How do a company's information technology competences influence its ability to innovate?

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe research that explores how an organization's information technology (IT) competences influence its ability to innovate.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on prior research to describe stages of the innovation process and to identify several IT competences that have been linked to innovation success. Then, examining innovation at three case study sites, it demonstrates how IT competences can influence the success of innovation at various stages of the innovation process.FindingsThe paper finds that IT competences in information and knowledge management, project management, collaboration and communication, and business involvement are likely to improve an organization's ability to innovate.Research limitations/implicationsThe research in this paper is exploratory. The small number of cases limits one's ability to claim that the IT competences one has identified always affect innovation.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that organizations that want to be innovative should cultivate the identified IT competences.Originality/valueFor researchers, the paper proposes a model relating an organization's ability to innovate to its IT competences. For managers, it identifies it competences that should be cultivated to support the process of innovation.