Dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities and organizational benefits: an empirical mediation study

TL;DR

This study empirically investigates how dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities, grounded in the theory of dynamic capabilities, influence organizational benefits through process innovation and alignment, based on data from 299 IT leaders.

Contribution

It develops and tests a new model linking EA capabilities to organizational benefits, filling gaps in theoretical grounding and empirical evidence.

Findings

Dynamic EA capabilities positively affect process innovation.

EA capabilities enhance business/IT alignment.

Organizational benefits are mediated by process innovation and alignment.

Abstract

In recent years the literature has put a greater emphasis on theory building in the context of Enterprise Architecture, EA, research. Specifically, scholars tend to focus on EA-based capabilities that organize and deploy organization-specific resources to align strategic objectives with the particular use of technology. Despite the growth in EA studies, substantial gaps remain in the literature. The most noteworthy gaps are that the conceptualization of EA-based capabilities still lacks a firm base in theory and that there is no conclusive evidence on how EA-based capabilities drive business transformation and deliver benefits to the firm. Therefore, this study focuses on EA-based capabilities, using the dynamic capabilities view as a theoretical foundation, develops and tests a new research model that explains how dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities lead to organizational benefits. Hypotheses associated with the research model are tested using a dataset that contains responses from 299 CIOs, IT managers, and lead architects. Results show that dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities positively influence the firm's process innovation and business/IT alignment. These mediating forces are both positively associated with organizational benefits. This study advances our understanding of how to efficaciously de-lineate dynamic enterprise architecture capabilities in delivering benefits to the organization.