IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-04120583.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

IT ambidexterity operationalization in the public sector: the case of the SNCF
[Opérationnaliser le concept d'ambidextrie IT dans le secteur public : le cas de la SNCF]

Author

Listed:
  • Anne-Laure Delaunay

    (LITEM - Laboratoire en Innovation, Technologies, Economie et Management (EA 7363) - UEVE - Université d'Évry-Val-d'Essonne - Université Paris-Saclay - IMT-BS - Institut Mines-Télécom Business School - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris], IMT-BS - TIM - Département Technologies, Information & Management - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] - IMT-BS - Institut Mines-Télécom Business School - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris])

Abstract

The French passenger train market has been open to competition since 2021. To cope with this, the SNCF's equipment department has developed a vast digital transformation program to modernize its train repair plants. This article explores the encounter between historical IT and new digital technologies in middle management practices. More specifically, how can digital tools foster the development of IT ambidexterity in a public organization? Based on a threeyear organizational ethnography, we identify three development levers: support for top management in authorizing IT exploration, in-depth reflection on the actual room for maneuver of the middle manager in this exploration, and evaluation of the time-consuming data entry tasks transferred to this same management. Finally, we discuss the implications of the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Anne-Laure Delaunay, 2023. "IT ambidexterity operationalization in the public sector: the case of the SNCF [Opérationnaliser le concept d'ambidextrie IT dans le secteur public : le cas de la SNCF]," Post-Print hal-04120583, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04120583
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04120583
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-04120583/document
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. One-Ki (Daniel) Lee & Vallabh Sambamurthy & Kai H. Lim & Kwok Kee Wei, 2015. "How Does IT Ambidexterity Impact Organizational Agility?," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(2), pages 398-417, June.
    2. Jane E. Dutton & Susan J. Ashford & Regina M. O’ Neill & Erika Hayes & Elizabeth E. Wierba, 1997. "Reading the wind: how middle managers assess the context for selling issues to top managers," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 407-423, May.
    3. Jie Mein Goh & Alvaro E. Arenas, 2020. "IT value creation in public sector: how IT-enabled capabilities mitigate tradeoffs in public organisations," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 25-43, January.
    4. H Salmela & A L Lederer & T Reponen, 2000. "Information systems planning in a turbulent environment," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 3-15, March.
    5. Bloch, Carter & Bugge, Markus M., 2013. "Public sector innovation—From theory to measurement," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 133-145.
    6. Robert Wayne Gregory & Mark Keil & Jan Muntermann & Magnus Mähring, 2015. "Paradoxes and the Nature of Ambidexterity in IT Transformation Programs," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(1), pages 57-80, March.
    7. Sebastian Raisch & Julian Birkinshaw & Gilbert Probst & Michael L. Tushman, 2009. "Organizational Ambidexterity: Balancing Exploitation and Exploration for Sustained Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 685-695, August.
    8. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    9. Julia Balogun & Jean M. Bartunek & Boram Do, 2015. "Senior Managers’ Sensemaking and Responses to Strategic Change," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 960-979, August.
    10. Sultan, Nabil, 2013. "Cloud computing: A democratizing force?," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 810-815.
    11. O'Reilly, Charles A., III & Tushman, Michael L., 2013. "Organizational Ambidexterity: Past, Present and Future," Research Papers 2130, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    12. Wanda J. Orlikowski, 1992. "The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(3), pages 398-427, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Huigang Liang & Nianxin Wang & Yajiong Xue, 2022. "Juggling Information Technology (IT) Exploration and Exploitation: A Proportional Balance View of IT Ambidexterity," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 1386-1402, December.
    2. David B. Audretsch & Maribel Guerrero, 2023. "Is ambidexterity the missing link between entrepreneurship, management, and innovation?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1891-1918, December.
