Abstract

Grant's (1996) theoretical notion of higher-order capabilities and a hierarchy of capabilities has been used in recent information systems research by Barua et al. (2004), Sambamurthy et al. (2003), andMithas et al. (2004)

The purpose of the present study is to empirically and theoretically assess DeLone and McLean's (1992) and Seddon's (1997) models of information systems (IS) success in a quasi-voluntary IS use context. Structural modeling techniques were applied to data collected by questionnaire from 274 system users of an integrated student information system at a midwestern university. The Seddon structural model and the DeLone and McLean structural model each contained five variables (system quality, information quality, perceived usefulness, user satisfaction, and IS use). Both models exhibit reasonable fit with the collected data. The empirical findings are assessed in the broader theoretical context of the IS success literature, including the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Our results support DeLone and McLean's focus on integrated IS success models and their observation that IS success models need to be carefully specified in a given context. The Seddon model conceptually elaborates and clarifies aspects of the DeLone and McLean model, thereby effectively integrating core theoretical relationships espoused in the IS success literature. Our study also supports Seddon's three construct categories (system and information quality, general perceptual measures aboutnetbene fts about IS use, and IS behavior), as defining IS success and its impact on nature of IS use.

Although past research has investigated the impact of exploration and exploitation on firm performance, there is limited research on these effects in interorganizational relationships. We examine whether the boundary condition for ambidextrous learning can be extended from firms to long-term interorganizational relationships. Specifically, we focus on a particular aspect of learning--namely, explorative and exploitative knowledge sharing--and examine its impact on the performance of long-term relationships. We also theorize how ambidextrous management of the relationship and ontological commitment to span the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic knowledge boundaries between partners enable knowledge sharing. Our theoretical predictions are tested using data collected from both account managers at customer firms responsible for the relationship with a leading supply chain vendor and account managers at the vendor firm responsible for relationships with customers. The findings suggest that both exploratory and exploitative knowledge sharing lead to relationship performance gains, that such sharing is enabled by the ambidextrous management of the relationship, and that such sharing is facilitated by ontological commitment. Interesting differences in the enablers and consequences of both forms of knowledge sharing are detected between customers and the vendor.knowledge sharing, exploration, exploitation, learning paradox, contextual ambidexterity, digital boundary objects, ontological commitment

Firms are increasingly dependent on external resources and are establishing portfolios of interorganizational relationships (IRs) to leverage external resources for competitive advantage. However, the systems of information technology (IT) and process capabilities that firms should develop to manage IR portfolios dynamically are not well-understood. In order to theorize how key structural IT capabilities (IT integration and IT reconfiguration) and competitive process capabilities (process alignment, partnering flexibility, and offering flexibility) operate as systems of complements, we draw on the competitive dynamics perspective and resource dependency theory and on the literature for IT business value, interorganizational systems, and interorganizational relationship management. We also theorize how a firm's IR portfolio moderates the effects of structural IT capabilities on competitive process capabilities and why a firm's environmental turbulence moderates the effects of complementary process capabilities on competitive performance. We test our model using survey data from 318 firms in 4 industries. Our results provide broad support for the following: (1) structural IT capabilities and process capabilities operating as a system of complements, (2) the effects of structural IT capabilities on competitive process capabilities being contingent on IR portfolio concentration, and (3) the effects of complementary process capabilities on competitive performance being contingent on environmental turbulence. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of how firms should develop complementary systems of structural IT capabilities and competitive process capabilities to manage IR portfolios dynamically and leverage external resources.