Inter-organizational Information Systems Research Articles

Evaluating investments in flexible on-demand production capacity: a real options approach

Ongoing digitalization of production accelerates trends like mass customization, ever shorter lead times, and shrinking product life cycles. Thereby, industrial companies face increasingly volatile demand that complicates an appropriate production capacity planning. On the other hand, the comprehensive digitalization of production environments favors, amongst others, the dynamic integration of flexible external on-demand production capacity provided by specialized external capacity providers (ECPs). To enable the usage of on-demand production capacity, industrial companies may require significant upfront investments (e.g., for inter-organizational information systems, planning and organizational processes, employee training). The objective of this paper is to develop a model that evaluates such enabling upfront investments from the perspective of a manufacturing company. To consider flexibility of action, we apply real options analysis in a discrete-time binomial tree model and weigh these so-called expansion options to related cash outflows. In addition, we evaluate our model by means of a simulation and sensitivity analyses and derive insights for both researchers and practitioners. The insights gained by our model present a profound economic basis for investment decisions on upfront investments in flexible on-demand production capacity.

Conceptualising the relationship types and attributes that enable stakeholders to recruit SME farmer users into IS design

It can be difficult for organisations which develop an information system (IS) for use by many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to recruit SME personnel during IS design. The paper addresses this problem by exploring the nature of relationships that organisational stakeholders can use to recruit SME personnel during IS design, which has received little attention in the literature. We present an interpretive, revelatory case study of the insights from managers and field officers who recruited SME farmers during the design of an inter-organisational IS. We identified three relationship types, based on an existing framework in the literature derived from stakeholder theory: between managers of organisations; between managers and field officers; and between field officers and farmers. We extend this framework by incorporating relationship attributes based on social capital concepts: ties, shared cognition, structure, homophily and bridging capital. We found that the complex interplay of the three relationship types, and the degree of strength of the social capital attributes of these relationships, help explain how farmers were recruited into, or were discouraged from participating in, a lengthy IS design process.

Facilitating conditions for successful adoption of inter-organizational information systems in seaports

Inter-Organizational Information Systems (IOISs) for seaport logistics facilitate monitoring operations, the exchange of information with stakeholders, and meeting regulations of foreign trade. However, seaport contexts entail complexities in terms of stakeholder involvement and business processes that must be considered thoroughly toward the successful adoption of IOISs. This research seeks to identify factors influencing the successful adoption of IOISs in seaports. It follows a grounded theory approach relying on semi-structured interviews and expert opinions to identify facilitating conditions for the adoption of IOISs. Survey research was conducted in order to investigate the appraisal of different ports in Latin America and the Caribbean region regarding the diverse conditions. The results obtained were analyzed descriptively and through a Principal Components Analysis. The latter was conducted in order to discern relevant dimensions influencing the adoption of IOISs in seaports. The results of the study allow deriving managerial insights and practical recommendations to support technological plans at ports and guide the decision-making regarding the digitalization process.

Adopting inter-organizational information systems in asymmetrical partnerships

La littérature sur les Systèmes d’information inter-organisationnels (SIIO) est regroupée traditionnellement autour de trois pôles d’études : les facteurs influençant l’adoption des SIIO, l’impact des SIIO sur le management des transactions économiques et les conséquences de l’adoption de ces technologies (Robey et al ., 2008). Cet article vise à analyser les facteurs influençant la décision d’adopter des Systèmes d’information inter-organisationnels (SIIO) au sein des alliances stratégiques asymétriques. En s’appuyant sur l’étude de dix cas d’alliances asymétriques entre des entreprises tunisiennes et européennes, nous proposons un ensemble de propositions de recherche concernant les facteurs qui pourraient avoir un impact sur l’adoption des SIIO au sein d’alliances stratégiques asymétriques. Il s’agit notamment des caractéristiques de l’alliance asymétrique ainsi qu’un ensemble de facteurs technologiques, organisationnels et environnementaux.

Adoption mechanisms of a supplier portal: A case study in the European aerospace industry

This article analyzes the adoption mechanisms of an industry supplier portal, as a specific case of an industry inter-organizational information system (IOIS). Collaborative IOISs have been introduced in many supply chains (SCs) over these last twenty years in order to improve integration and coordination. However, the adoption of such complex IOISs (involving multiple actors and integrating different systems) has often stumbled or failed, leading to unmet expectations. The aim of the research is to highlight the adoption mechanisms of supplier portals by analyzing three main levels: enterprise, SC, and industry. Based on a qualitative case study of AirSupply, the supplier portal developed for the European aerospace industry, the authors show that diffusion of innovations (DOI) factors (enterprise level), network embeddedness (SC level), and institutional factors (industry) may explain the decision to adopt an IOIS. All three of these should be considered to ensure IOIS adoption by the manufacturing organizations. Therefore, they suggest that for successful IOIS adoption, industry IOIS project managers should jointly rely on traditional DOI factors, dense SC networks with numerous ties, and proactive industry institutions.

