Improvisation as strategy : building an information technology capability

There is substantial literature on the use of information technology for competitive advantage and organizational transformation. In the main, this literature speaks to the world of IT-capable organizations, pursuing ever more challenging goals. This paper reports on a case study of an organization that had similar aims for its use of IT, but lacked the capability. Senior management chose a strategy of improvisation with the goal of learning-by-doing so that the capability would be developed. The paper assesses the achievements to date, suggests forward paths, and offers guidelines to organizations that find themselves in a similar state