Case study of Danfoss IT supporting the business units competing in dancing, rugged landscapes
Author
Axelsen, Lars
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2012
Submitted on
2012-01-09
Pages
72
Abstract
Denne afhandling bruger en metafor fra kompleksitetsteori – “dansende, ujævne landskaber” – til at beskrive moderne, konkurrenceprægede markeder, der er ujævne og i konstant bevægelse. Med en case om Danfoss A/S undersøger den, hvordan virksomhedens nye forretnings- og IT-strategier adresserer tre IS (“Information Systems”) strategiske “quests” foreslået af Venkatraman m.fl. (2010) for organisationer i komplekse, adaptive systemer. Studiet vurderer også, hvordan strategierne kan styrkes ved at anvende syv retningslinjer fra El Sawy og Pavlou (2008), og analyserer deres betydning for “Core IS Capabilities”-rammen af Feeny og Willcocks (1998), som beskriver centrale IT-kapabiliteter. Resultaterne viser, at Danfoss’ IT-strategi og mål for IT-perspektivet understøtter de tre IS-strategiske quests og forventes at opnå middel til høj grad af opfyldelse via 13 IT-mål. For at nå disse mål skal Danfoss IT (den centrale IT-enhed) udvikle viden, færdigheder og kompetencer inden for 17 områder. Anvendelse af fem af de syv retningslinjer vil forbedre målene og tilføje fem yderligere udviklingsområder. I alt identificeres 22 områder for kapabilitetsudvikling. Disse forventes at påvirke 6 af de 9 kernekapabiliteter inden for informationssystemer, mens niveauet af forretnings-, tekniske og interpersonelle færdigheder kun ændres for 2 af de 9 kapabiliteter.
This thesis uses a metaphor from complexity science—“dancing, rugged landscapes”—to describe modern competitive markets that are uneven and constantly changing. Using a case study of Danfoss A/S, it examines how the company’s newly developed business and IT strategies address three Information Systems (IS) “strategy quests” proposed by Venkatraman et al. (2010) for organizations operating in complex adaptive systems. The study also evaluates how the strategies could be strengthened by applying seven guidelines from El Sawy and Pavlou (2008), and assesses their implications for the Core IS Capabilities framework by Feeny and Willcocks (1998), which outlines key IT capabilities. Findings indicate that Danfoss’s IT strategy and IT perspective goals support the three IS strategy quests and are expected to achieve medium to high fulfillment through 13 IT goals. Meeting these goals requires Danfoss IT (the company’s central IT unit) to develop knowledge, skills, and competencies in 17 areas. Applying five of the seven guidelines would improve the goals and add five further development areas. In total, 22 areas of capability development are identified. These are expected to affect 6 of the 9 Core IS Capabilities, while the required levels of business, technical, and interpersonal skills change for only 2 of the 9 capabilities.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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