Alignments between the depth and breadth of inter-organizational systems deployment and their impact on firm performance

This paper explores the performance impact of alternative deployment alignment strategies for inter-organizational systems (IOS) in supply chains. Based on the asset orchestration perspective, we consider two deployment alignment strategies, namely, balanced alignment and reinforcing alignment, which represent strategic choices made by firms in relation to the emphases placed on depth and breadth of IT deployment in supply chain operations. The results of our empirical study show that the depth and breadth of IOS deployment enhance a firm's competitive performance through operational improvement, and the balanced alignment between IOS depth and breadth enhances the firm's competitive performance. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.