Total Interpretive Structural Modeling of Continuity and Change Forces in e-Government

Agility adaptability and alignment in start-ups

Purpose

When coping with uncertainties, three characteristics distinguish firms: agility, adaptability and alignment (triple-A). Based on significant field research, the triple-A highlights the significance of coordinating agility, adaptability and alignment. Start-ups are facing a lot of challenges in this turbulent environment. However, this sector is undergoing a major transformation. Agility, adaptability and alignment concepts have had a major influence on the supply chain, but their implementation in start-ups has been less visible. This paper aims to identify, analyze and categorize the enablers for agility, adaptability and alignment in start-ups using the total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach.

Design/methodology/approach

In addition to the scheduled interview, a closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. To identify how the factors interact, the TISM technique is used, and the Matriced’Impacts Croises-Multipication Applique’ and Classment method is used to rank and categorize the agility, adaptability and alignment enablers.

Findings

This study identified ten agility, adaptability and alignment factors for start-ups. It has been found that the key importance should be given to management involvement, conflict management, collaboration and information integration.

Research limitations/implications

This study primarily focused on the agility, adaptability and alignment factors in start-ups.

Practical implications

This study will help academics and key stakeholders understand the aspects that lead to agility, adaptability and alignment in start-ups.

Originality/value

Agility, adaptability and alignment concepts have had a major influence on the supply chain, but their implementation in start-ups has been less visible. Therefore, this is a novel attempt in this industry’s agility, adaptability and alignment.

Barriers of knowledge management in virtual project teams: a TISM model

In an era of global integration, especially after the release of covid-19, more and more project teams have started working from home. However, the creation of virtual teams is not without barriers for which leaders should be especially prepared. There is a lack of research on knowledge management in the context of virtual project teams. This study aims to reduce the identified gap by identifying the main barriers as well as analyzing their impact on the functioning of virtual teams. The study used analysis of the literature, TISM and MICMAC models, and research among experts. The results indicate key barriers, that are plan of work and collaboration among team members.

Smart circular supply chains to achieving SDGs for post-pandemic preparedness

Purpose

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created heavy pressure on firms, by increasing the challenges and disruptions that they have to deal with on being sustainable. For this purpose, it is aimed to reveal the role of the smart circular supply chain (SCSC) and its enablers towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for post-pandemic preparedness.

Design/methodology/approach

Total interpretive structural modelling and Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multipication Applique' a un Classement (MICMAC) have been applied to analyse the SCSC enablers which are supported by the natural-based resource view in Turkey's food industry. In this context, industry experts working in the food supply chain (meat sector) and academics came together to interpret the result and discuss the enablers that the supply chain experienced during the pandemic for creating a realistic framework for post-pandemic preparedness.

Findings

The results of this study show that “governmental support” and “top management involvement” are the enablers that have the most driving power on other enablers, however, none of them depend on any other enablers.

Originality/value

The identification of the impact and role of enablers in achieving SDGs by combining smart and circular capabilities in the supply chain for the post-pandemic.

How to make intelligent automation projects agile? Identification of success factors and an assessment approach

Purpose

Organizations are fast adopting new technologies such as automation, analytics and artificial intelligence, collectively called intelligent automation, to drive digital transformation. When adopting intelligent automation, there is a need to understand the success factors of these new technologies and adapt agile software development (ASD) practices to meet customer expectations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the success factors of intelligent automation and create a framework for managers and practitioners to meet dynamic business demands. Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) framework is a suitable approach to integrate quantitative measurement with qualitative semi-structured interviews capturing the context of the individual organization environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper identified agility factors and their interrelationships using a TISM framework. TISM results were validated using a one-tailed t-test to confirm the interrelationships between factors. Furthermore, the agility index of a case project organization was assessed using a graph-theoretic approach (GTA) to identify both the triggering factors for agility success and improvement proposals.

Findings

Results showed that leadership vision, organization structure and program methodology were driving factors. The TISM model was validated statistically and the agility index of the intelligent automation case project organization was calculated to be79.5%. Here, a GTA was applied and the triggering factors for improvement of the agility index were identified.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of the study are described along with the opportunities for future research as the field evolves through the rapid innovation of technology and products.

Practical implications

The increasing role of digital transformation in enterprise strategy and operations requires practitioners to understand how ASD practices must be planned, measured and/or improved over time through the implementation of automation, analytics and artificial intelligence programs. The TISM digraph provides a framework of hierarchical structure to organize the influencing factors, which assists in achieving organizational goals. This study highlights the driving factors which contribute to the success of intelligent automation projects and project organizations.

