Digital Ecodynamics in Small Firms: Using Information Technology to Compete

In this article, we describe the co-evolution and fusing of business and digital technology strategies, investments in technology, the digitization of business processes, and related impacts in small firms we have studied. These firms relied heavily on digital technologies, with several focusing on maximizing cost efficiencies and developing the ability to scale rapidly and effectively using cloud-based platforms. The firms relied on early adoption of digital technology, and technical agility, to create business opportunities and competitive advantages. We used what we learned in our study to create a framework to inform research and practice. We invite practitioners to use this framework to think through business decisions when launching or repositioning small digital technology-enabled firms. Our study provides new insights into technology-enabled innovation and digital business strategy as well as firm capabilities required to compete in an increasingly digital and global business environment

Digital Innovation: A Frugal Ecosystem Perspective

In this conceptual paper, we attempt to answer the question: How do firms develop frugal IT capabilities in a resource-constrained ecosystem? Frugal firms tend to successfully overcome severe infrastructure, financial, social, and technological constraints. Frugal IT Innovation” is a special case of frugal innovation where IT/IS play a pivotal, core role in enabling capabilities to overcome challenges of resource-constrained business environments. It is centered on development of products/services with a sharp focus on affordability, simplicity, and sustainability. Taking a digital ecodynamics perspective, we focus on the co-evolution of firm-level capabilities, the frugal ecosystem, and underlying IT systems to uncover how a dynamic, higher-order, frugal IT innovation capability (FITIC) drives firm performance. Due to unique ecosystem conditions, we measure firm performance by including social and environmental measures in addition to financial measures. The paper discusses ecosystem-wide implications and contributes to advancement of both theoretical and practice-based knowledge in this domain

Innovating within Institutional Voids: A Digital Health Platform in India

Most of the literature on digital innovation assumes availability of resources and access to markets and intermediaries. Institutional voids – lack of formal and informal arrangements – are generally seen as detrimental to digital innovation. While the extant literature provides insights about how some innovation can take place within institutional voids, it largely ignores the role of digital platforms. Based on field work in India, we examine how digital platforms can interface with institutional voids to create social and economic impacts. We find that platforms can address socio-economic challenges by framing, aggregating, and networking within institutional voids. Using an illustrative case study in rural India, where voids and constraints are prevalent, our research highlights how platforms can take strategic actions to develop socio-digital solutions to serve marginalized populations while earning sustainable revenues. We highlight dynamic interactions among physical, social, and digital layers that help platforms reframe constraints and address institutional voids

AMCIS 2021 Awards and Closing Ceremony

This is a video recording of the AMCIS 2021 Awards and Closing Ceremony

Id4 functions downstream of Bmp signaling to restrict TCF function in endocardial cells during atrioventricular valve development

The development of the atrioventricular (AV) canal and the cardiac valves is tightly linked and a critically regulated process. Anomalies in components of the involved pathways can lead to congenital valve malformations, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. Myocardial Bmp as well as endocardial Notch and Wnt signaling have been identified as critical factors for the induction of EMT during the formation of the endocardial cushions and cardiac valves. Of these, canonical Wnt signaling positively regulates endocardial proliferation and EMT but negatively regulates endocardial differentiation. Further, elevated Wnt signaling leads to the ectopic expression of myocardial Bmp ligands suggesting a high level of integration of the involved pathways and crosstalk amongst the different cardiac tissues. Here we have identified a novel role for Id4 as a mediator between Bmp and Wnt signaling. Id4 belongs to the Id family of proteins and is known to be involved in bone and nervous system development. We found that in zebrafish, id4 is expressed in the endocardium of the AV canal at embryonic stages and throughout the atrial chamber in addition to AV canal, in adults. Using transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) we established an id4 mutant allele. Our analysis shows that id4 mutant larvae are susceptible to retrograde blood flow, and show aberrant expression of developmental valvular markers. These include expanded expression domains of markers like bmp4, cspg2a and Alcam. In contrast, valve maturation as assessed by the expression of spp1 is considerably reduced in id4 mutants. Using conditional transgenic systems, along with elegant in vivo imaging of transgenic reporter lines, we further found that id4 is a transcriptional target of Bmp signaling, and it is capable of dose dependently restricting Wnt signaling in the endocardium of the Atrioventricular Canal. Taken together, our data identifies Id4 as a novel player in Atrioventricular Canal and valve development. We show that Id4 function is important in valve development acting downstream of Bmp signaling by restricting endocardial Wnt to allow valve maturatio

From Waste to Inclusive Growth: A Digital Platform for “Ragpickers” in India

Inclusive growth ensures that economic growth directly serves the welfare of lower income and excluded groups of society while focusing on profitability and financial success. Inclusive growth research in management and innovation studies has been supported by the UN, WEF, OECD and World Bank. Digital technologies, digital innovation, and digital entrepreneurship can be critical drivers of growth, productivity, and ultimately, poverty alleviation among marginalized and excluded communities. Yet, there are very few IS studies that utilize an inclusive growth lens and examine the role that digital platforms can play. This paper addresses this gap and adopts a single, revelatory case study approach to explain the process of creation and management of a platform-driven ecosystem and development of capabilities for inclusion of a community of waste collectors in India. The paper presents a process framework and contributes to both inclusive growth and platforms literature while also providing practitioner insights

The Enabling Role of IT in Frugal Innovation

In this conceptual paper, we examine IT-enabled frugal innovation from the lens of absorptive capacity theory (ACAP). The practice of frugal innovation in emerging economies is rooted in low cost approaches, constrained resources, and flexible improvisation. As frugal innovation is an emergent phenomenon, there is little theoretical development and empirical investigation with respect to the enabling role of IT. We address this gap by examining the conceptual underpinnings of frugal innovation and its antecedents, such as IT leveraging capability, dynamic knowledge capabilities, and organizational learning. We develop a research model and provide testable propositions. This paper contributes to ACAP literature by providing a look inside the “black box” of the relationships between three different types of learning (according to ACAP) and their effects on the underlying dimensions of frugal innovation. Furthermore, based on our findings, implications for theory and practice are provided along with guidance for future empirical research

A Foundation for the Study of Personal Cloud Computing in Organizations

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical foundation for the study of Personal Cloud Computing in organizations; a foundation that would assist researchers and practitioners to develop a deeper understanding of the impacts of this type of information technology use on organizations. Currently, very little theorizing has been done about the management of Personal Cloud in organizations. This paper aims to address this gap by building a theoretical foundation using IT consumerization theory, self-determination theory (SDT), and information systems success model. We argue that developing such a foundation will highlight where research attention needs to be directed and practice needs to be focused. We aim to provide a better understanding of the factors that influence organizational adoption of Personal Cloud and drive performance of individuals and organizations. The paper develops a comprehensive research model and provides testable propositions along with recommendations for testing in future research