IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_10142.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Organizational Barriers to Transforming Large Finance Corporations: Cloud Adoption and the Importance of Technological Architecture

Author

Listed:
  • Sam Ruiqing Cao
  • Marco Iansiti

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of technological architecture around data storage and processing on the performance of large financial corporations after being exposed to more stringent data privacy regulations. A modular approach to cloud adoption – which reflects in the lack of data interoperability and reliance on microservices architecture – significantly constrains corporations’ ability to adapt after the GDPR became enforceable. We hypothesize that a modular approach to cloud adoption leads to uncontrolled scaling and data silos that hinder coordination and regulatory compliance. Using a difference-in-differences regression design, we find that establishment revenues lower by 30% among corporations substantially exposed to GDPR. Other corporations do not experience similar losses. We also find evidence consistent with theory using two alternative measures based on cloud vendor configurations.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10142
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp10142.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J. Hall & Maurice A. Saias, 1980. "Strategy follows structure!," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(2), pages 149-163, April.
    2. Tobias Kretschmer & Phanish Puranam, 2008. "Integration Through Incentives Within Differentiated Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(6), pages 860-875, December.
    3. David Tilson & Kalle Lyytinen & Carsten Sørensen, 2010. "Research Commentary ---Digital Infrastructures: The Missing IS Research Agenda," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 748-759, December.
    4. West, Joel, 2003. "How open is open enough?: Melding proprietary and open source platform strategies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1259-1285, July.
    5. Frank Nagle, 2019. "Open Source Software and Firm Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(3), pages 1191-1215, March.
    6. Youngjin Yoo & Richard J. Boland & Kalle Lyytinen & Ann Majchrzak, 2012. "Organizing for Innovation in the Digitized World," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(5), pages 1398-1408, October.
    7. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin M. Hitt, 2002. "Information Technology, Workplace Organization, and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 339-376.
    8. Goldfarb, Avi & Taska, Bledi & Teodoridis, Florenta, 2023. "Could machine learning be a general purpose technology? A comparison of emerging technologies using data from online job postings," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(1).
    9. Jacobides, Michael G. & Knudsen, Thorbjorn & Augier, Mie, 2006. "Benefiting from innovation: Value creation, value appropriation and the role of industry architectures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1200-1221, October.
    10. Sinan Aral & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lynn Wu, 2012. "Three-Way Complementarities: Performance Pay, Human Resource Analytics, and Information Technology," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(5), pages 913-931, May.
    11. Timothy DeStefano & Richard Kneller & Jonathan Timmis, 2019. "Cloud computing and firm growth," Discussion Papers 2019-09, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    12. Kalle Lyytinen & Youngjin Yoo, 2002. "Research Commentary: The Next Wave of Nomadic Computing," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 377-388, December.
    13. David Dranove & Chris Forman & Avi Goldfarb & Shane Greenstein, 2014. "The Trillion Dollar Conundrum: Complementarities and Health Information Technology," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 6(4), pages 239-270, November.
    14. Sanderson, Susan & Uzumeri, Mustafa, 1995. "Managing product families: The case of the Sony Walkman," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 761-782, September.
    15. Lynn Wu & Lorin Hitt & Bowen Lou, 2020. "Data Analytics, Innovation, and Firm Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(5), pages 2017-2039, May.
    16. D. J. Wu & Min Ding & Lorin M. Hitt, 2013. "IT Implementation Contract Design: Analytical and Experimental Investigation of IT Value, Learning, and Contract Structure," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 787-801, September.
    17. Lynn Wu & Bowen Lou & Lorin Hitt, 2019. "Data Analytics Supports Decentralized Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(10), pages 4863-4877, October.
    18. Ola Henfridsson & Youngjin Yoo, 2014. "The Liminality of Trajectory Shifts in Institutional Entrepreneurship," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(3), pages 932-950, June.
    19. Carliss Y. Baldwin & Kim B. Clark, 2000. "Design Rules, Volume 1: The Power of Modularity," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262024667, April.
    20. Liu, Sitian & Su, Yichen, 2022. "The Effect of Working from Home on the Agglomeration Economies of Cities: Evidence from Advertised Wages," MPRA Paper 114429, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Langlois, Richard N. & Robertson, Paul L., 1992. "Networks and innovation in a modular system: Lessons from the microcomputer and stereo component industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 297-313, August.
    22. Susan Athey & Scott Stern, 1998. "An Empirical Framework for Testing Theories About Complimentarity in Organizational Design," NBER Working Papers 6600, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    23. Nils Stieglitz & Thorbjørn Knudsen & Markus C. Becker, 2016. "Adaptation and inertia in dynamic environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(9), pages 1854-1864, September.
    24. Daniel Fürstenau & Abayomi Baiyere & Natalia Kliewer, 2019. "A Dynamic Model of Embeddedness in Digital Infrastructures," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 1319-1342, December.
    25. Arora, Ashish & Gambardella, Alfonso, 1994. "The changing technology of technological change: general and abstract knowledge and the division of innovative labour," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 523-532, September.
    26. 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.
    27. Susan Leigh Star & Karen Ruhleder, 1996. "Steps Toward an Ecology of Infrastructure: Design and Access for Large Information Spaces," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 7(1), pages 111-134, March.
    28. Nicholas Bloom & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2012. "Americans Do IT Better: US Multinationals and the Productivity Miracle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 167-201, February.
    29. Athey, Susan. & Stern, Scott, 1969-, 1998. "An empirical framework for testing theories about complementarity in orgaziational design," Working papers WP 4022-98., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    30. Alan MacCormack & John Rusnak & Carliss Y. Baldwin, 2006. "Exploring the Structure of Complex Software Designs: An Empirical Study of Open Source and Proprietary Code," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(7), pages 1015-1030, July.
