Strategic Benefits from a Mature Innovation Available to Purchase

In this study, senior executives with electronic data interchange (EDI) experience explained the factors their firms considered when deciding to use EDI. The majority of their comments focused on the operational (i.e., internal) benefits they are receiving from EDI. Most of the firms that participated in the study have moved from an operational mindset regarding EDI and noted external/competitive benefits as they electronically link to customers and suppliers. The executives acknowledged power inequities between their large firms and the trading partners with whom they use EDI. Although EDI is a mature technology, when classified by innovation adoption and diffusion theory, it provides adopting firms significant benefits.