Process Innovation Costs in Supply Networks: A Synthesis

This paper provides a synthesis of the literature on the costs incurred by organizations that develop, adopt and use inter-organizational process innovations in supply networks. A review of the literature in this area suggests that innovation costs influence the pattern of adoption. There is, however, a lack of consensus about what these innovation costs entail. Based on a review of innovation literature in the area of information systems, this paper develops an integrative framework of inter-organizational process innovation costs. The framework identifies six broad categories of costs (both tangible and intangible) that map onto different stages of organizational innovation: development and initiation costs associated with the generation of an innovation; switching costs and the cost of capital associated with the acceptance stage; and implementation and relational costs associated with implementation. The framework serves not only to organize the existing literature but also to provide the impetus for future research into the role that different categories of costs play in shaping inter-organizational process innovation in supply networks

“Planned Benefits” Can Be Misleading in Digital Transformation Projects: Insights From a Case Study of Human Resource Information Systems Implementation in Healthcare

Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) are being implemented in many organizations but, like other technology projects, translating their potential benefits into meaningful improvements can be challenging. So-called “planned benefits” approaches are designed to aid this translation, but little is known about their success in HRIS projects. This study examined how a planned benefits approach was manifested in a national-scale HRIS implementation program. The results point to the importance of reviewing the benefits plan at regular intervals, to ensure the project can adapt to changing circumstances, and considering benefits at the level of individual modules and user groups, as well as for the organization as a whole. Adequate data preparation, training, effective communication, and process analysis were identified as key actions necessary for successful HRIS implementation and benefit realization

Coping with institutional complexity: Intersecting logics and dissonant visions in a nation-wide healthcare IT implementation project

Purpose: Digital transformation projects are complex, lengthy and difficult to implement, often failing to meet their objectives. Previous research has attributed this failure to competing institutional logics influencing actors’ coping responses, and differences in actors’ interpretations of the project’s goals, technology and processes - their “organising vision”. The purpose of this paper is to analyse a complex technology implementation project from an institutional perspective, to further elucidate the role of multiple logics and organising vision. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative single study approach was used to investigate a public-sector technology project aimed at delivering a unified Human resource information system (HRIS) across regional health organisations in one country. Findings: Four logics characterised the project (public sector, professional, corporate and market), but their relative dominance shifted as the project transitioned through stages, from comprehension to implementation. These shifts exposed tensions between components of actors’ organising vision, which influenced their coping behaviours in response to unexpected changes in the project’s strategic ambitions and technological scope. Coherence of vision, both within groups of actors and between them, was a key mediator of coping responses and project outcomes. Originality/value: This analysis demonstrates the role of actors’ organising vision in bridging institutional logics and coping responses to shape digital transformation projects. It highlights the need to account not only for diverse institutional logics, but also for their changing influence as projects unfold and actors’ attention is directed onto different aspects of the organising vision. From a management perspective, it illustrates the importance of clear and consistent communication, to avoid entrenching conflicting interpretations