The Effect of Enterprise Architecture Deployment Practices on Organizational Benefits: A Dynamic Capability Perspective

Rogier Van De Wetering,Svyatoslav Kotusev,Sherah Kurnia

doi:10.3390/su12218902

Abstract

In recent years, the literature has emphasized theory building in the context of Enterprise Architecture (EA) research. Specifically, scholars tend to focus on EA-based capabilities that organize and deploy organization-specific resources to align strategic objectives with the technology’s particular use. Despite the growth in EA studies, substantial gaps remain in the literature. The most substantial gaps are that the conceptualization of EA-based capabilities still lacks a firm base in theory and that there is limited empirical evidence on how EA-based capabilities drive business transformation and deliver benefits to the firm. Therefore, this study focuses on EA-based capabilities, using the dynamic capabilities view as a theoretical foundation, and develops and tests a new research model that explains how dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities lead to organizational benefits. The research model’s hypotheses are tested using a dataset that contains responses from 299 CIO’s, IT managers, and lead architects. Based on this study’s outcomes, we contend that dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities positively enhance firms’ process innovation and business–IT alignment. These mediating forces are both positively associated with organizational benefits. The firms’ EA resources and specifically EA deployment practices are essential in cultivating dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities. This study advances our understanding of how to efficaciously de-lineate dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities in delivering benefits to the organization.

Highlights

Global technology trends like big data, the Internet of Things, and the rise of artificial intelligence are making firms’ ability to change and adapt their organizations’ structure, architecture, and people as crucial as their competitive strategy
This study aims to develop and test a new research model that explains how dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities lead to organizational benefits
This study focuses on process innovation, as it has a central place in the extant literature, and this type of innovation requires firms todeploy IS/information technology (IT) and other technologies to enhance the efficiency of new product development and commercialization [29]

Summary

Introduction

Global technology trends like big data, the Internet of Things, and the rise of artificial intelligence are making firms’ ability to change and adapt their organizations’ structure, architecture, and people as crucial as their competitive strategy. These external forces and technology advances enact massive transformational changes within firms’ business ecosystems, business units, and functions, and provide an opportunity to build capabilities in parallel with implementing a new strategic direction. There is no conclusive evidence of how EA-based capabilities enable business transformations and deliver organizational benefits in constantly changing business environments [11,12,13]

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Conclusion