    3. YoungKi Park & Paul A. Pavlou & Nilesh Saraf, 2020. "Configurations for Achieving Organizational Ambidexterity with Digitization," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(4), pages 1376-1397, December.
    4. Åkesson, Maria & Sørensen, Carsten & Eriksson, Carina Ihlström, 2018. "Ambidexterity under digitalization: A tale of two decades of new media at a Swedish newspaper," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 276-288.
    5. Mavroudi, Eva & Kesidou, Effie & Pandza, Krsto, 2020. "Shifting back and forth: How does the temporal cycling between exploratory and exploitative R&D influence firm performance?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 386-396.
    6. Åkesson, Maria & Sørensen, Carsten & Ihlström Eriksson, Carina, 2018. "Ambidexterity under digitalization: a tale of two decades of new media at a Swedish newspaper," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 88838, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. M. M. Sulphey, 2019. "Could the Adoption of Organizational Ambidexterity Have Changed the History of Nokia?," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 8(2), pages 167-181, August.
    8. Partanen, Jukka & Kohtamäki, Marko & Patel, Pankaj C. & Parida, Vinit, 2020. "Supply chain ambidexterity and manufacturing SME performance: The moderating roles of network capability and strategic information flow," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    9. Jan Ossenbrink & Joern Hoppmann & Volker H. Hoffmann, 2019. "Hybrid Ambidexterity: How the Environment Shapes Incumbents’ Use of Structural and Contextual Approaches," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 1319-1348, November.
    10. Schnellbaecher, Benedikt & Diefenbach, Ulf & Millemann, Jan, 2015. "Putting the Individual in Ambidexterity – Identifying Activities to Achieve Organisational Ambidexterity and Long-Term Survival," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2015), Kotor, Montengero, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Kotor, Montengero, 10-11 September 2015, pages 57-63, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.
    11. Al-Atwi, Amer Ali & Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Khan, Zaheer, 2021. "Micro-foundations of organizational design and sustainability: The mediating role of learning ambidexterity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    12. Sasanka Sekhar Chanda & Bill McKelvey, 2020. "Back to the basics: reconciling the continuum and orthogonal conceptions of exploration and exploitation," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 175-206, June.
    13. Barbara Ocicka & Wioletta Mierzejewska & Jakub Brzeziński, 2022. "Creating supply chain resilience during and post-COVID-19 outbreak: the organizational ambidexterity perspective," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(1), pages 129-151, March.
    14. Koryak, Oksana & Lockett, Andy & Hayton, James & Nicolaou, Nicos & Mole, Kevin, 2018. "Disentangling the antecedents of ambidexterity: Exploration and exploitation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 413-427.
    15. Zhen, Jie & Xie, Zongxiao & Dong, Kunxiang, 2021. "Impact of IT governance mechanisms on organizational agility and the role of top management support and IT ambidexterity," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    16. Úbeda-García, Mercedes & Claver-Cortés, Enrique & Marco-Lajara, Bartolomé & Zaragoza-Sáez, Patrocinio, 2020. "Toward a dynamic construction of organizational ambidexterity: Exploring the synergies between structural differentiation, organizational context, and interorganizational relations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 363-372.
    17. Andreea N. Kiss & Dirk Libaers & Pamela S. Barr & Tang Wang & Miles A. Zachary, 2020. "CEO cognitive flexibility, information search, and organizational ambidexterity," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(12), pages 2200-2233, December.
    18. Xinwei Li & Wenjuan Zeng & Mao Xu, 2022. "The Moderating Role of IT Capability on Green Innovation and Ambidexterity: Towards a Corporate Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-20, December.
    19. José Andrade & Mário Franco & Luis Mendes, 2021. "Technological capacity and organisational ambidexterity: the moderating role of environmental dynamism on Portuguese technological SMEs," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 2111-2136, October.
    20. Jan Ossenbrink & Joern Hoppmann, 2019. "Polytope Conditioning and Linear Convergence of the Frank–Wolfe Algorithm," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 44(1), pages 1319-1348, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04120583. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.