The role of organizational capabilities in successful e‐business implementation

Purpose – Based on organizational capabilities and information technology implementation literature, this study seeks to propose a research model to examine the influence of organizational capabilities on e‐business implementation success. Design/methodology/approach – Data collected from 202 information systems executives in large Taiwanese organizations were employed to test the relationships between the research model constructs. The results from the structural equation modeling approach provide quite a strong support for the hypothesized relations. Findings – The results showed that certain factors related to organizational learning and knowledge management capabilities are important antecedents of e‐business value. Research limitations/implications – This study did not test all organizational factors, and focused particularly on learning capacity and knowledge capability factors. A knowledge asset must be rare and inimitable to become a source of competitive advantage. Without secure processes, knowledge loses the key qualities of being rare and inimitable. Future research could assess the influence of knowledge protection processes on e‐business implementation success. Practical implications – Knowledge management means recognizing and managing all of an organization's intellectual and social capital to meet its e‐business objectives. An organization needs a well‐designed knowledge management infrastructure to create and maintain the e‐business knowledge required to improve back‐office efficiency, customer intimacy and efficiency of coordination with business partners. Originality/value – This study is significant for at least two reasons: it determines the key antecedents to successful e‐business implementation based on organizational learning and knowledge management perspectives and it helps to understand the effects of organizational capabilities and e‐business contribution on a firm's performance.