Originality/value

This is a first attempt to analyze the interrelationships among agility factors in intelligent automation projects (IAP) using TISM and the assessment of the agility index of a case IAP organization using a GTA.

An analysis of growth-accelerating factors for the Indian automotive industry using modified TISM

Purpose

This study aims to identify and prioritize various growth-accelerating factors in the Indian automotive industry. It further develops a hierarchical model to examine the mutual interactions between the factors, their dependence and their driving power.

Design/methodology/approach

This study first identifies the growth-accelerating factors and then uses the modified total interpretive structural modeling (m-TISM) framework, which is an extended version of TISM. It further uses MICMAC analysis to analyze the mutual interrelation between the identified factors.

Findings

This study highlights the interrelation amongst the factors using m-TISM model. A hierarchical model shows the level of autonomous, dependence, linkage and independent factors considering the Indian automotive industry. This study also provides the understanding related to the interdependence of growth-accelerating factors.

Research limitations/implications

The government and practitioners could evaluate the growth-accelerating factors which have higher driving power for implementing efficient policies and strategy formulation. By implementing m-TISM model in the Indian automotive industry, auto manufacturers can become more productive and profitable. Future studies could use other methods such as expert opinion to derive the factors, and further model could be verified using structural equation modeling technique.

Originality/value

This study uses a novel m-TISM framework for the analysis of growth-accelerating factors in the context of the Indian automotive industry. It further provides a detailed theoretical and conceptual understanding relating to the philosophy and establishes an interrelation amongst these under-researched growth-accelerating factors.

Modelling the enablers of industry 4.0 in the Indian manufacturing industry

Purpose

The vision of Industry 4.0 concept is to create smart factories that will change the current processes of production and manufacturing system using smart machines to produce smart and intelligent products. The main aim of this research is to explore the enablers with regard to Industry 4.0 application in manufacturing industry in India as the available literature shows that manufacturing sector is still doubtful about the implementation of Industry 4.0.

Design/methodology/approach

Seventeen enablers that can affect the adoption of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing industry in India have been explored through an extensive review of available literature and viewpoints of industry and academic experts. Total Interpretive Structural Modelling methodology (TISM) has been used to evaluate the interrelationships among these factors. A TISM model has been developed to extract the key enablers influencing Industry 4.0 adoption.

Findings

The result shows that Internet facility from government at reduced price, financial support and continued specialized skills training are the major enablers as they have strong driving power.

Practical implications

Proper understanding of these enablers will help the managers and policymakers to explore the impact of each enabler on other enablers as well as the degree of relationships among them and to take concrete steps so that Industry 4.0 can be implemented successfully in the manufacturing sector in India.

Originality/value

This study is pioneer in exploring the enablers Industry 4.0 which is the most advanced concept that has the capability to change the future of Indian manufacturing sector if implemented judiciously and cautiously.

S, Dutta P. Modelling the readiness factors for agility in healthcare organization: a TISM approach

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the interactions among different readiness factors for implementing agility in healthcare organization. Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) based readiness framework for agility has been developed to understand the mutual interactions among the factors and to identify the driving and dependence power of these factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The identification of factors is done by TISM approach used for analyzing the mutual interactions between factors. Cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification analysis is utilized to find the driving and dependent factors of agile readiness in healthcare.

Findings

This paper identifies 12 factors of readiness for change in literature review, which is followed by an expert interview to understand the interconnection of factors and to study interrelationships of factors. The study suggests that factors like environmental scanning, resource availability, innovativeness, cost effectiveness, organizational leadership, training and development are important for implementing/improving the readiness of agility in healthcare organizations.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses mainly on readiness factors for agility in healthcare sector.

Practical implications

Top management must stress on readiness factors that have a strong driving power for efficient implementation of agility in healthcare. This study helps the managers to take quick decisions, and continuous monitoring of readiness factors would be more beneficial to improve the quality of service, which makes the organization more agile.

Originality/value

In this research, TISM-based readiness for agile framework structural model has been proposed for healthcare organizations, which is a new effort for implementation of agility in healthcare.

Modified total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) of asymmetric motives and its drivers in Indian bilateral CBJV

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the elements of asymmetric motives, i.e., initial cross-border joint venture (CBJV) conditions and relative partner characteristics in emerging nations. The two main objectives of the present research are to identify the elements affecting asymmetric motives in Indian bilateral CBJV and to construct modified total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) for the identified elements of asymmetric motives.

