Technology Adaptation: The Case of Large-Scale Information Systems

The deployment of large-scale information systems is a major trend in the corporate world today due to a number of driving forces such as the Internet, globalization, and the use of IT for distributed knowledge. However, the adaptation process of such new technologies is not yet well understood. With its theoretical basis on structuration theory and actor network theory (ANT), this study employs a case study methodology with organizations implementing ERP systems and investigates how the technological adaptation of large-scale IS, specifically ERP systems, differs from that of traditional (standalone) IS. Our findings are expected to have both theoretical and practical implications for the design as well as implementation of large-scale IS

Hegelian Inquiring Organizations: Guiding Principles, Design Guidelines, and IT Support

This paper continues the tradition (Courtney et al. 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) of using the principles of inquiring systems design (Churchman, 1971) to suggest how effective learning organizations might be developed. Specifically, the paper proposes that Hegelian inquiring systems are well suited for “wicked” problems and knowledge work, and therefore that Hegelian inquiring organizations are well suited for the wicked environments of the new world of business (Malhotra, 1997, 2000). In addition, the paper shows how extant information technologies can support Hegelian inquiring organizations

IT-Enabled Services as Complex Adaptive Service Systems: A Co-Evolutionary View of Service Innovation

One specific type of service innovation of particular interest to IT and business professionals is IT-Enabled Services (IES). Previous studies have suggested many roles for IT in service innovations. IT has proven a useful tool in service innovation. IT is an important component of most services in many industries, including healthcare, financial services, engineering, and management consulting. However, little work has been conducted in IESs. Thus, there is considerable potential for researchers in IS, operations, marketing, and economics to make contributions to the emerging debates and challenges in IESs and service innovation. Two topics are critically important in both IES research and practice: what IESs are and how such services emerge and evolve. This research-in-progress attempts to offer a novel perspective on these two topics. Drawn upon complexity theory, we conceptualize services (IESs) as complex adaptive service systems (CASS) with such properties and behaviors as emergence, self-organization, adaptive learning, and nonlinearity, and service development or innovation as a co-evolutionary process composed of variation, selection, and retention (VSR). From this perspective, IESs produce and are reproduced by the environment (or by wide business networks). Based on this complexity theory perspective, we also provide propositions regarding what IESs are, how they emerge and evolve, and what strategies are effective for IT-enabled eservice innovation. The last section offers a research plan for a longitudinal case study of Business Analytics (BA) as an IES to qualify the proposed theoretical perspective

The impact of supply chain analytics on operational performance: a resource-based view

This study seeks to better understand the role of supply chain analytics (SCA) on supply chain planning satisfaction and operational performance. We define the architecture of SCA as the integration of three sets of resources, data management resources (DMR), IT-enabled planning resources and performance management resources (PMR), from the perspective of a resource-based view. Based on the data collected from 537 manufacturing plants, we test hypotheses exploring the relationships among these resources, supply chain planning satisfaction, and operational performance. Our analysis supports that DMR should be considered a key building block of manufacturers’ business analytics initiatives for supply chains. The value of data is transmitted to outcome values through increasing supply chain planning and performance capabilities. Additionally, the deployment of advanced IT-enabled planning resources occurs after acquisition of DMR. Manufacturers with sophisticated planning technologies are likely to take advantage of data-driven processes and quality control practices. DMR are found to be a stronger predictor of PMR than IT planning resources. All three sets of resources are related to supply chain planning satisfaction and operational performance. The paper concludes by reviewing research limitations and suggesting further SCA research issues