The effect of process ambidexterity on the success of distributed information systems development

Abstract

In this research, we examine the effect of IS development process ambidexterity - simultaneous process alignment and adaptability - on team coordination effectiveness and project success in distributed development environments. We define process alignment in terms of process rigor and process consistency; similarly, we define process adaptability in terms of process agility and customizability. We hypothesize the positive effects of these four process variables on team coordination effectiveness which in turn positively affects project success. We also hypothesize that team boundary dispersion and requirements dynamism moderate the positive effect of process ambidexterity on team coordination effectiveness. Using cross-sectional survey data from both project managers and project stakeholders, our results show that process ambidexterity has significant effects on coordination effectiveness. Process rigor, process consistency, and process agility exhibited positive effects on coordination effectiveness, but process customizability did not. We also found that the positive effect of process consistency on coordination effectiveness became stronger as team boundary dispersion increased and that the positive effect of process agility on coordination effectiveness became stronger as requirements dynamism increased. Team boundary dispersion and requirements dynamism also had a negative direct effect on coordination effectiveness. In addition, process rigor has been found to have a direct effect on project success above and beyond the mediating effect of coordination effectiveness. Implications for research and practice are discussed.