An Empirically Derived Taxonomy of Information Systems Integration

Information systems integration (ISI) represents the degree of cooperation in information system practices between business functions within a firm and between a firm and its trading partners. Although the establishment of information systems integration objective has been reported as one of the key concerns of top management because ISI enhances the firms’ competitiveness and growth, the classification of the information system practices and its managerial implications are still vaguely developed. The two objectives of this paper are: (1) to develop a taxonomy of information systems integration (ISI) called ISI-Matrix, and (2) to report managerial implications for matching each information system class with business process applications. By using a systematic research investigation approach, two ISI structures are identified: Internal ISI (IISI) and External ISI (EISI) from the responses of 220 firms. The ability to identify and understand the implications of the ISI-Matrix is of critical importance to both academic and management practitioners