Design/methodology/approach

For the current study, the qualitative technique named total interpretive structural modelling was used. The TISM (Sushil, 2012) is a novel extension of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) where ISM helps to understand the “what” and “how” of research (Warfield, 1974) and TISM answers the third question, i.e., “why” in the form of TISM; further checks for the correctness of TISM are given in Sushil (2016). TISM provides a hierarchical model of the elements selected for study and the interpretation of each element by iterative process and also a digraph that systematically depicts the relationship among various elements. TISM is an innovative modelling technique used by researchers in varied fields (Srivastava and Sushil, 2013; Wasuja et al., 2012; Nasim, 2011; Prasad and Suri, 2011). Steps involved in TISM are shown in Figure 1. It uses reachability matrix and partitioning of elements similar to ISM. Also, along with traditional TISM, the modified TISM process was also used where both paired comparisons and transitivity checks were done simultaneously which helped in minimising the redundant comparisons being made in the original process. Furthermore, for identifying the elements of study, SDC Platinum database was used, which was taken from research papers of major journals namely British Journal of Management, Administrative Science Quarterly, Strategic Management Journal, Management Science, Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science (Schilling, 2009). The database included all joint ventures that were formed in India, having India as one of the partner firms during fiscal year April 2000 and March 2010. From these, 361 CBJVs and 76 domestic joint ventures were identified. Although 54 CBJVs were excluded from these, a total number of 307 CBJVs were studied in the current research. Among these 307 CBJVs, 201 were from super-advanced nations (G7), 40 CBJVs from developing nations and 66 CBJVs from other developed nations. As 65 per cent of the CBJVs came from G7 nations (France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Germany, USA and UK), in the current study, we tried to examine Indian CBJVs with G7 partners only for a period of ten years as mentioned above.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that asymmetric motives are directly affected by critical activity alignment and interdependency. Thus, we can conclude that critical activity alignment of partners in CBJV is an antecedent of CBJV motive and thereby minimises the number of asymmetric motives. Bottom level variables such as culture difference and relative capital structure are considered as strong drivers of asymmetric motives. Diversification, resource heterogeneity and inter-partner conflict are middle level elements. Effect of these elements on asymmetric motives can only be improved and enhanced when improvement in bottom level variables is found. It has been believed that as the relative capital structure among firm increases, CBJVs’ asymmetric motives also increase, the reason being that as the difference in capital structure occurs, gradual change in bargaining power will also occur.

Originality/value

TISM used in the present study provides valuable insights into the interrelationship between identified elements through a systematic framework. The methodology of TISM used has its implications for researchers, academicians as well for practitioners. Further study also examines driver-dependent relationship among elements of interest, i.e., relative partner characteristics and initial CBJV conditions by using MICMAC analysis, which can be viewed as a significant step in research related to bilateral CBJV.

Modeling the factors affecting the quality of life in diabetic patients in India using total interpretive structural modeling

Purpose

Diabetes mellitus has become a major world health problem that has unenviable impacts on health of the people including quality of life (QOL) also and in which person’s physical and psychological state, social commitments and relationships and his interaction with the environment is affected. This shows that there is an urgent need for behavior change and considerable educational strategies for proper management and rehabilitation (Reddy, 2000). This research has identified and ranked the significant factors which affect the QOL in diabetic patients in India. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, nine factors which affect the QOL in diabetic patients in India have been identified through review of the literature and evaluated by total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach, i.e. an extended version of ISM. In this approach, interpretations of the interrelationship among factors have been discussed. Therefore, TISM approach has been used to develop the model and the mutual interactions among these factors.

Findings

The results of the model and MICMAC analysis indicate that diet restriction, body pain and satisfaction with treatment are the top-level factors.

Practical implications

Identification of the factors that have a remarkable effect on the QOL in diabetic patients is very important so that the doctors and other healthcare professionals may handle these factors efficiently and proper rehabilitation can be provided to such patients.

Originality/value

This paper has used an application of the TISM approach to interpret the mutual relationship by using the tool of interpretive matrix and has developed a framework to calculate the drive and the dependence power of factors using MICMAC analysis. The issues related to QOL are extremely important, as they can strongly anticipate a person’s capability to govern his lifestyle with disease like diabetes mellitus and maintain good health in the long run. This shows the urgent requirement of an optimized model which can predict and interpret the relationships among these factors. In this research, the interrelationships among these factors have been developed and interpretations of these interactions have been given to develop a comprehensive model so that QOL of diabetic patients may be improved.

