The unavoidable consequence of multiple IS integration: the cascading negative effects in supply chain information systems

Authors

  • Gwenaelle Lairet ESSCA School of Management
  • Pr. Frantz Rowe IAE de Nantes, LEMNA, Universite De Nantes and KTO, SKEMA Business School, Nantes, France

Abstract

Companies strive to integrate information systems (IS) across organizations to support coordination and collaboration processes aimed at improving supply chain performance. While achieving full internal IS integration may be challenging, it is no longer considered a myth. However, given the complex and dynamic nature of supply chains, full external integration with business partners may not be feasible and often remains partial. Failure to fully integrate interorganizational information systems (IOS) across the supply chain can have unanticipated negative effects on performance. These effects can affect the quality and availability of data within the IS, ultimately reducing access to and control over the information needed to manage the supply chain. In addition, negative effects observed in one organization can cascade to other organizations within the supply chain that share the same IS. Detecting and identifying these effects in an inter-organizational context is essential to develop a comprehensive and transversal understanding of disruptions in order to anticipate and mitigate cascading effects. Our methodology is based on fifteen mini-cases embedded in three supply chain case studies in different industries. The results identify twelve negative effects of integrated IS, four of which are specific to the use of an IOS. The findings also clarify the different types of integration in an interorganizational context, such as multiple full external integration, which can trigger negative effects due to the multiplicity of applications. Finally, we theorize the cascading negative effects in a complex inter-organizational context.

Author Biographies

Gwenaelle Lairet, ESSCA School of Management

Gwenaëlle Lairet is an Associate Professor at ESSCA School of Management. Her research primarily focuses on evaluating the usage of inter-organizational or collaborative information systems in industrial or healthcare sectors. She is actively involved in the French-speaking research community in Information Systems Management, notably through the AIM association.

Pr. Frantz Rowe, IAE de Nantes, LEMNA, Universite De Nantes and KTO, SKEMA Business School, Nantes, France

Frantz Rowe is a Professor at Nantes University. His research interests revolve around the philosophy of information systems, literature reviews methods, IS-enabled organizational transformation, and the effects of generative artificial intelligence on individuals, organization and society. He has published in 45 different peer-reviewed journals, has coedited five books, including Innovation and IT in an  International Context with Dov Te’eni, authored and coauthored four books, two of which were awarded the FNEGE and the EFMD prize in 2016. He is Emeritus Editor of the European Journal
of Information Systems and Board member of the International Journal of Information Management. He is an AIS fellow and a Senior Member of the Institut Universitaire de France, holder of a fundamental Chair

Published

2024-12-01

How to Cite

Lairet, G., & Rowe, F. (2024). The unavoidable consequence of multiple IS integration: the cascading negative effects in supply chain information systems. Systèmes d’Information Et Management (French Journal of Management Information Systems), 29(4), 7–48. Retrieved from https://revuesim.org/index.php/sim/article/view/1286

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 4 (2024): Varia

Section

Empirical Research Article

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