Synergy through connections: Chain-computerisation in relation to Interorganisational Systems and Public Administration

Abstract

This article is available in English and Dutch The theory of Chain-computerisation (Grijpink, 1997) was developed from practical insights and insights derived from the Organisation and Management Sciences. The theory focuses on large-scale information exchange in social chains and is based on three different components: a specific chain perspective, a chain analysis method and a specific type of information-infrastructure resulting from the application of the Chain-computerisation theory. In this article, we investigate the various similarities and differences between the theoretical framework of Chain-computerisation and insights on Interorganisational Systems (IOS) in the disciplines of Management Science and Public Administration. Based on this, we will indicate where the disciplines augment each other.This article will conclude that the methodology of Chain-computerisation is more intricate than the methods that are proposed in the IOS literature. It is precisely through the weighted combination of four assessment profiles and its dynamic chain concept that the theory of Chain-computerisation enables a sharper analysis of the possibility to create a chain information system. The dynamic chain concept that is the core of the theory is a worthy complement to the manner in which chains are conceived in IOS and Public Administration. This conclusion does not necessarily apply to the Chain-computerisation assessment framework. These have been constructed for a specific purpose and cannot, therefore, be applied to a broader IOS context.Conversely, the Chain-computerisation theory can be augmented with a number of insights from administrative and organisational theory with respect to IOS. These are concerned with the role of regional ‘sub-chain formation’ within a national or international chain and the possibility of central coordination by a dominant party. Finally, IOS literature offers concrete opportunities for augmenting the chain co-operation profile, one of the assessment profiles of the theoretical framework of Chain-computerisation.