Leveraging open-standard interorganizational information systems for process adaptability and alignment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the value creation mechanisms of open-standard inter-organizational information system (OSIOS), which is a key technology to achieve Industry 4.0. Specifically, this study investigates how the internal assimilation and external diffusion of OSIOS help manufactures facilitate process adaptability and alignment in supply chain network.Design/methodology/approachA survey instrument was designed and administrated to collect data for this research. Using three-stage least squares estimation, the authors empirically tested a number of hypothesized relationships based on a sample of 308 manufacturing firms in China.FindingsThe results of the study show that OSIOS can perform as value creation mechanisms to enable process adaptability and alignment. In addition, the impact of OSIOS internal assimilation is inversely U-shaped where the positive effect on process adaptability will become negative after an extremum point is reached.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights on how OSIOS can improve supply chain integration and thus promote the achievement of industry 4.0. By revealing a U-shaped relationship between OSIOS assimilation and process adaptability, this study fills previous research gap by advancing the understanding on the value creation mechanisms of information systems deployment.

Applying Modular Design in Architecting Interorganizational Information Systems

Applying Modular Design in Architecting Interorganizational Information Systems

Psychological Capital of MIS Development Teams, System Effectiveness, and Social Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review.

Inter-organizational information systems are critical in the modern business world, as a large portion of economic activities are done through inter-organizational collaborations. One such important collaboration is social innovation/entrepreneurship, which involves multiple parties from diverse areas cooperating in major tasks. Against such a backdrop, exploring beneficial factors for organizational members to actively develop and/or make good use of a management information system (MIS) for collaborative performance has become a vital research question. This conceptual paper argues that positive psychology is critical to encourage members to volunteer to construct an MIS that facilitates social innovation effectiveness. Specifically, we discuss the four dimensions of psychological capital (i.e., hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resilience) on effective inter-organizational MIS attributes (e.g., connectivity), and on the consequences of social innovation. At the core of this discussion, we believe that a positive psychological foundation is a driver for staff effort to contribute to a better MIS, which could benefit social innovation success. This research contributes by offering inspiration for future studies to link the micro- and macro-level aspects of social innovation and entrepreneurship phenomena.

Digitalizing interorganizational relationships: Sequential and intertwined decisions for data synchronization

Digitalizing interorganizational relationships (IORs) concerns B2B partners adopting and using Interorganizational Information Systems (IOSs). The decision to digitalize IORs involves choices about (1) whether or not to digitalize information flows, and (2) which technology to use. We explore whether these two choices are made sequentially or if they are intertwined. Using sequential adoption theory and institutional theory, we investigate the decisions related to digitalizing IORs through data synchronization. In the context of product information in the French consumer goods and retail industries, analysis of 18 case studies (large firms and SMEs) provides empirical evidence on the distinction between the two related decisions and the factors influencing each one. Our propositions integrate institutional pressures, observational learning, organizational capabilities and technological characteristics.

Interorganizational processes in buyer–supplier dyads: An information intensity perspective

ABSTRACTIn an increasingly global business environment, organizations interact with partners, suppliers and customers who are geographically spread and exchange information regularly. Without a robust information technology infrastructure, the speed and effectiveness of this information exchange is limited. Business-to-business (B2B) electronic business applications are a class of interorganizational information systems (IOIS) that facilitate such information exchange arising out of interorganizational processes (IOPs). The success of any e-business initiative depends on the successful implementation and the actual use of such IOIS. This study uses the concept of information intensity (II) to identify the information sharing requirements arising from IOPs, thus presenting opportunities for B2B Web site use, with specific reference to organization-specific customer-facing and supplier-facing IOIS. We use data from four buyer–supplier dyads, eight medium- to large-scale organizations in the Indian context and identify a generic set of dominant IOPs in buyer–supplier interactions. Through these we present the sources of II in IOPs along three dimensions – complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity which influence the feature set in the IOISs. We conclude with implications for IOIS design, implementation and use.