    31. Daniel A. Levinthal & Brian Wu, 2010. "Opportunity costs and non‐scale free capabilities: profit maximization, corporate scope, and profit margins," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 780-801, July.
    32. Erik Brynjolfsson & Wang Jin & Kristina McElheran, 2021. "The power of prediction: predictive analytics, workplace complements, and business performance," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 56(4), pages 217-239, October.
    33. David J. Teece, 2003. "Towards an Economic Theory of the Multiproduct Firm," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Essays In Technology Management And Policy Selected Papers of David J Teece, chapter 15, pages 419-446, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    34. 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.
    35. Manav Raj & Robert Seamans, 2019. "Primer on artificial intelligence and robotics," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.
    36. Terence J. V. Saldanha & Dongwon Lee & Sunil Mithas, 2020. "Aligning Information Technology and Business: The Differential Effects of Alignment During Investment Planning, Delivery, and Change," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(4), pages 1260-1281, December.
    37. Robert Wayne Gregory & Mark Keil & Jan Muntermann & Magnus Mähring, 2015. "Paradoxes and the Nature of Ambidexterity in IT Transformation Programs," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(1), pages 57-80, March.
    38. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1990. "The Economics of Modern Manufacturing: Technology, Strategy, and Organization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 511-528, June.
    39. Panos Constantinides & Michael Barrett, 2015. "Information Infrastructure Development and Governance as Collective Action," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(1), pages 40-56, March.
    40. Ron Adner & Phanish Puranam & Feng Zhu, 2019. "What Is Different About Digital Strategy? From Quantitative to Qualitative Change," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 4(4), pages 253-261, December.
    41. Ulrich, Karl, 1995. "The role of product architecture in the manufacturing firm," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 419-440, May.
    42. Youngjin Yoo & Ola Henfridsson & Kalle Lyytinen, 2010. "Research Commentary ---The New Organizing Logic of Digital Innovation: An Agenda for Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 724-735, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kristina McElheran & J. Frank Li & Erik Brynjolfsson & Zachary Kroff & Emin Dinlersoz & Lucia Foster & Nikolas Zolas, 2024. "AI adoption in America: Who, what, and where," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 375-415, March.
    2. Erik Brynjolfsson & Wang Jin & Kristina McElheran, 2021. "The power of prediction: predictive analytics, workplace complements, and business performance," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 56(4), pages 217-239, October.
    3. Jacobides, Michael G. & Cennamo, Carmelo & Gawer, Annabelle, 2024. "Externalities and complementarities in platforms and ecosystems: From structural solutions to endogenous failures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    4. Panos Constantinides & Ola Henfridsson & Geoffrey G. Parker, 2018. "Introduction—Platforms and Infrastructures in the Digital Age," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 381-400, June.
    5. Rasel, Fabienne, 2014. "Combining technology and work organization: An analysis of complementarity between IT and decentralization across firms of different size," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-071, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. López, Alberto, 2012. "Productivity effects of ICTs and organizational change: A test of the complementarity hypothesis in Spain," MPRA Paper 40400, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Markus Menz & Sven Kunisch & Julian Birkinshaw & David J. Collis & Nicolai J. Foss & Robert E. Hoskisson & John E. Prescott, 2021. "Corporate Strategy and the Theory of the Firm in the Digital Age," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(7), pages 1695-1720, November.
    8. Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Mancinelli, Susanna, 2007. "SME Performance, Innovation and Networking Evidence on Complementarities for a Local Economic System," Knowledge, Technology, Human Capital Working Papers 9554, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    9. Brice Dattée & Oliver Alexy & Erkko Autio, 2018. "Maneuvering in Poor Visibility : How Firms Play the Ecosystem Game when Uncertainty is High," Post-Print hal-02276702, HAL.
    10. 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).
    11. Nicholas Burton & Peter Galvin, 2020. "Component complementarity and transaction costs: the evolution of product design," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 845-867, August.
    12. Prasanna Tambe & Lorin M. Hitt & Erik Brynjolfsson, 2012. "The Extroverted Firm: How External Information Practices Affect Innovation and Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(5), pages 843-859, May.
    13. Hottenrott, Hanna & Rexhäuser, Sascha & Veugelers, Reinhilde, 2012. "Green innovations and organizational change: Making better use of environmental technology," ZEW Discussion Papers 12-043, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    14. Kimmo Karhu & Robin Gustafsson & Kalle Lyytinen, 2018. "Exploiting and Defending Open Digital Platforms with Boundary Resources: Android’s Five Platform Forks," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 479-497, June.
    15. Peng Huang & Marco Ceccagnoli & Chris Forman & D.J. Wu, 2022. "IT Knowledge Spillovers, Absorptive Capacity, and Productivity: Evidence from Enterprise Software," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(3), pages 908-934, September.
    16. Barge-Gil, Andrés & López, Alberto, 2013. "R&D and productivity: In search of complementarity between research and development activities," MPRA Paper 43808, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Liang Chen & Mengmeng Wang & Lin Cui & Sali Li, 2021. "Experience base, strategy‐by‐doing and new product performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(7), pages 1379-1398, July.
    18. Charles Hoffreumon & Chris Forman & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2024. "Make or buy your artificial intelligence? Complementarities in technology sourcing," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 452-479, March.
    19. Baldwin, Carliss & MacCormack, Alan & Rusnak, John, 2014. "Hidden structure: Using network methods to map system architecture," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(8), pages 1381-1397.
    20. Laura Abramovsky & Rachel Griffith, 2009. "ICT, corporate restructuring and productivity," IFS Working Papers W09/10, Institute for Fiscal Studies.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    technological architecture; cloud computing; ecosystem; GDPR; organisation design;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10142. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.