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Research Commentary ---Reframing the Dominant Quests of Information Systems Strategy Research for Complex Adaptive Business Systems

Author

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  • Hüseyin Tanriverdi

    (Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management, Red McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712)

  • Arun Rai

    (Center for Process Innovation and Department of Computer Information Systems, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303)

  • N. Venkatraman

    (School of Management, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215)

Abstract

We review and reframe three main quests of research on information systems (IS) strategy: (1) the strategic alignment quest, (2) the integration quest, and (3) the sustained competitive advantage quest. The assumptions and logic of these quests have become less relevant in increasingly complex adaptive business systems (CABS), where the competitive performance landscapes of products and services are highly dynamic and co-evolve. We revise the strategic alignment quest to propose a co-evolution quest that addresses not only competitive strategy questions of a firm but also corporate strategy questions. The co-evolution quest seeks to increase a firm's agility and dynamism in repositioning itself, identifying profitable product-market positions as the evolving competitive landscape erodes the profitability of the firm's existing positions. To support the co-evolution quest, we revise the integration quest and propose a reconfiguration quest that encompasses not only business processes but also products and services, as well as the contracts, resources, and transactions associated with them. As the firm makes repositioning moves to co-evolve with the competitive landscape, the reconfiguration quest seeks to increase the firm's agility in disintegrating its existing nexus of contracts, resources, and transactions that support the old positions and in reconfiguring new ones that support the new positions. Finally, we revise the sustained competitive advantage quest to propose a renewal quest that recognizes the temporary nature of competitive advantage in CABS. The renewal quest seeks to destabilize the firm's old sources of competitive advantage when competitive dynamics erode their utility, rapidly create new sources of competitive advantage, and concatenate a series of temporary advantages over time. The three reframed quests provide the foundation for a research agenda on IS strategy in CABS.

Suggested Citation

  • Hüseyin Tanriverdi & Arun Rai & N. Venkatraman, 2010. "Research Commentary ---Reframing the Dominant Quests of Information Systems Strategy Research for Complex Adaptive Business Systems," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 822-834, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:21:y:2010:i:4:p:822-834
    DOI: 10.1287/isre.1100.0317
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    2. Arun Rai & Xinlin Tang, 2014. "Research Commentary ---Information Technology-Enabled Business Models: A Conceptual Framework and a Coevolution Perspective for Future Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Torres Pena, Maria Veronica & Breidbach, Christoph F., 2021. "On emergence in service platforms: An application to P2P lending," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 337-347.
    4. Martín-Rojas, Rodrigo & García-Morales, Victor J. & Garrido-Moreno, Aurora & Salmador-Sánchez, Maria Paz, 2021. "Social Media Use and the Challenge of Complexity: Evidence from the Technology Sector," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 621-640.
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    6. Yarifard , Reza & Taheri , Mandana & Zafarzadeh , Somaieh, 2016. "Business-IT Strategic Alignment Focused on Social and Technical Dimensions," Journal of Money and Economy, Monetary and Banking Research Institute, Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, vol. 11(1), pages 87-118, January.
    7. Baillette, Paméla & Barlette, Yves & Leclercq-Vandelannoitte, Aurélie, 2018. "Bring your own device in organizations: Extending the reversed IT adoption logic to security paradoxes for CEOs and end users," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 76-84.
    8. Ghiyoung Im & Arun Rai, 2014. "IT-Enabled Coordination for Ambidextrous Interorganizational Relationships," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 72-92, March.
    9. Thorsten Koch & Josef Windsperger, 2017. "Seeing through the network: Competitive advantage in the digital economy," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 6(1), pages 1-30, December.
    10. Raymond, Louis & Bergeron, François & Croteau, Anne-Marie & Uwizeyemungu, Sylvestre, 2019. "Determinants and outcomes of IT governance in manufacturing SMEs: A strategic IT management perspective," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    11. Garrison, Gary & Wakefield, Robin L. & Kim, Sanghyun, 2015. "The effects of IT capabilities and delivery model on cloud computing success and firm performance for cloud supported processes and operations," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 377-393.
    12. André Hanelt & René Bohnsack & David Marz & Cláudia Antunes Marante, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1159-1197, July.
    13. Yu, Yan & Ibarra, Julio E. & Kumar, Kuldeep & Chergarova, Vasilka, 2021. "Coevolution of cyberinfrastructure development and scientific progress," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    14. Stockhinger, Jan & Teubner, Alexander, 2019. "How digitalization drives the IT/IS strategy agenda," ERCIS Working Papers 31, University of Münster, European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS).
    15. Martín-Rojas, Rodrigo & Garrido-Moreno, Aurora & García-Morales, Víctor J., 2023. "Social media use, corporate entrepreneurship and organizational resilience: A recipe for SMEs success in a post-Covid scenario," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    16. Yolande E. Chan & James S. Denford & Joyce Y. Jin, 2016. "Competing Through Knowledge and Information Systems Strategies: A Study of Small and Medium-Sized Firms," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(03), pages 1-37, September.
    17. Jessica Pye & Arun Rai & John Qi Dong, 2024. "Business Value of Information Technology Capabilities: An Institutional Governance Perspective," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 28-44, March.
    18. Gregory Vial, 2023. "A Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective of Software Reuse in the Digital Age: An Agenda for IS Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(4), pages 1728-1743, December.
    19. Teubner, Alexander & Stockhinger, Jan, 2020. "IT/IS strategy research and digitalization: An extensive literature review," ERCIS Working Papers 34, University of Münster, European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS).
    20. Wu, Ing-Long & Chen, Jian-Liang, 2014. "A stage-based diffusion of IT innovation and the BSC performance impact: A moderator of technology–organization–environment," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 76-90.
    21. Ilir Kurti & Ezmolda Barolli & Kozeta Sevrani, 2013. "Critical Success Factors For Business – It Alignment:A Review Of Current Research," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 8(3), pages 79-97, September.
    22. Rolf Teubner, 2013. "Information Systems Strategy," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 5(4), pages 243-257, August.
    23. Silvia Cantele & Silvia Vernizzi & Francesca Ricciardi, 2016. "The emerging wave of agility-oriented business networks in Italy: a new strategy for facing global competition," World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 12(2/3), pages 270-284.
    24. Sam Ruiqing Cao & Marco Iansiti, 2022. "Organizational Barriers to Transforming Large Finance Corporations: Cloud Adoption and the Importance of Technological Architecture," CESifo Working Paper Series 10142, CESifo.

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