A Strategy to Address Business Community Platforms Pricing Challenges

In this paper we present an exploratory case study of a business community platform in a sea port setting. We focus on pricing challenges faced by this type of inter-organizational information systems. We find that traditional cost based pricing methods in the form of transaction and subscription fees poorly cope with the following business community platform characteristics: 1) users of the system can be also contributors (i.e. they provide data for the system); 2) the services within the platform can have a hierarchical structure in which old services provide input for new services. We propose a new pricing strategy that accounts for these specific challenges. This strategy relies on two building blocks: user value based pricing and fair sharing. The approach aims at aligning the incentives for individual users to adopt a business community platform and the community wide benefit from the platform's introduction.

Cross-boundary e-government systems: Determinants of performance

This study examines the performance of a cross-boundary e-government system. It draws from studies in the fields of e-government, collaborative public management, and information system success with a focus on inter-organizational information systems to develop a conceptual framework. This framework includes efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability as key performance measures; identifies technical, managerial, and inter-organizational factors for success; and develops hypotheses accordingly. Empirical investigation utilizes user-level data from an inter-organizational e-government system that provides integrated commerce and industry service. The results underscore the importance of management support, shared goals, and inter-agency trust in improving all three measures of performance. In addition, citizen-centric and innovative organizational culture enhances efficiency and accountability while administrative interdependence impacts effectiveness and accountability. The managerial and theoretical implications of these findings and future research opportunities are also explored.

Adaptability of Inter-Organizational Information Systems Based on Organizational Identity: Some Factors of Partnership for the Goals

Given the current trade friction between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) may slow down in some areas in both countries, and there is a need for organizations to understand more of the factors that affect the adaptability of inter-organization information systems (AIOISs) in order to support the 17th Sustainable Development Goal. This research proposes a new model for the adaptability of IOISs based on organizational identity. The hypotheses for this research were deduced from the literature in order to identify and extract the factors for adaptability and partnership. Subsequently, a conceptual model has been developed and empirically tested using the data from 259 samples. The exploratory and confirmatory analysis showed that organizational learning mechanisms (OLM) and knowledge sharing (KS) have a significant positive effect on the identity of multi-organization alliances (IMOAs), and on the adaptability of IOISs, as well as indirectly affecting the adaptability of IOISs through the mediating role of the identity of the multi-organization alliance. In addition, organizational collaboration (OC), commitment, and trust have a significant positive effect on the identity of a multi-organization alliance, whereas there is no direct relationship between organizational collaboration, commitment, trust, and the adaptability of the IOIS. Lastly, the mediating roles of IMOA on AIOIS are supported.

The Impact of Multilevel Contextual Factors on IS Adoption at the Inter-organizational Level

Inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) offer many potential benefits to organizations, and IOIS adoption has increased in the last few decades. However, IOIS adoption varies significantly across different contexts, and little research has investigated how contextual factors affect IOIS-adoption variances at the inter-organizational (IO) level in depth—particularly from a multilevel perspective. This paper proposes a novel multilevel framework to analyze what combinations of contextual factors at the national, industry, inter-organizational, and organizational levels influence IOIS-adoption variances at the inter-organizational level. We present an in-depth, exploratory case study of the Indonesian grocery industry that identified three inter-organizational configurations between manufacturers, distributors, and retailers with IOIS-adoption variances. We found that the combinations of multilevel contextual factors varied for each configuration and, thus, explain the IOIS-adoption variances we observed at the IO level in a nuanced and holistic way. We argue that our multilevel framework may help scholars avoid contextual fallacy by encouraging them to examine the influence of higher-level factors on IOIS-adoption variances at the IO level and to avoid the atomistic fallacy that results when they make the wrong assumption that IOIS adoption at the organizational level implies adoption at a higher level.

Interorganizational Information System Asymmetry and Supply Chain Performance

Interorganizational Information System Asymmetry and Supply Chain Performance

Collaboration risk management in IT-enabled asymmetric partnerships: Evidence from telestroke networks

Information technology (IT)-enabled partnerships can unlock previously unattainable value propositions between organizations that have resource, capability, and other asymmetries by allowing larger organizations access to niche and local resources while providing smaller organizations access to enhanced resources and capabilities. However, recent studies have shown that many IT-enabled asymmetric partnerships often fail because the organizations do not effectively manage the involved collaboration risks. Most organizations focus on the strategic aspect of whether partners behave cooperatively or competitively, while paying scant attention to the operational aspect of bringing together partner contributions through coordination. To examine this problem, we report on a case study of two hub-spoke networks that used telemedicine to facilitate expertise sharing and decision making about stroke treatment at emergency departments in rural hospitals (spokes) based on information exchanges with remote neurologists at academic medical centers (hubs). As a result, we contribute to the inter-organizational information systems literature by explaining how organizations in IT-enabled asymmetric partnerships manage collaboration risks. We demonstrate how partners in such relationships perceive and approach strategic cooperation and operational coordination risks differently. We also explain how collaboration interactions change over time as the partners manage risks based on needs and resource endowments. Drawing on these findings, we provide guidance to organizations on how to manage sustainable IT-enabled asymmetric partnerships in general, and telestroke networks in particular.

