Paper info

Uptake of inter-organizational IT systems in two Australian agricultural cooperatives: a match between business relationships and design features

Ariane von Raesfeld, Maarten Bekking and Shirley Gregor

The paper was published at the 20th IMP-conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2004.

In this paper we will advance a perspective that links business network analysis to interorganizational IT systems(IOS) uptake, starting with an analytic framework to characterize both different types of electronic business tobusiness interactions (via the web) as well as the network of business relationships in which they are used. In orderto see whether inter-organizational IT systems and business networks (mis)match they are compared on twodimensions: ?mode of interaction? (relational versus transactional) and ?nature of coordination? (emergent versusdirective). The study analyses two Australian agricultural cooperatives ?Capgrains? and ?Bluegum?. Thetransactional focus and directive control of Capgrains? online ordering system did not match with the relationalinteraction and emergent coordination that was common in their network of business relationships, resulting in amismatch and low level of use of the system. The Bluegum's group communication system much better matchedwith the business relationships in the cooperative and higher use of the IOS. Indicating a positive relation betweenmatch and uptake of the IOS.