A coordination-theoretic investigation of the impact of electronic integration on logistics performance

Using the Coordination Theory, we explored the impact of electronic integration of intra-organizational and inter-organizational business processes on organizational performance in terms of logistics cost and service improvements. Our work extends knowledge on adoption of information technology (IT) in logistics operations, with a focus on examining the performance implications of electronic integration within and between firms in a supply chain. Data was collected from 227 trading firms in Hong Kong and analyzed to investigate the research issues. Our empirical findings revealed that electronic integration is positively associated with logistics performance in cost but not in service, suggesting that electronic integration is not sufficient for delivering superior logistics services. Theoretical and practical implications of our results are discussed.     

The Top Management Team,Reflexivity, Knowledge Sharing and New Product Performance: A Study of the Irish Software Industry

In the present study, we develop a model to predict new product performance incorporating the literature on top management team (TMT) composition, trustworthiness, knowledge sharing and task reflexivity in organizations. We hypothesize that diversity and trustworthiness in the TMT should influence knowledge sharing and reflexivity and reflexivity and knowledge sharing would be positively associated with new product performance. We test the model using data collected from 39 indigenous software firms in Ireland. Results indicate that age diversity was positively related to knowledge sharing ability while educational level, tenure and functional diversity of the TMT did not have any direct effect on reflexivity or knowledge sharing ability or motivation. However, educational level of TMT, tenure and age diversity had indirect effects on reflexivity and knowledge sharing through the intervening variable of TMT trustworthiness. Further, knowledge sharing and task reflexivity had direct effects on market new product performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Communities of practice model driven knowledge management in multinational knowledge based enterprises

Existing research in intelligent manufacturing literature has highlighted the need for linking organizational culture, business strategy with Knowledge Management (KM) as well as measuring the performance of knowledge management systems for best practice. Communities of Practice (CoPs) are accepted as best practice and distinct from organizational structures while implementing KM. Besides, employing CoPs as an approach for linking business strategies with KM design, CoPs can be the prevailing way for group learning and innovation building within firms. As firms grow in size, scope, and complexity, CoPs members who regularly engage in sharing and learning based on common interests, could improve organizational performance. The purpose of this work is to design a CoPs model for KM which addresses issues related to organization culture, business strategy and performance measurement reported in earlier publications in intelligent manufacturing. A CoPs evaluation hierarchy for KM is developed. It includes four dimensions and sixteen criteria for studying and evaluating organizational culture and business strategy. Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach has been employed to quantitatively analyze various criteria priorities and business strategy preferences of CoPs. In order to validate the CoPs model, a case study has been undertaken in two multinational knowledge based organizations and the results are compared to differentiate strategic preferences. The contributions of this paper include: a) Definition of a CoPs model based on sixteen criteria which helps to understand an organization’s KM culture or CoPs; b) Employing these criteria to link an organization‘s KM culture with four business strategies; c) Develop a quantitative method for measuring KM performance in the context of four business strategies, and d) Validating the CoPs model through its application in two multinationals in Taiwan and Japan. The CoPs model thus can be used by organizations to understand their KM culture, allocate resources towards the chosen business strategy and measure KM performance in the context of the chosen business strategy.     

Mapping knowledge sharing traits to business strategy in knowledge based organisation

Globalization has resulted in increasing use of knowledge as competitive weapon in many organizations nowadays. In this context, an increasing number of organizations are focusing on communities of practice (CoPs) orientated knowledge management (KM) studies and the links between KM and organizational business strategy. This link is an important determinant of organizational performance. While KM business strategy (linked to organization business strategy) is important, knowledge sharing behavior of knowledge workers is a critical enabler of effective knowledge management and organizational performance. That is, organizations invest resources in creating CoPs for competitive advantage and lack of suitable candidates will result in loss of momentum and less knowledge sharing in CoPs and there by underutilizing the resources. The aim of this research is to identify the personality traits to portrait the features of knowledge workers suitable for CoPs oriented KM and business strategy. Four KM business strategies have been established in this paper in light of organization performance orientation and KM implementation mode and traits of knowledge workers are mapped to different business strategies. The most significant personality traits of knowledge sharing behavior have been analyzed to determine the suitable traits for different type business strategies. Thus contributions of this paper include (a) defining a model which links four business strategies with CoPs orientated KM model and knowledge sharing behavior model (based on revised Five Factor Model); (b) mapping of personality traits of knowledge workers with four business strategies; (c) providing a guideline to knowledge based organizations for seamless integration of business strategy with CoPs oriented KM and compatible knowledge workers and d) more effective utilization of organizational resources to facilitate improvement in organizational performance.     