Impact of supplier-specific investments in inter-organisational information systems on strategic electronic coordination: the moderation effect of buyer dependence

Abstract This paper examines the factors which influence sharing of the strategic information (in other words, electronic coordination) in a buyer–supplier dyad. The antecedents of this coordination are examined rather well in the transaction cost economics (TCE) theory and resource-dependency theory (RDT), while the supply chain management perspective is contemplated. The mentioned frameworks are used in the analysis. However, the research focus is narrowed down to the exploration of the antecedents of information exchange conducted via inter-organisational information systems (IOS). The empirical analysis is based on 198 observations of Norwegian companies operating in different types of industries. A regression model is used to test the hypotheses about the antecedents of strategic electronic coordination. The research results indicate that the direct effect of the supplier-specific investments in the IOS on the exchange of strategic information in the buyer–supplier dyad is not statistically significant. The supplier-specific investment in the IOS becomes positively associated with the strategic information exchange in the buyer–supplier dyad only when the buyer is dependent on the supplier. The buyer dependency creates a high motivation for the company to exchange the strategic information with the supplier who is more powerful in the dyad. This research concludes that the companies making substantial investments in the IOS for electronic coordination purposes may not reach their goals if relation-specific factors, such as buyer dependency, are not comprehensively considered.

Conceptual Model for Measuring Transparency of Inter-Organizational Information Systems in Supply Chain: Case Study of Cosmetic Industry

The role of information systems has changed effectively in organizational performance, and today, information systems are creating value for organizations. This study aims to provide a conceptual model for measuring the transparency of inter-organizational information systems in the supply chain. The statistical population of this research includes all managers and staff of cosmetic cosmetics companies in Tehran while companies are engaged in different sectors and their number is 500. About 218 people were questioned through the calculation with the Cochran formula. A conceptual model for measuring the transparency of inter-organizational information systems in the supply chain was developed based on a review of the theoretical concepts. Researcher made questionnaire have been used to measure variables of the research model. The validity of the research tool was confirmed by experts and the reliability of the tool was reported 0.85 by Cronbach's alpha. According to T-statistics, transparency of resources, inter-organizational trust, and environmental assurance are positive and significant in measuring transparency of inter-organizational information systems at a level of 0.01 and they are above average.

Pre-requisites of successful strategic electronic coordination: the moderation effect of the ownership mechanism of inter-organisational information systems

Abstract In this paper, we attempt to explain how the ownership mechanism of an interorganisational information system (IOS) may impact strategic information exchange (electronic coordination) induced by specific investments in the IOS. Recent research and practice show that heavy investments in IOSs demonstrate mixed results with respect to their impact on the electronic coordination. Consequently, the search of additional factors is needed to help and explain under what circumstances the IOS investments for strategic purposes become beneficial for the companies in a buyersupplier dyad. Transaction cost economics (TCE) and the hostage model are used as a framework for the research. 198 observations of Norwegian companies in different branches of industry constitute the base of the empirical study. A buyer-supplier dyad is the unit of the analysis. A regression model of the relation between the IOS ownership mechanism and the strategic information sharing is used to test two hypotheses about the buyer-supplier collaboration via an IOS. The results demonstrate that the risk of unilateral specific investments in an IOS made by the buyer or the seller is attenuated by the ownership mechanism of the IOS. The willingness of a buyer to share their strategic information with the supplier via the IOS increases if the supplier invests in the IOS which is owned and controlled by the buyer. Conversely, the supplier becomes motivated to share certain sensitive strategic information with the buying company if the latter invests in the IOS which is owned and controlled by the supplier.

The impact of inter-organizational information systems-enabled external integration on capabilities of buyer–supplier dyads

Increasingly, firms are adopting two major supply chain management initiatives: to undertake external integration with supply chain partners and to implement inter-organizational information systems (IOSs). However, academic researchers have not adequately investigated effects of these types of initiatives. Using empirical data from 154 buyer–supplier dyads, we examined the direct and indirect effects (through external integration) of IOS usage on capabilities of buyer– supplier dyads. We found that external integration plays a mediating role in the relationship between IOS usage and capabilities of buyer– supplier dyad. This is the first study to investigate the effects of IOS usage and external integration on capabilities of buyer–supplier dyad.