Exploring Multi-Actor Value Creation in IT Service Processes

Abstract

Organizational information technology (IT) needs are served through increasingly complex configurations of people, technologies, organizations, and shared information. Ideally, an organizational IT service is valuable for both the providers and users of systems and solutions. However, mutually beneficial outcomes may be difficult to achieve within the configurations through which IT services are delivered. We suggest that analyzing stakeholder interplay in IT service processes helps us to understand how information systems (IS) organizations can be leveraged to co-create business value. Through a qualitative empirical inquiry, we explore IT service realization in two case organizations. Through our analysis we find that value creation builds on orchestrated social action among the different stakeholder groups involved. Joint value creation in IT service processes hence calls for specific network leadership and resource integration capabilities from the IS organization. The paper enriches the current understanding of business value creation in IT services by infusing the service logic with traditional IT management perspectives. The findings highlight that the extent to which the IS organization can learn to facilitate the interaction between the essential actors in an ‘IT service system’ and leverage user-perceived value throughout the service process will ultimately determine its success or failure.