MEASURING THE EXTENT OF EDI USAGE IN COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS - STRATEGIES AND ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

As interest into the nature and value of Electronic Data Interchange ( EDI) within organizations continues to grow, it becomes increasingly d esirable to establish a tactical linkage between the strategic value o f EDI and observed operational benefits. This article provides such a tactical linkage by presenting an approach to EDI measurement consisti ng of four facets: volume, diversity, breadth, and depth of a firm's E DI initiatives. Each of these facets is defined and then described thr ough its application within the contexts of seven case sites, where ea ch case site represents a strategic business unit having a long, succe ssful history of EDI use. The article concludes with suggestions for b oth practice and research.