Year: 2007
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Multiple information technologies are converging. Crucial to organizations’ relentless struggle\nto remain competitive, IT innovation processes must now increasingly take into consideration a\nmultitude of stationary, mobile, and even embedded information technologies and their\nassociated use contexts. In assembling such ubiquitous computing environments, multiple\norganizations with diverging interests and capabilities are involved. Indeed, heterogeneous\ncomponent technologies are frequently associated with independent markets lacking a dominant\nactor knowledgeable about more than fragments of the combined capabilities present. A resulting\nlack of architectural knowledge poses a challenge to organizations attempting to assemble\ninnovative computing environments spanning these boundaries. In this thesis, heterogeneous IT\ninnovation processes are conceptualized as dependent on dispersed component technologies and\nassociated competencies bound together by boundary-spanning architectural knowledge. This\nperspective is formalized as a research model assessed over a five-year action research project in\nthe Swedish transport industry. The research project involved an industry network of independent\ntechnology vendors and user organizations experiencing a mobile-stationary divide in attempts to\nassemble ubiquitous computing environments. Seeking to understand the role and nature of\narchitectural knowledge in heterogeneous IT innovation processes this thesis contributes\nimplications for both research and strategy.\nFirst, architectural knowledge in heterogeneous IT innovation is found to rely on technology\ncapability awareness, use context sensitivity, and business model understanding. However, in\norder to be successfully enacted in practice, the emergence of boundary-spanning competence is\ncrucial. It is imperative to collectively define mutual boundaries between components of an\narchitecture with respect to technology capabilities, use contexts, and business models. Through\nthis process, architectural knowledge emerges as actors gain an increased capability to\nappreciate the conditions present in other components. This creates a crucial foundation for\nboundary spanning innovation. However, such boundary definitions must reflect a viable\ncommon denominator. Any resulting formalized architecture should not pose an immediate threat\nto perceived core markets of any involved component IT base. The need for open boundaryspanning\ncomponent capabilities and requirements of innovation leeway for individual firms\nwithin their core IT base pose a balancing challenge. This can be achieved by black-boxing\ndisputed technology capabilities of the component IT bases, acknowledging the innovation\nprerogative of organizations within that particular component market.
Author: Magnus Andersson
Language: English
Subfield: Management Information Systems
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: VINNOVA
OpenAlex ID: W1565213795