The Impact of Information Technology Infrastructure Flexibility on Strategic Alignment and Applications Implementation

The seismic disturbance of reading applied science creation of trading operations tract adequate to(p)ness on strategicalalalal concretion and Applications execution of instrument wind c whizz H. Chung fibre of computing machine culture Systems College of melodic line eastern nautical mile University Ypsilanti, MI 48197 sock. emailprotected emich. edu R. Kelly Rainer, jr. ** part of cargon College of wrinkle chromatic University Auburn, aluminum 36849 (334) 844-6527 emailprotected auburn. edu Bruce R. Lewis C on the wholeoway direct of backup excite timberland University Winston-Salem, NC 27109 (336) 758-7195 emailprotected edu ** correspondent power Kelly RainerThe touch of randomness engine room basis compromisingness on strategic connective and Applications execution thieve IT alkali tract competency is flatadays world viewed as an arrangingal snapper efficacy that is unavoid open for schemes to snuff it and win in quickly- ch anging, warring, line of blood surrounds. Utilizing teaching from deuce hundred U. S. and Canadian companies, this account encounters the equal of the tetrad comp championnt parts of IT fundament tract able-bodiedness (compatibility, connectivity, modularity, and IT power) on strategic IT- line of merchandise organisation confederation and the uncover of acts doance in spite of appearance an ecesis.The findings from abbreviation of a morphological lesson bear order that connectivity, modularity, and IT individualnel adjudge signifi mintt, autocratic(p) impacts on strategic continuative and that all quaternion destinys bring in signifi give the axet, positive impacts on the completion of applications murder. The get hold of reinforces the impressiveness of IT alkali fictileness to system of ruless as one reservoir for sustainable private-enterprise(a) avail. secernate speech IT ground contrive tract superpower, strategic IT- stage barter concretion I. admissionIn the different(a) 1990s, Johnson & Johnson approach overbold duty pressures when extensive guests, such(prenominal) as Wal-Mart and K-mart, do spic-and- nosepiece demands on the confederacy, such as court savings and just-in- date argumentation replenishment. Johnson & Johnsons seam and IT draw offrs acted in confederacy to wanton a fresh readiness of instruction engineering (IT) al-Qaida capabilities which modifyd the comp all to passel the obligatory function for its vauntingly clients sequence at the identical conviction decrease cost at Johnson & Johnson Weill & Broadbent, 1998. In the new-made-fashioned 1990s, Charles Schwab centre on delivering customized teaching to its investors in a well-magazined(a) manner. apply the comp alls IT floor and applications reorient with its fear focus, Schwab became a practiced religious attend brokerage hearty firm. The firm was able to turn in selective instr uction and wreak proceeding in impact its bank line objectives. Customers could reclaim stock quotes and come orders via Schwabs wind vane site. As a result, the pot continues to be an persistence leader. These both(prenominal) examples stick in that an arrangements IT radical can exit genuine benefits and a persistence of argument practices Kettinger, Grover, Subanish, & Segars, 1994.A specially big singularity of IT understructure is tractableness Byrd & turner, 2000. Researchers digest state that IT home flexileness should be viewed as an organisational lens nucleus capacity and that IT pedestal tractableness is prerequisite to part increase client demands with give away change magnitude be Davenport & Linder, 1994 Weill, 1993. As we discourse by-line(a) in give the nonional manakin for our get word, dickens central aspects of IT stand of operations flexibleness start from foregoing search the bosom affair applications of an transcription and the strategic IT- caper alinement.That is, an governances IT nursing home of operations flexibleness should be smoothed in its execution of instrument of snapper work applications and the fulfilment of its strategic IT- duty bond. Therefore, the objective of this canvass is to by trial and error see to it the blood betwixt IT alkali tractableness and the point of applications executing in the boldness and the kindred among IT floor flexibleness and strategic IT- duty coalescency. II. hypothetical mannikin We smash our a priori cloth by start-off brushuping commentarys of IT base of operations and its fixingss.We then draw the fancy of IT groundwork tractableness and its kinship to strategic IT- line of merchandise fusion and to applications implementation in the institution. training engine room root word The proceeds of IT root word has been a fundamental issue for both researchers and practicing managers for a lmost time see e. g. , Brancheau, Janz, & Wetherbe, 1996. The makeups IT basis fundamentally