Executive Judgment and the E-Business Advantage: Implications for IT Strategic Change

Abstract

Although several leading corporations have reported sizeable gains from their decisions to invest in the Internet and related e-business technology, many other similarly situated firms have failed to realize any real advantage. This inconsistency has long been a source of frustration for corporate executives, as benefits appear to exist, but the best way to get there, remains unknown. One possible cause for this inconsistency is that scholars have largely ignored the messy process of strategic judgment and instead chosen to presume that strategic outcomes are due to strategic choice. We argue that this omission is problematic and set out a research agenda that offers two main benefits. Firstly, we begin to open up the ‘black box’ of strategic choice by deliberately measuring the impact of strategic judgment. Secondly, we outline a methodological approach that is capable of more accurately measuring the impact of mediating factors like strategic judgment.