Impact of grid assimilation on operational agility in turbulent environments: an empirical investigation in the financial services industry

Financial services providers are exposed to a highly turbulent environment that is characterized by an intense competition for the development of new financial products and the attraction of customers. Against this background, Grid technology assimilation can be assumed to be a potential strategic response to address fast changing market demands and to enhance the operational agility of business processes. This article presents the results of a quantitative field study conducted to analyze to what extent Grid assimilation impacts on the agility of business processes, as well as the role of environmental turbulence in the Grid assimilation process. The research model was validated based on 178 responses from senior IT decision makers of financial services providers in the U.S. that have already adopted Grid technology. The results from partial least squares analyses suggest that environmental turbulence significantly strengthens the relationship between Grid assimilation and operational agility.