A DYNAMIC CYBER-BASED VIEW OF THE FIRM

Abstract

Technology, perceived by many organizations to be a tool, has evolved from a set of tools, to a location in which many companies have located their key terrain through digitization. That location is cyberspace, an inherently compromised, hostile environment, marked by rapid change and intense competition. It is analogous to a dark alley lined with dumpsters and shadowy doorways with numerous people seeking to challenge organizational objectives. Despite the prevalence of digitization, which has transformed the organization from an anthropological manifestation to a cyborg construction, there does not currently exist a strategic view of the firm which explores the integration of the organization and cyberspace. This paper conceptualizes the Cyber-Based View of the Firm, a dynamic view designed to capture the complex interactions between people, technology, and data that enable cyberattack. A meta-analysis of current theory frames the research gap into which the Cyber-Based View fits. This meta-analysis, in conjunction with an exploratory case study of the Stuxnet attack, identified the need for physical mediation of the cognitive – informational interaction. Finally, the Cyber-Based View was used as a forensic tool to conduct a qualitative multi-case study. Using a failure autopsy approach, eight events were developed into case studies by examining, coding, and recombining the narratives within the qualitative data. A pattern matching technique was used to compare the empirical patterns of the case studies with the proposed patterns of the research construct, providing strong evidence of model validity.