Business intelligence and analytics use,innovation ambidexterity,and firm performance: A dynamic capabilities perspective

To survive in a dynamic and hyper-competitive business environment, firms are compelled to simultaneously introduce incremental and radical innovations. While it is recognised that business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) can support innovation and provide organisational value, the literature provides a limited understanding of its impact on balancing different innovation activities and ensuring performance gains. In this study, we examine the relationship between BI&A use, innovation ambidexterity, and firm performance by relying on the process theory of IS value creation as well as the dynamic capabilities perspective. We test our model using data collected from medium- and large-sized firms in Slovenia, applying partial least squares modelling. The results support the notion that BI&A use is positively associated with successful balancing between explorative and exploitative innovation activities, which in turn enhances firm performance. Our results also indicate that innovation ambidexterity is enhanced in two ways: indirectly through interaction with the firm’s absorptive capacity, and directly by increasing the possibilities of faster experimentation with offerings of products or services and improved predictability of the value of new products or services.     

Exploitative and exploratory learning in transactive memory systems and project performance

Based on organizational learning theory and the dynamic capability view, this study examines the relationships between transactive memory systems, team learning, and project performance in new product teams. Regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses in a sample of 218 Taiwanese firms. The findings indicate differential effects of three dimensions of a transactive memory system on exploitative and exploratory learning. Exploitative and exploratory learning are positively associated with project performance. The results also support that the interaction between exploitative and exploratory learning has a positive effect on project performance. Managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Performance implications of information-value offering in e-service systems: Examining the resource-based perspective and innovation strategy

This research examines the performance implications of information-value offering in e-service systems. Specifically, this study introduces both a resource-based perspective that combines technology, human, and business resources to develop an e-service capability, and an innovation strategy that emphasizes service innovation orientation to examine information-value offering. This study also examines how firms bundle e-service capability and service innovation orientation to enhance information-value offering that enhances customer relationships and organizational performance. The results from a survey of 115 financial service firms in Taiwan highlight the importance of how e-service capability and service innovation orientation leads to information-value offering and that this value is shown to positively influence organizational performance by customer relationship performance. The results suggest that researchers and practitioners should pay special attention to the complementary resource-strategy that are needed to successfully implement e-service systems initiatives and that an emphasis on the resource or strategy alone may not be sufficient.     

Exploring the antecedents and consequences of technology and knowledge integration mechanisms in the context of NPD

In order to provide new products that are more innovative and are suited to customer needs, enterprises have started to look for assistance from external partners. Consequently, as firms launch new product development (NPD), it has become more critical to determine a method by which to integrate technology and knowledge together and to enhance absorptive capability (AC) of firms in the process of information, technology and knowledge sharing. This study thus combines the concepts of corporate social capital (CSC), intellectual capital, and AC, and discusses the influence of internal/external resource integration on technology integration mechanisms (TIM) and knowledge integration mechanisms (KIM), as well as AC’s effect on NPD. Three hundred and ninety-four valid responses were collected and partial least squares structural equation modeling was adopted for data analysis. The results show that interaction ties and the shared language of CSC positively affect TIM, while human capital and organizational capital have positive influences on KIM. In addition, TIM and KIM both have significant and positive influences on AC and AC further influences NPD performance. Therefore, this study suggests that firms have to establish interaction bases for utilizing external knowledge to assist in NPD, and this can be achieved by offering a friendly environment to encourage employees to be more willing to contribute their knowledge.     

Impact of absorptive capability on software process improvement and firm performance

Software process improvement (SPI) is a continual organizational learning process with the goal of obtaining and sustaining competitive advantage in rapidly developing business and software environments. However, no research has focused on a firm’s capability to increase effective external SPI knowledge acquisition and utilization. Thus, this study uses dynamic capability theory in order to investigate empirically the capability of a firm to absorb external knowledge and achieve SPI. Specifically, we propose a research model and examine the relationships among a firm’s potential absorptive capability (PAC), realized absorptive capability (RAC), SPI success, and firm performance. In this regard, we surveyed 108 respondents in 56 SPI-certificated Taiwanese firms. We then tested our model using a partial least squares structural equation modeling technique. The results indicate that SPI success is significantly influenced by PAC through RAC. The results also suggest that absorptive capability is critical to SPI success and that the latter ultimately influences firm performance.     

