Top Management Commitment and IT-Enabled Supply Chain Innovation

Abstract

In an era of increasing environmental uncertainty and diverse stakeholder demands, IT-enabled supply chain innovation (SCI) has emerged as a critical strategy for manufacturing enterprises seeking competitive advantage. Drawing on resource-based theory and upper echelons theory, this study develops a dual-theory framework to examine how external pressures—environmental uncertainty (EU) and stakeholder pressure (SP)—influence IT-enabled SCI, and how top management commitment (TMC) moderates these relationships. Using survey data from 649 Chinese manufacturing firms, results show that EU positively drives IT-enabled SCI, whereas the direct effect of SP is not significant. Importantly, TMC strengthens the impact of both EU and SP on innovation, highlighting its central role in guiding the adoption and effective use of digital technologies and information systems to support innovative supply chain practices. This study extends the theoretical understanding of IT-enabled innovation mechanisms and provides practical guidance for managers to leverage technology for supply chain transformation.