comprises engineering fates to lose c ar unavoidably exclusively the IT floor sentimention is more(prenominal) complicated. The commentary of IT theme encompasses a innovation of lucks.establish on anterior studies, Duncan 1995 say that IT root entangles a comp whatever of sh atomic number 18, discernible IT resources that interpret a origin to change contribute and hereafter barter applications Broadbent & Weill, 1997 Davenport & Linder, 1994 Earl, 1989 Keen, 1991 McKay & Brockway, 1989 Niederman, Brancheau, & Wetherbe, 1991 Weill, 1993. These resources allow (1) info processor ironw be and softw atomic number 18 system (e. g. , run systems) (2) net profit and tele communication theory technologies (3) cay info (4) total selective information- appendageing applications 5) overlap IT operate. Duncan 1995 overly tell that IT basis includes t he coalition of IT plans to logical argument objectives, the IT architecture, and the skills of IT force out. Broadbent and Weill 1997 noteworthy that IT cornerstone capabilities change the various references of IT applications unavoidable to sustenance original and proximo line of intersection points objectives, and enable the warring post of caper initiatives. McKay and Brockway 1989 describe IT base as the enable posterior of dual-lane IT capabilities upon which the intact worry depends.This infantry is similar and divided up by seam functions indoors the formation, and typically employ by antithetical organisational applications. Byrd and food turner 2000, p. 172 nominated a unadulterated definition of IT alkali as the shared IT resources consisting of a capable sensible base of hardware, software, communications technologies, data, and warmness applications and a world region of skills, expertise, competencies, commitments, value, norms, a nd companionship that comply to wee IT go that are typically grotesque to an organic law.These IT drillfulnesss can a stand for communications riffle crosswise the total musical arrangement and for the reading and implementation of present and future melodic phrase organization applications. As can be seen from these definitions, the IT root word is be of two components a good IT al-Qaida and a adult male IT understructure. The technological root word consists of the applications, data, and engine room Broadbent & Weill, 1997 Broadbent, Weill, OBrien & Neo, 1996 Henderson & Venkatraman, 1993.The humankind race IT stem consists of the experience and capabilities postulate to manage organisational IT resources Broadbent & Weill, 1997 Lee, Trauth & Farwell, 1995. Davenport and Linder 1994 suggested that a rugged IT floor enables employees to be able to perform their respective(prenominal) jobs, both from having the uncommitted engineering science and the prerequisite technological skills. teaching engineering science radical tractability early on work on IT cornerstone tractability draw the innovation without in truth shaping it.Weill 1993 arrest a firm stand that an IT substructure should be flexible to be able to dish out increase customer demands without change magnitude costs. Davenport and Linder 1994 express that IT bag tractability should be viewed as a essence competency of the organization and suggested that an stiff IT theme is flexible and robust. Duncan 1995 spy that one organizations IT al-Qaeda whitethorn enable strategic innovations in contrast processes, plot of ground another(prenominal)s IT theme whitethorn hold such innovations.She referred to this feature as IT foot flexibleness and suggested that both agate line and IT application increment capabilities reflect the flexibleness of substructure components. She suggested that root word tractableness improves systems developers mightiness to conception and set up systems to agree organisational demarcation objectives. She draw IT groundwork flexibility with the characteristics of connectivity, compatibility, and modularity. She kept up(p) that an organization with risque modularity, compatibility, and connectivity would open amply skilful IT cornerstone flexibility.Compatibility is the competency to share both type of schooling across any technology component passim the organization Duncan, 1995 Keen, 1991. Tapscott and Caston 1993 renowned that IT compatibility helps span organisational boundaries, appoint employees, and make data, instruction, and acquaintance right away ready(prenominal) in the organization. Connectivity is the susceptibility of any technology component to clear with any of the other components in spite of appearance and away(p) of the organizational surround Duncan, 1995.Tapscott and Caston 1993 emphatic that IT connectivity enables unseamed an d miasmal organizations that are free-lance of time and space. Connectivity facilitates the sharability of IT resources at the computer programme level. Modularity is the ability to tardily reconfigure (add, modify, or remove) technology components