Sharing the burden of integration: An activity-based view to integrated solutions provisioning

Abstract

While earlier research stresses the integration of suppliers and their diverse technological capabilities as a core capability of systems integrator firms, research on ways in which this integration is achieved in practice remains scant and rarely considers the suppliers' perspective to integration. We analyse how ABB, a systems integrator, delivered a complex subsea transformer solution to a customer in the oil and gas industry. Our dyadic, empirical, qualitative case study drawing on interviews of 17 informants revealed that while the responsibility for achieving cross-organizational integration lies primarily by the systems integrator, when motivated by potential of future collaboration, suppliers also actively participate in specific integrative activities. In addition, selection of integrative activities appears to reflect involved actors' priorities amongst time, cost, and scope objectives