Investigating the Strategic Impact of Enterprise Systems: a dynamic capability assessment

Information Systems research seminar, 1 March 2005, 3-5pm, i-studio 5

Gerald Grant, Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada

This research examines the strategic impact of enterprise systems (ES) from the dynamic capability perspective. In applying this perspective we argue that ES by itself does not create business value. Such value results from creative ES deployment and utilisation in pursuit of the strategic goals of the business.

Taking this view as a basis, this research identifies and investigates three fundamental ES capabilities: IT infrastructure, business process reengineering, and knowledge management. IS management capability is further identified as a higher-order mechanism guiding the evolution of ES capabilities, which, if appropriately applied, is expected to moderate the outcome of all other ES capabilities.

Using a questionnaire survey, we test an ES capabilities model to examine the strategic impact of ES capabilities on ES outcomes. The quantitative analysis suggests a positive relationship between the three ES capabilities and ES outcome. However, the assumed moderating effect of IS management on the three ES capabilities was not confirmed by the quantitative data. This result, which contradicts extant qualitative research on ES adoption and implementation, led to further qualitative research which confirmed the moderating effect of IS management capability.

Dr Gerald Grant is Associate Professor of Information Systems at the Eric Sprott School of Business, Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He previously taught at the Faculty of Management, McGill University, Montreal, Canada and in the Information Systems Group and Computing at Brunel University, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.

Dr Grant obtained his PhD in Information Systems from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has consulted for the Commonwealth Secretariat (UK) and the COMNET-IT Foundation (Malta) on projects related to national and sectoral IT strategies. His current research interests are in strategic management of enterprise information systems, IT governance, and e-government. He is editor of two books published by Idea Group Inc (Hershey, USA). He serves on the advisory board of the Ottawa Manufacturers Network in Ottawa, Canada.

Please note the seminar is open to all and is free of charge. Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis (space cannot be reserved in advance).

^