Leveraging IT capabilities for competitive performance in the Chinese context: the mediating roles of internal and external integration and the moderating role of environmental turbulence
基于179家中国企业的数据，研究发现内部和外部IT能力分别通过内部和外部整合影响竞争绩效，且环境动荡性调节了这些中介效应。
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how different integration strategies (i.e. internal and external integration) mediate the impacts of information technology (IT) capabilities (i.e. internally- and externally-focused) on competitive performance as well as how such mediating effects are moderated by environmental turbulence. Design/methodology/approach This study uses data collected from 179 Chinese firms for analyses using hierarchical regression analysis. Findings The results find that internally- and externally-focused IT capabilities affect competitive performance through internal and external integration, respectively. Moderated mediation analyses further reveal that the mediating effect of internal integration on the relationship between internally-focused IT capability and competitive performance is stronger under high level of environmental turbulence, while the mediating effect of external integration on the relationship between externally-focused IT capability and competitive performance is stronger under low level of environmental turbulence. Originality/value This study crystallizes the insights of resource-action-performance model and information processing theory and empirically tests how environmental turbulence moderates the mediating effects of different integration strategies on the relationships between different IT capabilities and competitive performance.