The relationships among environmental turbulence, Information Technology convergence, strategic innovation management and overall firm performance: A cross-border case

The problem. This was a strategic management dissertation research study of the technological-innovation differences involving corporate leaders and Information Technology managers in high tech clusters in the cross-border region (San Diego, U.S. - Baja California, Mexico). This was also a study of the relationships among environmental turbulence associated with technological issues, innovative service delivery strategies implemented through strategic aggressiveness, required responsiveness of organizational capability, and performance on information technology convergence issues.; Method. A descriptive-correlational design was conducted. Data were gathered through surveys mailed and hand-delivered to corporate leaders and Information Technology managers of small and medium-size enterprises in the cross-border region. Seventy survey questionnaires were received, 32 out of 584 distributed in San Diego County and 38 out of 224 distributed in Baja California.; Results. Statistical analysis of the empirical data yielded the following: (1) The importance of corporate leaders' involvement in technology-based decisions in turbulent, technology-intensive industries and hence the importance of bridging the three typical gaps confronted by Information Technology managers: the information gap, the semantic gap, and the objectives/value gap. (2) The innovation focus of corporate leaders and Information Technology managers in San Diego County, where inventions of new proliferating technologies are expected to emerge, should be one of the critical determining factors of firms' future success. (3) Performance on Information Technology Convergence Issues is higher when a firm's usage level of convergence increases. (4) A firm's usage level of convergence increases when the levels of Information Technology Aggressiveness and Information Technology Responsiveness are higher. (5) Corporate leaders and Information Technology managers with high levels of involvement in planning technology changes will react more positively to the changes than individuals with low levels of involvement. (6) When environmental turbulence associated with technological issues, innovative service delivery strategies implemented through strategic aggressiveness, and required responsiveness of organizational capability are aligned in an organization, performance on convergence issues is expected to be optimal.