System Embeddedness and Continuance Inertia: An Exploratory Network Analysis

We suggest a method to assess the extent to which information systems in organizations show continuance inertia in a network of information systems linked through flows of information. Using centrality measures from network analysis, we argue that systems showing high degree centrality are likely to exhibit significant continuance inertia as they interface with many other systems and will most probably embed in a multitude of business processes. We argue that systems with high betweeness will also display serious continuance inertia as these systems act as a gateway and span between different parts of the information system network. We demonstrate and evaluate our method using a network data set from a German recycling company with close to thirty subsidies. The data compromise applications, information flows and ownership attributes. We find that network representations and centrality measures demonstrate practical value for the company's architects and IT managers to evaluate system embeddedness and inertial tendencies. Our paper stimulates further research on network-theoretic models to examine complex infrastructural arrangements.