Alignment: the foundation of effective strategy execution

Purpose

Understanding a lack of strategy execution research, especially a lack of execution frameworks, the purpose of this paper is to focus on building a model of one of the most classic aspects of effective strategy execution, i.e. alignment. The proposed framework of alignment demonstrates linkages among different factors of alignment and suggests a managerial action plan to successfully convert strategic goals into execution performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study develops an empirically tested framework of “alignment” that can be used to plan effective strategy execution. The research context of the study is the firms operating in the infrastructure sector of India. A multi-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, has been adopted with emphasis on the interpretation of the framework to suggest managerial actions.

Findings

This study shows that structure-strategy linkage is the most fundamental task of strategy execution. However, there are other aspects of alignment also that are critical. Also, there exist hierarchical relationships among different alignments. The structural understanding of alignment is required to set strong foundation for execution process.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to firms in the infrastructure sector of India. A questionnaire survey approach may invite some bias in response. Also, a large sample size could have been more useful to generalize findings. The proposed framework in this study suggest that the alignment of structure with strategy is important but not sufficient for effective strategy execution. There exist hierarchical relationships, among the factors of alignment, showing a dependence-driving relationship.

Practical implications

Strategy execution is one of the biggest challenges that corporations have been facing. The existing literature has identified many issues leading to effective strategy execution. The “alignment” aspect of execution has been the most talked about. There are different levels of alignment required for successful strategy execution. Literature suggests some of the key areas of alignment. However, there has been a lack of frameworks demonstrating linkages among different alignments to facilitate effective strategy execution.

Originality/value

There is a lack of strategy execution frameworks, especially reflecting on the alignment aspect of strategy execution. This study focuses not only on “how” of the framework development but also on the “why” aspect of the same. The interpretation approach also helps in pondering on the contextual realities.

Analysis of Indian retail demand chain using total interpretive modeling

Purpose

The study aims to present demand chain management (DCM) modeling of Indian apparel retailers. This will result in a structured model presenting contextual interrelationship among DCM variables so that retailers can proactively manage their demand chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The research follows an exploratory research design. It initially involves identification and analysis of influential factors of the implementation of DCM practices through the review of literature. Then, these variables were analyzed using total interpretive structural modeling or TISM followed by a statistical verification and case-based validation of the model.

Findings

The major findings of the paper are: top-management commitment and support, information management and supply chain agility in supply chain are the most significant enablers with the highest driving power. The other apparel retail specific significant variables are assortment planning, category management and marketing orientation. The model also indicates that the firms that implement customer-centric DCM practices do well in terms of organizational performance and thereby achieve differential advantage over their competitors.

Research limitations/implications

Because the literature on DCM is still in nascent stage, the study bases itself on interpretive method; that is, TISM of analysis with a limited number of experts. Future studies may consider larger sample with more advanced statistical tools such as structural equation modeling for further validation of the findings.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper lies in the study of an emerging supply chain philosophy; that is, DCM and its key practices per se. It has rarely been studied from the theory building perspective hitherto. Moreover, TISM-based approach is applied for the first time to study the DCM practices and its drivers vis-à-vis dependents.

A framework to enhance agile manufacturing system

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the interactions among different enablers of agile manufacturing system (AMS). The existing enablers available in the past literature are scattered and not able to meet specific requirements of the customers. So, it becomes a necessity to encapsulate these enablers in appropriate proportions to enable traditional organizations to AMS. To fill this gap total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) and MICMAC analysis-based framework model have been developed to understand the mutual interactions between among the enablers.

Design/methodology/approach

Identification of enablers followed by application of TISM, which is an innovative version of ISM and MICMAC analysis, is used to study and analyze the mutual interactions between identified enablers.

Findings

The result reveals that top management support, organizational structure and information technology integration have strong driving power and weak dependence power and are at the lowest level in the TISM model hierarchy, while the outcome enablers of AMS have low-driving power but have high-dependence power.

Research limitations/implications

This model is developed on the basis of inputs from few experts and may not reflect the opinion of whole industry community.

Practical implications

Top management must stress on enablers having strong driving power for efficient implementation of AMS. Managers in the area of manufacturing may drive useful insights from the empirical study presented in this paper. Managers should plan an effective strategy for proper implementation of AMS which makes organization more agile, productive, competitive and profitable.

