Building Trust-based Dynamic IT Capabilities: The Case of a State-owned Enterprise in South Africa

Abstract

The literature on trust with IT units in organisations tends to emphasise interpersonal trust, inter-organisational trust, and trust between people and technology. Little is known about trust in IT intra-organisational relationships and its role in value co-creation. A dynamic capability lens is applied as a lens in this interpretive case study of a state-owned enterprise to understand how IT intra-organisational trust relationships promote and constrain the development of IT-enabled capabilities. The findings suggest that the IT unit's culture, reputation and strategic decision-making expertise are important factors in building trust-based IT capabilities. This study adds to the literature on how IT units can foster trust-based dynamic IT capabilities as a source of value co-creation. Future research can investigate the role of IT personnel and leadership expertise in fostering trust-based dynamic IT capabilities.