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Although inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) implementation has been widely studied, mainstream literature has not focused on understanding how implementation unfolds and how the existing components of the installed base shape the process. This paper addresses this gap by conducting a socio-technical, process-oriented, and multilevel study. Based on a longitudinal in-depth case study of the implementation of an industry IOIS, we develop an explication of IOIS implementation that considers the role of the installed base. Using the lens of actor-network theory (ANT), we counter the mainstream IOIS literature by showing that IOIS implementation cannot only be explained by a fixed set of independent factors; instead, the dynamic mutual shaping of socio-technical actors throughout implementation complements existing factor-based models in explaining the evolution and the outcome (success or failure). The study also shows the importance of complying with the technical and non-technical components of the installed base for an IOIS to be successfully initiated.

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The digitalization of economic and social activity has brought information infrastructures (IIs) to the forefront of research. This paper studies II formation processes and their outcomes; namely, II architecture and distribution of control rights. We conduct an in-depth exploratory case study of an electronic prescription II and report on two formation processes: stratification and meshworking. The stratification process in our case study involved classifying the IIs' diverse socio-technical components into homogeneous groups and consolidating them into a coherent hierarchical structure that standardized the components' behavior. The outcome of this stratification was a dual and hierarchical architecture and a fairly centralized locus of control. The meshworking process, by contrast, assembled heterogeneous components without homogenizing them; the components were distributed in a way that enabled them to self-organize. The outcome of this meshworking process was a modular architecture that decoupled the central nodes from the users' installed base and a more decentralized structure. Consequently, the final II architecture was a hybrid offering both centralized control and autonomy of the parts. Our research further illustrates how this architecture then influenced the project's complexity and the actors' position in the sector. We build our contribution on extant II research.

Although the literature has repeatedly shown that inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) are prone to abandonment and low levels of adoption, a great deal of research examining such unsatisfactory outcomes has focused on phenomena occurring in the early stages of the implementation, thus, leaving the post-implementation period under-explored. This paper presents a conceptual lens through which we study two interrelated post-implementation phenomena: managerial intervention and users' appropriation. Specifically, we develop a structurational model to examine IOIS management intervention to boost IOIS assimilation, the situated and emergent appropriations of the IOIS that followed and the ongoing adaptations by those intervening in these processes. Actors shape the context for others' actions by offering modalities of structuring -i.e. new meanings, new procedures, new software applications -which are then taken up in practice by adopters, giving rise to both intended and unintended outcomes. The paper contributes with a multi-level process-based study that (1) conceives IOIS assimilation as an episodic process in which there are dialectical tensions between users and IOIS management; and (2) identifies two forms of managerial intervention targeting diverse aspects of the institutional context that lead to assimilation.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of information technologies (IT) in the impact of environmental practices on environmental performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors use data from the fifth (2009) round of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) which includes responses from manufacturing plants within the manufacturing industry in Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary and USA. The authors use multiple regression analysis to test the relationship between environmental practices and environmental performance and the moderating effect of IT. Findings The paper finds evidence that IT strengthens the relationship between environmental practices and environmental performance. The IT construct is operationalized through IT-enabled control and IT-enabled coordination. The results confirm the established relationship between environmental practices and environmental performance and show that IT-enabled coordination moderates the relationship between environmental practices and environmental performance. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature of green operations in the following ways: First, this paper offers an alternative explanation about the role of IT; the authors provide evidence that existing IT resources that support the coordination between product design and manufacturing strengthen the effect of environmental practices. Second, this paper provides evidence that environmental practices can take advantages of the IT resources embedded in daily plants’ routines to enhance plants’ environmental performance. Overall, this research provides suggestions to managers about the role that IT plays in the implementation of environmental practices.

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