Entrepreneurship, knowledge integration capability, and firm performance: An empirical study

From the knowledge-based view, an organization is considered an entity that integrates and distributes knowledge to produce products and services. Knowledge is acknowledged as a sustainable basis of competitive advantage that many organizations possess. Entrepreneurial activity also has been viewed as an essential feature for organizations to survive and prosper in today??s turbulent environment. In this study, we explore the effect of entrepreneurship on organizational performance through knowledge integration capability. Our research model depicts the firm as a knowledge integration institution that produces its offerings through specialized knowledge integration capability that consists of learning culture, knowledge management process, and information technology capability. The results show a strong support for the relationship between entrepreneurship and knowledge integration capability. We also found that the effect of entrepreneurial activities on firm performance was mediated by knowledge integration capability.     

How social-media-enabled co-creation between customers and the firm drives business value? The perspective of organizational learning and social Capital

Contemporary business organizations are increasingly turning their attention to value co-creation using social media between individual customers and business organizations in the process of new product development (NPD). However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying social-media-based customer-firm co-creation and their implications for business value in NPD. To address this knowledge gap, this study develops a model from the perspective of organizational learning and social capital to examine how the social-media-based customer-firm co-creation mechanism conceptualized as the structural, cognitive, and relational dimension of social capital influences the first-order knowledge outcome (knowledge transfer effectiveness) and second-order dynamic capability outcome (absorptive capacity), and how these co-creation outcomes ultimately influence organizational performance. The model is tested using survey data from 149 Chinese mobile application developers. The results indicate that social-media-based structural, cognitive, and relational linkage, in particular the structural linkage, is an important co-creation mechanism to improve organizational performance. Knowledge transfer effectiveness and absorptive capacity have significant mediating effects in this co-creation mechanism-outcomes-performance framework. Further, the moderating effects of social media use level on the relationships between co-creation mechanism and outcomes are largely supported. The study contributes to theory and practice by shedding light on the social-media-based customer-firm co-creation in NPD at a process level.     

The software product line architecture: An empirical investigation of key process activities

Software architecture has been a key area of concern in software industry due to its profound impact on the productivity and quality of software products. This is even more crucial in case of software product line, because it deals with the development of a line of products sharing common architecture and having controlled variability. The main contributions of this paper is to increase the understanding of the influence of key software product line architecture process activities on the overall performance of software product line by conducting a comprehensive empirical investigation covering a broad range of organizations currently involved in the business of software product lines. This is the first study to empirically investigate and demonstrate the relationships between some of the software product line architecture process activities and the overall software product line performance of an organization at the best of our knowledge. The results of this investigation provide empirical evidence that software product line architecture process activities play a significant role in successfully developing and managing a software product line.     

The exploration factors of affecting knowledge sharing – The case of Taiwan’s high-tech industry

In the past, the studies on knowledge sharing tended to be focused on the organization and few paid attention to the departments inside the organization. In this study, valid samples were collected from Taiwan’s 92 IC related firms in the high-tech industry through the Hierarchical Random Sampling method for empirical analysis. The non-linear fuzzy neural network is used due to its capacity in accepting errors and low limitation. This method enables researchers to accurately assess the relations between variables. The result of this study indicated that the degree of formalization and complexity of the organizational structure is negatively and significantly correlated with knowledge sharing. Similarly, motivation through material reward correlates positively and significantly with knowledge sharing with stronger intensity than that between motivation through non-material reward and knowledge sharing. The degree of integration between organizations correlates positively and significantly with knowledge sharing.     

The impact of IT on decision structure and firm performance: evidence from the textile and apparel industry

Clarifying the relationships between information technology (IT), organizational performance, and decision structure remains an important area of inquiry in IS research. Through an empirical analysis and complementary case examples, our study examines these associations among firms operating in the US-based apparel and textile industry from 1992 to 1997. Based on data gathered from 50 public firms located across the USA, the study finds that IT used to enhance internal communication supports a decentralized decision structure, which in turn is associated with higher financial performance. Hence, IT exhibits an indirect performance effect. However, use of IT to enhance communication is also found to have a direct performance effect in large organizations. This paper proposes that use of communication enhancing IT can support organizational learning processes by facilitating flexible exchange of skills and knowledge across functional areas. Case examples are used to illustrate how these learning effects can materialize.     

Data mining-based variable assessment methodology for evaluating the contribution of knowledge services of a public research institute to business performance of firms

This study proposes a methodology for assessing the contribution of knowledge services (KSs) provided by a Korean public research institute to the business performance of firms. A new methodology based on a data mining-based variable assessment method in a regression model is proposed for the service-level assessment. The contribution of the KSs to firms’ business performance is analyzed using their attributes and specific business performance indicators through the conditional variable permutation method in the random forest regression. This reduces the ambiguity in variable importance caused by the correlations among input variables. The proposed methodology is applied to the survey dataset collected from firms. The survey dataset is examined 1) for the whole data and 2) for a subset of the data, namely, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The empirical results show behavioral properties of firms with regard to the given KSs in general and SMEs in particular. Practical and user-friendly service product types increase the firms’ expectation on business performance. Also, flexibility in the service products helps firms acquire much-needed knowledge and boosts their expectation on business performance. In particular, SMEs expect better business performance from the KSs that help them create business plans and strategies.     

