To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control
This paper addresses the tension between benefits of centralized data control against the benefits of decentralized control at the level of the business unit. Centralized data control provides the benefit of uniform standards whereas business unit data control grants flexibility to react to rapidly...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
2006
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30607 |
| _version_ | 1826198226792873984 |
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| author | Velu, Chander K. Madnick, Stuart E. Van Alstyne, Marshall W. |
| author_facet | Velu, Chander K. Madnick, Stuart E. Van Alstyne, Marshall W. |
| author_sort | Velu, Chander K. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | This paper addresses the tension between benefits of centralized data control against the benefits of decentralized control at the level of the business unit. Centralized data control provides the benefit of uniform standards whereas business unit data control grants flexibility to react to rapidly changing environments. Many data standardization efforts fail because they do not fully take into account the value of flexibility and ownership incentives. We use a real options based framework and the theory of incomplete contracts to derive propositions about the optimal level of data standardization across the enterprise. Applications of the propositions are illustrated with case vignettes. The paper makes two main contributions. First, the approach defines formally how incentive structures influence ownership of the option value or value of flexibility, which is an intangible information asset. Second the derived propositions would help senior management to more precisely consider aligning incentives in data standardization exercises. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:01:24Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | mit-1721.1/30607 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:01:24Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/306072019-04-12T08:36:55Z To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control Velu, Chander K. Madnick, Stuart E. Van Alstyne, Marshall W. economics of IS outsourcing enterprise systems real options incomplete contracts standardization information asset flexibility information systems decentralization This paper addresses the tension between benefits of centralized data control against the benefits of decentralized control at the level of the business unit. Centralized data control provides the benefit of uniform standards whereas business unit data control grants flexibility to react to rapidly changing environments. Many data standardization efforts fail because they do not fully take into account the value of flexibility and ownership incentives. We use a real options based framework and the theory of incomplete contracts to derive propositions about the optimal level of data standardization across the enterprise. Applications of the propositions are illustrated with case vignettes. The paper makes two main contributions. First, the approach defines formally how incentive structures influence ownership of the option value or value of flexibility, which is an intangible information asset. Second the derived propositions would help senior management to more precisely consider aligning incentives in data standardization exercises. 2006-01-13T18:18:50Z 2006-01-13T18:18:50Z 2006-01-13T18:18:50Z Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30607 en_US MIT Sloan School of Management Working Paper 4566-05 438065 bytes application/pdf application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | economics of IS outsourcing enterprise systems real options incomplete contracts standardization information asset flexibility information systems decentralization Velu, Chander K. Madnick, Stuart E. Van Alstyne, Marshall W. To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control |
| title | To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control |
| title_full | To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control |
| title_fullStr | To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control |
| title_full_unstemmed | To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control |
| title_short | To Standardize Enterprise Data or Not? An Economic Analysis of Flexibility versus Control |
| title_sort | to standardize enterprise data or not an economic analysis of flexibility versus control |
| topic | economics of IS outsourcing enterprise systems real options incomplete contracts standardization information asset flexibility information systems decentralization |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30607 |
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