixements sobre habilitats crítiques al lloc de treball digital, així com la rellevància d'un lloc de treball híbrid per al futur del treball. En considerar tres vies de recerca, (1) l'èxit de la transformació digital, (2) la cultura digital i l'experiència de l'empleat, i (3) la transformació del lloc de treball digital, aquesta tesi doctoral suposa un avenç en el coneixement acadèmic actual sobre transformació digital a les empreses i ofereix importants implicacions pràctiques.Las tecnologías digitales están revolucionando las industrias, las organizaciones y las personas en todo el mundo. En este contexto, surgen nuevas oportunidades y amenazas para las organizaciones que requieren de respuestas estratégicas y de comportamiento. Esta tesis doctoral surgió´ a partir de la pregunta sobre cómo el fenómeno de la transformación digital impacta en las organizaciones y los empleados en un entorno disruptivo. La motivación inicial reside en el entorno digital en constante cambio que genera incertidumbres y la necesidad de cambiar las estrategias digitales de las empresas, en la economía global, para seguir siendo competitivos y atraer empleados. Por lo tanto, esta tesis tiene como objetivo explorar el marco de la transformación digital mediante una investigación multinivel desde una perspectiva organizacional y de los empleados. La investigación existente hasta el momento carece de evidencia empírica sobre predictores críticos y consecuencias de una transformación digital exitosa para las empresas. Además, la reciente pandemia y las oportunidades digitales han conducido a una rápida transformación digital del lugar de trabajo que ha afectado a los empleados en diferentes ámbitos. Por lo tanto, los dos primeros artículos de esta tesis presentan un marco para garantizar el éxito de la transformación digital de las empresas, aprovechando las capacidades dinámicas. El tercer artículo introduce la experiencia del empleado y pone énfasis en la cultura digital de las organizaciones. Los dos últimos artículos de esta investigación profundizan en la transformación del lugar de trabajo digital y cierran la brecha del marco de la transformación digital. Se realizaron múltiples estudios consecutivos para lograr los objetivos de investigación de esta tesis. Comenzando con los hallazgos de un estudio de caso de múltiples industrias con nueve empresas multinacionales (artículo A y artículo D), se realizó´ posteriormente un estudio cuantitativo con datos de encuestas de directivos de empresas y TI españoles (artículo B y artículo C). Los estudios anteriores se complementaron con una investigación cuantitativa de las preferencias laborales de los empleados en el mercado estadounidense para seguir un enfoque generalizable (artículo E). Los hallazgos exploratorios iniciales indican que las capacidades dinámicas y los valores culturales digitales influyen en el éxito de la transformación digital. El siguiente análisis cuantitativo respalda el papel de las capacidades y muestra que la transformación digital aumenta aún más el rendimiento de la empresa. Además, los resultados indican que la transformación digital conduce al compromiso organizacional de los empleados cuando la relación está mediada por el liderazgo digital y el aprendizaje continuo. Por último, esta tesis estudia el futuro del trabajo destacando la importancia de las habilidades criticas en el lugar de trabajo digital y las preferencias de los empleados en el lugar de trabajo hibrido. En general, esta investigación explora el marco de la transformación digital y, por lo tanto, representa un avance sustancial a la literatura académica actual. Más concretamente, esta tesis asegura el avance de la teoría al aclarar el concepto de éxito de la transformación digital entendiendo a los facilitadores en términos de capacidades dinámicas y valores culturales digitales. Especialmente, este trabajo se centra en analizar el papel del liderazgo digital, del aprendizaje continuo y de los nuevos conocimientos sobre habilidades criticas en el lugar de trabajo digital, así como la relevancia de un lugar de trabajo hibrido para el futuro del trabajo. Al considerar tres vías de investigación, (1) el éxito de la transformación digital, (2) la cultura digital y la experiencia del empleado, y (3) la transformación del lugar de trabajo digital, esta tesis doctoral supone un avance en el conocimiento académico actual sobre transformación digital en las empresas y ofrece importantes implicaciones prácticas.Digital technologies are disrupting industries, organizations, and individuals globally. New opportunities and threats arise and require strategic and behavioral responses. This dissertation emerged from the question of how the phenomenon of digital transformation impacts organizations and employees in a disruptive environment. The initial motivation is the constantly changing digital environment leading to uncertainties and the need for shifted digital strategies in the global economy to stay competitive and attract employees. Therefore, this dissertation aims to explore the digital transformation framework by doing a multilevel investigation from an organizational and employee perspective. Existing research lacks empirical evidence on critical predictors and consequences of a successful digital transformation for businesses. Further, the recent pandemic and digital opportunities led to a rapid digital workplace transformation impacting employees. Thus, the first two papers of this dissertation form a framework for digital transformation success, drawing on an organizational resource-based view. The third paper introduces the employee experience and puts an emphasis on the digital culture of organizations. The last two articles of this investigation dive into the digital workplace transformation and close the bracket of the framework of digital transformation. Multiple consecutive studies were conducted to achieve the research objectives of this dissertation. Starting with the findings from a multiple-industry case study with multinational firms (paper A and paper D), three research streams were followed. A subsequent quantitative study was performed with survey data from Spanish IT and business executives (paper B and paper C). The previous work was complemented with a quantitative investigation of digital workplace transformation to follow a generalizable approach (paper E). Initial exploratory findings indicate that dynamic capabilities and digital cultural values influence digital transformation success. The following quantitative analysis supports the role of capabilities and shows that digital transformation further increases firm performance. Also, results indicate that digital transformation leads to employees’ organizational commitment when the relationship is mediated by digital leadership and continuous learning. Lastly, this dissertation studies the future of work by highlighting the importance of critical skills in the digital workplace and employees’ hybrid workplace preferences. Overall, this research explores the framework of digital transformation and thereby contributes to academic literature. More precisely, this dissertation ensures theory advancement by clarifying the concept of digital transformation success, understanding facilitators in terms of dynamic capabilities and digital cultural values, especially with a focus on digital leadership and continuous learning, and lastly, new knowledge on critical skills in the digital workplace and the relevance of a hybrid workplace setting for the future of work. By considering three research avenues, (1) digital transformation success, (2) digital culture and employee experience, and (3) digital workplace transformation, this dissertation contributes to future work on digital transformation and its implications for practice