Relating agility and electronic integration: The role of knowledge and process coordination mechanisms

Current competitive environments necessitate that firms pursue electronic integration in parallel to agility. However, most research to date has examined integration and agility relatively independently and has overlooked the relationship between them. Using coordination theory, this paper suggests that integration enables the two capabilities of agility (i.e., sensing and responding). Results from a study of 303 business unit operations of manufacturing organizations show that integration within business units and with outside partners is positively associated with process coupling of the value chain, both internally and externally. Further, both types of integration are positively associated with knowledge flow within and outside the business unit. In turn, both lead to higher capability to sense change in the business environment and respond to it with agility. This research helps us understand the integration-agility relation better by investigating the role of the knowledge and process capabilities.     

IT capability and organizational performance: the roles of business process agility and environmental factors

The business value of information technology (IT) has been one of the top concerns of both practitioners and scholars for decades. Numerous studies have documented the positive effects of IT capability on organizational performance but our knowledge of the processes through which such gains are achieved remains limited due to a lack of focus on the business environment. Such a linkage therefore remains the subject of debate in the information systems literature. In this study, we fill this gap by investigating the mediating role of business process agility and the moderating roles of environmental factors. On the basis of matched survey data obtained from 214 IT and business executives from manufacturing firms in China, our analyses show that even though firm-wide IT capability presents the characteristics of rarity, appropriability, non-reproducibility, and non-substitutability, its impact on organizational performance is fully mediated by business process agility. Our results also show that the impact of the environment is multifaceted and nuanced. In particular, environmental hostility weakens the effect of IT capability on business process agility, while environmental complexity strengthens it. The theoretical and practical implications of this study, and its limitations, are also discussed.     

ERP systems adoption: An exploratory study of the organizational factors and impacts of ERP success

We examined the relationships between the success of ERP system adoption, extent of business process improvement (BPI), and organizational performance and investigated the associations between the outcomes of these initiatives and such organizational factors as strategic intent, senior management support, and the status of the IT function within a company. A correlation analysis of 96 firms was made to test our hypothesis that the strategic intent to use ERP was closely related to the success of BPI, ERP, and organizational performance. The results also demonstrated that CEO-IT distance may have little direct bearing on the outcomes of ERP and BPI initiatives. A closer CEO-IT reporting relationship, however, was found to be associated with higher levels of senior management support for both types of enterprise projects. This empirical evidence reinforced the long-held assumption that organization-level benefits, BPI, and ERP success were closely related; and that these relationships were subject to the influence of the organizational variables.     

Knowledge management orientation: construct development and empirical validation

We introduce the concept of knowledge management orientation (KMO) – the degree to which a firm demonstrates behaviors of organized and systematic knowledge management (KM) implementation. Based on an extensive review of the KM literature, the KMO concept is operationalized as a second-order latent construct consisting of four main component factors: organizational memory, knowledge sharing, knowledge absorption, and knowledge receptivity. We then validate the KMO construct using data from 213 United Kingdom firms. The findings provide strong support for the unidimensionality, reliability, discriminant validity, and convergent validity of the KMO construct. We also test the impact of KMO on firm performance and find a significant, positive relationship, providing support for the predictive validity of the KMO construct. Our findings suggest that KMO is an effective measure of the firm-level KM-oriented behaviors. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the KMO construct are also discussed.     

Knowledge sharing practices as a facilitating factor for improving organizational performance through human capital: A preliminary test

Organizational knowledge sharing, argued to be able to improve organizational performance and achieve competitive advantage, is often not induced successfully. How organizations should encourage and facilitate knowledge sharing to improve organizational performance is still an important research question. This study proposes and examines a model of organizational knowledge sharing that improves organizational performance. Organizational knowledge sharing practices are argued to be able to encourage and facilitate knowledge sharing, and are hypothesized to have a positive relationship with organizational human capital (employee competencies), which is hypothesized to have a positive relationship with organizational performance. Two organizational antecedents (innovation strategy and top management knowledge values) are hypothesized to lead to the implementation of organizational knowledge sharing practices. The hypotheses were examined with data collected from 256 companies in Taiwan. All the hypotheses are supported. This study has both theoretical and practical implications.