DYNAMIC STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY OF FIRMS THAT ACT ON STRATEGIC ALLIANCES NETWORKS: AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK PROPOSAL. / GESTÃO ESTRATÉGICA DINÂMICA DA TECNOLOGIA DE INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO DAS EMPRESAS QUE ATUAM EM REDES DE ALIANÇAS ESTRATÉGICAS: PROPOSTA DE ARCABOUÇO ANALÍTICO

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

In the current business environment, where one of the few unchangeable facts is that change in this environment is constant and more and more accelerated, firms need to adapt quickly and continuously to new situations, by redefining and adapting their strategies. In this scenario, of tough competition, firms strive to concentrate their activities in what is of greater value and unique for their clients, that is, their core competencies. That explains, by and large, why they create relationship networks with other firms, in particular strategic alliances: their competencies are complemented by their network partner firms` ones. One of the main internal organizational factors that support a firm`s strategy is Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Aspects such as infrastructure, applications, teams and processes must operate coordinately and coherently, so that integrated processes between firms of a network may exist, and that the needed information may flow among them, in a quick, automatic and controlled way. From the focal firm`s point of view, the alignment between its ICT strategy and its business strategy, in its Strategic Alliance Network (SAN), must be flexible, with fast adaptation to the new needs established by these relationships. What is argued is that there is need for an alignment with margin. In order to have this, ICT must not only respond to the current business and relationships needs, assuring the required strategic alignment, but should also be prepared to respond, partially or totally, to the future needs. This research proposes an analytical framework that provides resources to definition and implementation of the ICT strategy of a firm participating in a SAN, that is aligned with its business strategy and that has the necessary efficiency and flexibility, in order to implement and sustain this strategy, considering the different stakeholders involved. This research was essentially empiric and qualitative, and had the following steps: i) theoretical framework development; ii) analytical framework proposal; iii) proposed analytical framework evaluation. On the first step a ranking-based bibliographic research of national and international journals was prepared. On the second step, a preliminary investigation (quantitative analysis of ICT managers perceptions) was prepared, followed by confirmatory interviews (qualitative analysis of ICT managers perceptions). At the end of this step, an analytical framework for dynamic ICT strategic management for firms that act in SANs was proposed. In the last step, a multiple case-study was developed to enhance and illustrate the proposed analytical framework. The results suggest that SANs influence ICT at firms, and that this influences manifest its self in multiple ways. The proposed analytical framework suggests that there are intervenient factors that moderate the strength of these influences. Finally it was suggested that, having understood the possible influences of a SAN, ICT managers can anticipate these influences and better plan the ICT of their firms, in order to sustain their competitiveness.

ASSUNTO(S)

communication information tecnology comunicacao strategy estrategia tecnologia da informacao strategical alliances redes aliancas estrategicas networks

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