IS Support for Top Managers' Dynamic Capabilities, Environmental Dynamism, and Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation

Michael J. Zhang

《Journal of Business and Management》 13卷1期 (2007/01) Pp. 57-77

https://doi.org/10.6347/JBM.200701_13(1).0004

摘要

Despite a continual interest in developing information systems (IS) to support the work of top managers, assessing the impact of IS support for top managers and their capabilities on the bottom-line performance of firms has received little attention in existing literature. Drawing upon the resource-based view of competitive advantage, this paper argues that firms that provide IS support for their top managers' dynamic capabilities may enjoy competitive advantage and superior firm performance. The performance impact of IS support for two key dynamic capabilities of top managers (fast response and mental model building) under different (dynamic vs. stable) external environments was then examined and assessed with both survey and archival data. The results show that IS support for the fast response capability of top managers improved both profitability and labor productivity in a dynamic external environment. On the other hand, the study did not find either direct or indirect effects of IS support for the mental-model building capability of top managers.