Mobile Enterprise Readiness and Transformation

Recent studies claim that mobile information and communication technologies (ICT) offer a plethora of new value propositions and promise to have a significant transformational impact on business processes, organizations, and supply chains (Kornak et al., 2004). However, despite its potential contributions, enterprise adoption of mobile ICT has not been as widespread as initially anticipated. Previous research has argued that successful adoption and implementation of any emerging ICT, such as mobile ICT, often requires fundamental changes across an enterprise and its current business practices, organizational culture, and workflows (Taylor & McAdam, 2004; Rouse, 2006). Hence, in order to minimize organizational risks and maximize the potential benefits of mobile ICT, enterprises must be cognizant of the value of enterprise mobility to their organization and accurately evaluate their level of “readiness” for mobile ICT adoption (Hartman & Sifonis, 2000; Ward & Peppard, 2002). This paper reviews the transformational value and impact of enterprise mobility and explores the critical dimensions for determining an enterprise’s readiness for mobile ICT. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.