Originality/value

TISM-based framework structural model has been proposed for industry or organization which is a new effort for implementation of AMS.

Modeling strategic performance management of automobile manufacturing enterprises

Purpose

– This paper aims to present strategic performance management modeling of the Indian automobile manufacturing enterprises. This will help to understand the hierarchical structure and linkages of different strategic factors related to enterprise performance in a better way. Automobile manufacturing industry is one of the top industries in India. It is of paramount importance to identify the strategic factors and their linkages to understand the strategic performance management issues better.

Design/methodology/approach

– Flexible strategy game-card, an evolving performance management framework, has been taken as the basis for the development of a strategic performance management model. Thematic content analysis is used to analyze semi-structured interviews and for identifying strategic factors related to performance. Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) is used to develop the hierarchical structure of these performance strategic factors. Case-lets and statistical analysis are used to further validate these models.

Findings

– The study proposes a strategic performance management model for Indian automobile enterprises that can be considered as a conceptual framework which helps to identify the leading and lagging factors of performance. This can be considered as an exploratory study for conceptualization and can be further validated through empirical testing.

Research limitations/implications

– The research methodology adopted here gives a guideline to researchers for conducting an exploratory study where they can identify the factors/variables of interest through semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis. The TISM helps to develop the poorly articulated mental model in a well-structured hierarchical form, which would help to get more insights in relation to performance.

Originality/value

– The study fills the gaps by addressing the issue of performance in the Indian context by identifying strategic performance factors for automobile enterprises. There is an attempt to demonstrate the application of an evolving performance management framework, i.e. flexible strategy game-card. The methodological rigor and application of mixed methods adds value to the knowledge base by providing a mechanism to conduct an exploratory study for the area of interest.

Modeling organizational and information systems for effective strategy execution

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of automate for effective strategy execution.

Design/methodology/approach

– Both exploratory and confirmatory modes of research using exploratory factor analysis, total interpretive structure modeling, and t-test techniques have been conducted.

Findings

– In the context of effective strategy execution, the organization support system has most driving power affecting appropriateness of other automate systems. On the other hand, the effective design and deployment of control and monitoring system dependent on other systems. The control and monitoring directly affects the success of strategy execution while the other systems affect execution through structural mediation suggested by the proposed model.

Research limitations/implications

– Though this study adopts multiple research methods, a comparatively large sample size would be more useful. The study also faces subjective limitation of the research context. There is possibility of participant’s biases while responding to five-point scale questionnaire.

Practical implications

– The driving-dependence linkages among the automate systems helps in developing appropriate managerial action plan to convert strategic goals into the results. The model helps in institutionalizing the systems as well as making them effective while linking them in structured relationship. Additionally, the integrated understanding of the automate systems helps promote a sense of purpose and shared meaning of systems among the key stakeholders, which smoothen the execution process.

Originality/value

– This study reviews and factorize different automate systems and identifies structured linkages among them to demonstrate the relative criticality of each systems and how effective development of one system leads to the effectiveness of other system. This study also adds methodological value extending triangulation along with the interpretative tool.

Modelling drivers of adapt for effective strategy execution

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for “Adapt” in the context of strategy execution.

Design/methodology/approach

– Both exploratory and confirmatory modes of research using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Interpretive Structure Modeling, Total Interpretive Structural Modeling and t-test methods have been conducted.

Findings

– The conceptualization of learning and learning organization can only be possible when organization develops adaptive culture. When an organization becomes learning organization, it starts becoming vital by adopting flexibility wherever and whenever it is required. This vitalization process helps organization use successfully the frameworks of strategy execution.

Research limitations/implications

– In many cases the Balance Score Card could not succeed. Our study suggests that the adaptive culture gives impetus for learning and growth suggested in balanced scorecard (BSC) and adapt suggested in Management System. This study is more an exploratory effort with limited sample size. The findings can be consolidated and enriched with significantly large sample from varied contexts.

Practical implications

– There is clear relative importance and sequence of corrective actions required to improve the hit rate of strategy execution. Organization can use the proposed framework to handle the issues of adapt in strategy execution.

Originality/value

– Many scholars have pointed out that there is lack of strategy execution framework, and more specifically, in the case of adapt. The study contributes by providing a conceptual framework to address different aspects of adapt and change management for effective strategy execution. Additionally, this study adds methodological value to traditional model building.