DDGS Affordances for Value Creation (original) (raw)

Affordance Theory in the IS Discipline: a Review and Synthesis of the Literature

The growing interest of IS researchers in using the theory of Affordances for studying the uses and consequences of the IT artefact calls for an integrative view on the subject. The originating literature is dispersed and the definition of the concept of affordance varies in these studies. With this paper we offer a framework for organizing the existing interdisciplinary literature modeling affordances' manifestation as effects of actions. Using a structured methodology, we reviewed the titles and abstracts of 126 articles from IS, Organization Studies, and Management literatures and examine a subset of 25 articles. Our work makes three main contributions. First it formalizes the concept of affordance as instanced in the IS domain. Second, it organizes IS affordance studies around four main areas: affordance existence, affordance perception, affordance actualization, and affordance effect. Finally, it discusses the current limitations of Affordance studies and offers the basis for future research.

(2020) "The nonlinear influence of harmonious information technology affordance on organizational innovation," Information Systems Journal

Information Systems Journal, 2020

In this study, we investigate the nature of the influence of organizational information technology (IT) on innovation. To examine this relationship, we leverage a fundamental construct: harmonious IT affordance (HITA). HITA is defined as the degree of coalignment between three salient organizational IT affordances, each of which allows an organization to carry out its most fundamental functions using IT—collaboration, maintenance of organizational memory, and management of organizational processes. We theorize that HITA has a quadratic (Ushaped) effect on innovation. Our theory proposes that when IT affordances increasingly co-align (reflected by increasing HITA), the organization enters a synergistic, virtuous phase that encourages innovation. Counterintuitively, the increasing misalignment of IT affordances can also result in organizational innovation via creative dissonance, which enables organizations to look for opportunities in the presence of misalignment and leverage it to create a synergistic virtuous cycle. We conducted two empirical studies—one with high-level IT executives knowledgeable about innovation and one with sales and business development executives (who market innovations) knowledgeable about IT—that corroborate our theory. Crucially, if the IT affordances are unrelated (low coalignment, where HITA is close to zero), then innovation does not take place. We thus surmise that the relation between HITA and innovation is quadratic.

Enabling servitization by affordance actualization: The role of digitalization capabilities

24th EurOMA Annual Conference, 2017

Digital technologies enable servitization by providing opportunities for the manufacturer to understand the product usage and condition, in customer's operations. The present study seeks to validate the applicability of affordance actualization theory in order to help identify these opportunities. A systematic literature review of the extent of servitization research is conducted to identify the key constructs of the theory and their role in enabling servitization using digital technology. The review identified common affordances across the servitization literature along with specific digitalization capabilities required to actualize these affordances. The study contributes further by proposing future research extended to affordance interdependence.

Taxonomy for real-time digital data initiatives

Management & Data Science, 2020

Real-time digital data are becoming important assets in a growing number of organizations. This paper, applying the affordance theory, describes the development of a taxonomy for understanding real-time digital data initiatives. The proposed taxonomy is composed by two categories, the Technology affordance and the Affordance actualization, respectively gathering four and five dimensions. Specifically, the Technology affordances of the real-time digital initiatives are real-time sensing, real-time mass visibility, real-time experimentation and real-time coordination, while the Affordance actualizations are service, efficiency, analytics, aggregation and generation.

A Framework to Analyze Affordances When Using Big Data and Analytics in Organizations: A Proposal

2019

Purpose: The article presents the development of a framework to analyze the use of big data and analytics in organizations. The framework is based on affordance theory and actor-network theory (ANT). Originality/value: Big data and analytics are a set of tools and techniques that are not new, but recently have received much attention from the media and academia. The media promotes big data and analytics while the academia addresses the fact that there are still implementation obstacles and the process of using big data analytics is not well understood. Design/methodology/approach: We used a qualitative approach, in the form of a theoretical essay. We analyzed papers that related affordance theory with IT and, in particular, with big data and analytics. Further, in order to create the resulting framework, an illustrative case study was conducted. Findings: Affordance theory, allied to the translation concept of ANT, can be useful when analyzing the process of using big data and analy...

The emergence of smart service ecosystems. The role of socio-technical antecedents and affordances

Information Systems Journal, 2022

As physical products are increasingly augmented with digital technology, manufacturing firms have become part of the development of so-called smart products and smart ser- vices. As such, manufacturing firms are challenged by new market participants and ecosystem partners, particularly from the software development industry, and by the dynamic nature of business relationships. While the aca- demic literature on the distinctive characteristics of ecosys- tems, particularly digital ecosystems, is rich, the effect of smart service ecosystems' emergence on the foundation of smart products remains uncertain. This study reports on case study research based on 47 semi-structured interviews with four companies that participate in an industrial smart service ecosystem. Taking an affordance-theoretic perspec- tive, we uncover the antecedents of and the process of emergent smart service ecosystems. We find that smart ser- vice ecosystems have three socio-technical antecedents: a shared worldview, structural flexibility and integrity, and architecture of participation. We explain the emergence of smart service ecosystems as the result of specialisation in shared affordances and integration of idiosyncratic affordances into collective affordances. We derive seven propositions regarding the emergence of smart services, outline opportunities for further research, and present prac- tical guidelines for manufacturing firms.

The Influence of Generativity on Value Creation – a Study of Digitized Products

2015

The advancement of digital technologies is driving traditional product oriented businesses to move from selling product to selling solutions. In order to exploit business potentials from technology, it is important to understand the potential of the technology and how it influences the value creation in a digital environment where it is developed and to be deployed. To understand this changing environment, I have studied remote diagnostics as an example of digital technology within the vehicle industry as a source of new value for business. The findings show that digitized products not only helps to solve existing problems in providing services but also provides potential to generate value for new products and services in the networked environment. An implication from the findings for product oriented firms is that value creation with digitized products requires new business processes. Based on the findings, a discussion is presented about how generativity influences value creation via value in design, governance and networking in a digital ecosystem.

Technology Affordances and Constraints in Management Information Systems (MIS)

2012

Information systems are combinations of devices, software, data, and procedures designed to address the information processing needs of individuals and organizations. Examples include electronic mail and social networking tools as well as enterprise-level applications for financial management, decision-making, production planning, and so forth. The pervasiveness of information systems in organizational practices and daily life makes their study increasingly critical for management theory. There is no single theory of “management information systems.” Rather, the term refers to a broad class of conceptual frameworks developed to understand and explain the design, use, administration, and consequences of information systems. One framework that is used increasingly to study how people and organizations use information systems and how the use of information systems affects individuals, organizations, and their performance, is a framework we refer to as “Technology Affordances and Constr...