Abstract

While an abundant literature describes what, when and why organizational inertia impedes Information Systems-enabled Organizational Transformations (ISOT), the question of where inertia lies and how it is maintained received scant attention. These questions are all the more important as emerging digital technologies such as AI, data analytics or blockchain fuel new waves of transformations and tie organizations’ transformation dynamics to external platforms, algorithms, gig workers or partners. This paper introduces two new concepts, namely the location of inertia and types of inertial mechanisms, as the foundation for a spatial approach to inertia. This approach aims to better locate inertia and what underlying mechanisms maintain it. We also discuss how these concepts can advance our understanding of ISOT and how they could further be developed into a broader theory.

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