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Introduction
If there is anything that distinguishes one organisation from another, it is the decisions that it makes. This thesis argues that the enterprise architecture (EA) decisions are often made in the absence of a clearly defined business-EA relationship and subsequently result in sub-optimal EA effectiveness. Key EA decision-makers can benefit from guidance and support regarding those aspects from the organisational context that form the basis of EA decisions. This chapter sets the overarching context for the thesis. It outlines the current EA literature and highlights gaps for further knowledge contribution on EA decision-making through the lens of service-dominant (S-D) logic and co-creating values in EA decision-making.
Conceptualising EA decision-making as a series of exchange activities
In this thesis, EA decision-making is primarily conceptualised as a broad series of exchange activities with the objective to guide the design and configuration of the organisational structure, business processes, systems and infrastructure (De Vries & Van Rensburg 2008; Jonkers et al. 2006; Lankhorst 2009). EA decision-making is contextualised as various exchange activities that take place throughout the EA value chain, for example, how decision-making is performed by various economic, social and technical actors interacting with each other and engaging in relationships across different business areas to decide how an organisation‘s architecture should be designed and configured. Furthermore, conceptualising EA decision-making as a series of exchange activities offers opportunities to understand the various relationships, interactions and value propositions in the end-to-end value chain between business and EA. Business executives are considered as the primary customers of EA services. They seek to receive benefits in exchange for reward or reimbursement by engaging EA decisions-makers, and look for specific value propositions which EA decision-makers, as service providers, fulfil.
Applicability of G-D and S-D logic to EA
This thesis adopts the goods-dominant (G-D) and S-D logic to examine the underlying logic that guides EA decision-making. G-D and S-D logic are, in a nutshell, lenses, perspectives and philosophies according to which the notion of economic and social exchange can be viewed (Vargo & Lusch 2011a). This includes viewing EA decision-making as a broad series of exchange activities.
Research problem
With organisations always seeking to be more agile, integrated and aligned, EA is often suggested to enable these strategic goals. However, research has proven that institutionalising EA has not been an easy task for most organisations. Prior to formulating the research problem, preliminary research was conducted to understand the current business-EA relationship. The preliminary research confirmed the literature, namely, that EA planning and design often lack the specific business inputs in streamlining EA objectives and processes. Key EA decision-makers often lack the understanding and support for effectively making the planning or design decisions in relation to the larger business strategic context (Tyree & Akerman 2005; Espinosa, Armour & Boh 2010; Van der Raadt, Schouten & Van Vliet 2008).
1. Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Conceptualising EA decision-making as a series of exchange activities
1.2 Applicability of G-D and S-D logic to EA
1.3 Research problem
1.4 Research questions
1.5 Research scope and limitations
1.6 Overview of research design
1.7 Overview of research contribution to existing research
1.8 Thesis structure
1.9 Conclusion
2. Chapter 2: An overview of the strategic role of EA
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Overview of the EA concepts
2.3 Understanding the strategic role of EA
2.4 Institutionalising EA within organisations
2.5 Overview of research related to EA challenges
2.6 Summary
3. Chapter 3: An S-D perspective on co-creating value in EA
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Overview of S-D logic and its key constructs
3.3 Philosophical description of S-D logic
3.4 S-D logic in organisational context
3.5 EA: The need for S-D logic to co-create value
3.6 Limitations identified in S-D logic
3.7 Summary
4. Chapter 4: Research design and methodology
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Research paradigm
4.3 Research approach
4.4 Limitations
4.5 Summary
5. Chapter 5: Findings – EA decision-making in South African retail banks
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Findings
5.3 Examining the current business-EA relationship
5.4 Summary
6. Chapter 6: Towards a conceptual framework for addressing the business-EA disconnect
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Adapting S-D logic for co-creating value in EA decision-making
6.3 Towards a conceptual framework
6.4 Summary
7. Chapter 7: Conclusion
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Key findings
7.3 Contributions
7.4 Future research
7.5 Overall conclusion
References