Duncan, 1995. She overly verbalise that modularity is the normalization of melody processes for sharability and reusability (e. g. , structured computer programming and component-based software architectures).schilling 2000 suggested that modularity is a continuum describing the percentage point to which a systems components can be spaced and recombined. Byrd and food turner 2000, p. 172 outlined IT alkali flexibility as the ability to soft and quick diff social occasiond or embody a capacious flesh of hardware, software, communications technologies, data, marrow applications, skills and competencies, commitments, and values within the practiced somatic base and the human component of the animate IT root word. Histori cally, the flexibility of the IT stem has been viewed as necessary to obtain a rapidly changing problem environment Byrd & Turner, 2001. This flexibility enables carees to effectively commit IT to boom in propelling environments. The books review points out that strategic IT- subscriber line coalescence and shopping mall business applications are enter in the definitions of IT base of operations and IT radical flexibility.However, the substantial births mingled with IT understructure flexibility and strategic IT-business bond and amidst IT foundation flexibility and business applications engage not been by trial and error runninged. We test these relationships by dint of our conceptual model. III. abstract type IT foundation flexibility and strategical IT-Business alignment strategic IT-business alignment refers to the cessation to which the IT mission, objectives, and plans substantiate, and are back up by, the organizations mission, objectives , and plans Hirscheim & Sabherwal, 2000.This alignment creates an interconnected organization in which every(prenominal) function, unit, and person are cogitate on the organizations militantness. Sambamurthy and Zmud 1992 suggested that IT counseling is a line of line up the relationship among the business and the IT foundation to take good of IT opportunities and capabilities. Duncan 1995 firstly include the alignment of IT plans to business objectives in her exposition of IT base. She proceed by noting that an organizations IT base of operations could be considered flexible if it enabled strategic innovations in business processes.Broadbent and Weill 1997 express that IT nucleotide capabilities win the foundation for competitive arrangement of business initiatives. From this discussion, we drive the following possible action speculation 1 individually component of an organizations IT home flexibility ordaining positively attain the organizations strategi c IT-business alignment. IT foundation flexibleness and Applications effectuation Today, IT applications not all process data and provide focus information reports.Corporations now use IT applications to relieve oneself competitive advantage Earl, 1989 doorkeeper & Millar, 1985 Powell, 1992 Saunders & Jones, 1992 smith & McKeen, 1993 to create new business opportunities Earl, 1989 Rockart & Scott-Morton, 1984 metalworker & McKeen ,1993 to improve customer service to advance product and service reference and to integrate supplier and customer operations Luftman, Lewis, & Oldach, 1993. some(prenominal) studies assume include business applications as part of IT infrastructure see e. . , Broadbent & Weill, 1997 Byrd & Turner, 2000 Duncan, 1995. Duncan 1995 communicate business applications when she assert that IT infrastructure flexibility enabled organizations to manufacture applications that more well-nigh come across business objectives. Broadbent and Weill 1997 state d that IT infrastructure capabilities are the base for computer applications. Byrd and Turner 2000 observe that IT infrastructure flexibility enabled organizations to intimately transmit and patronize philia applications. For this probe, we use the cessation to which organizations pitch use a phase of business applications to examine the concept of applications implementation. These xi business applications in our acquire include transaction impact systems, management information systems, administrator information systems, conclusion support systems, expert systems, data warehousing, data mining, interorganizational information systems (e. g. , electronic data interchange), fellowship management, mesh management, and mishap recovery.From this discussion, we image the following possibility system 2 apiece component of an organizations IT infrastructure flexibility will positively regard the organizations terminus of applications implementation. conceptual e xample This study utilizes iv previously place measures of IT infrastructure flexibility the technical components of modularity, compatibility, connectivity, and IT personnel skills see Duncan, 1995 Byrd & Turner, 2000. The conceptual model representing the relationships address in this study is presented in flesh 1. pic* p