Role of Information Systems for Strategic Agility in Supply Chain Setting: Telecommunication Industry Study

Abstract

Abstract: The ability of a company to either adapt to the changes in the business environment or to influence the environment, for example by innovations, determines its success in gaining competitive advantage or even survival in the contemporary business environment. Both scholars and practitioners are constantly devising ways to survive the environmental pressures, such as, information overload, technological advances and obsolescence and globalization. This research proposes strategic agility comprised of strategic sensitivity, strategic response and collective capabilities as one such business virtue required. One such competitive and complex industry is Telecommunication industry and this study makes use of a company in that industry to investigate strategic agility and information systems (IS) role in promoting strategic agility. In addition, the supply chain setting is considered because of its significance in the industry as one of the competitive factors. The research revealed different points of view for the role of IS from business and information technology (IT) managers. The value of strategic agility is appreciated by both sets of managers. However, the managers have different views on the value of IS in promoting the strategic agility dimensions, for instance, most business managers highlighted that IS is of no strategic value and one even claimed it is the worst performing function. But IS managers noted that, IS, for instance, business intelligence and enterprise resource planning systems could be utilized hand‑in‑hand to support strategic agility. Moreover, this study make use of dynamic capabilities view in drawing both strategic agility dimensions and IS input. This study contributes to the ever required knowledge on how business could make use of IS and adapt organizational features to the environment requirements in order to survive the competition.