Organizing for Innovation in the Digitized World

(2012) Organization Science 23(5):1398-1408

12 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2014

See all articles by Youngjin Yoo

Youngjin Yoo

Independent; Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management

Richard J. Boland

Case Western Reserve University - Department of Information Systems

Kalle J. Lyytinen

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management

Ann Majchrzak

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business

Date Written: 2012

Abstract

Our era is one of increasingly pervasive digital technologies, which penetrate deeply into the very core of the products, services, and operations of many organizations and radically change the nature of product and service innovations. The fundamental properties of digital technology are reprogrammability and data homogenization. Together, they provide an environment of open and flexible affordances that are used in creating innovations characterized by convergence and generativity. An analysis of convergence and generativity observed in innovations with pervasive digital technologies reveals three traits: (1) the importance of digital technology platforms, (2) the emergence of distributed innovations, and (3) the prevalence of combinatorial innovation. Each of the six articles in this special issue relates to one or more of these three traits. In this essay, we explore the organizational research implications of these three digital innovation traits and identify research opportunities for organization science scholars. Examples from the articles in this special issue on organizing for innovation in the digitized world are used to demonstrate the kind of organizational scholarship that can faithfully reflect and inform innovation in a world of pervasive digital technologies.

Suggested Citation

Yoo, Youngjin and Boland, Richard J. and Lyytinen, Kalle J. and Majchrzak, Ann, Organizing for Innovation in the Digitized World (2012). (2012) Organization Science 23(5):1398-1408, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2536096

Youngjin Yoo

Independent

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management ( email )

Richard J. Boland

Case Western Reserve University - Department of Information Systems ( email )

United States

Kalle J. Lyytinen

Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management ( email )

10900 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44106-7235
United States

Ann Majchrzak (Contact Author)

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business ( email )

701 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA California 90089
United States

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