Electronic data interchange (EDI) providesmeans for interorganizational
communication, creates network externalities, requires
an advanced information technology (IT) infrastructure, and relies
on standards. In the diffusion of such innovations, institutional
involvement is imperative. Such institutions contain governmental
agencies, national and global standardization organizations, local
government, and nonpro t private organizations like industry associations.
The last type of organizations we call intermediating
institutions. They intermediate or coordinate (“inscribe”) the activities
of a group of would-be adopters. Unfortunately, little is
known of how these organizations shape the EDI diffusion trajectory.
In this article we examine one speci c type of intermediating
organizations—industry associations—and how they advanced
the EDI diffusion process in the grocery sectors of Hong Kong,
Denmark and Finland. We identify six institutional measures,
placed into a matrix formed by the mode of involvement (in uence
vs. regulation) and the type of diffusion force (supply push
vs. demand pull), that can be mobilized to further the EDI diffusion.
Industry associations were found to be active users of all these
measures to varying degrees. Their role was critical especially in
Received 28 December 1997; accepted 29 September 1999.
Thanks to the interviewees for taking the time to talk with us. A
special thank you to Anna K. Y. Lin from the Hong Kong Article Numbering
Association, Joseph Yap from the Retail Management Association
Ltd., Erland Nielsen from EAN Denmark, and Martti Lahti from
the Finnish Data Communication Association. Also thanks to the three
anonymous reviewers, our associate editor, Pertti Jarvinen, and Rob
Kling for constructive comments on an earlier version of this article.
Address correspondence to Jan Damsgaard, Department of Computer
Science, Aalborg University, Fr. Bajersvej 7E, DK-990 Aalborg
Ø, Denmark. E-mail: damse@cs.auc.dk
knowledge building, knowledge deployment, and standard setting.
Furthermore, institutional involvement varied due to policy and
cultural contingencies and power dependencies.