An absorptive capacity framework for investigating enterprise system ecosystems: the role of connectivity and intelligence

ABSTRACT

Most organizations rely on enterprise systems (ES) ecosystems for their operations and development, with ES accounting for 10% of global IT investments. However, a dearth of frameworks exists for exploring how organizations can leverage ES ecosystem knowledge to enhance ongoing ES investments. To address this gap, we propose that organizations enhance performance and foster innovation by continually developing the capacity to absorb ES ecosystem knowledge, achieved through bolstering ES connectivity and intelligence. Our novel theoretical framework, accompanied by propositions and roadmaps, facilitates further empirical investigations into how absorptive capacity enables value generation from ES investments.

KEYWORDS:

• Enterprise systems
• ecosystem knowledge
• absorptive capacity
• connectivity
• intelligence
• theoretical framework

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17517575.2024.2330084.