An Institutional Theory Account of How Governance Affects Alignment and Performance Outcomes in a Complex IS Project

Andrew Burton-Jones, Alicia Gilchrist, Peter Green, Michelle Smidt

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

    Abstract

    A long-standing challenge in the Information Systems discipline is the development of a theoretical account of how IT alignment is achieved, sustained, and generates positiveeffects. In this paper, we focus on a key piece of that problem: the role of governance. It is commonly agreed that governance - the leadership, structure, and decision-making processes instituted to ensure that IS projects generate value while minimising risk - plays an important role in achieving and sustaining IT alignment, but there has been little theoretical work on how it may do so. Without such theoretical development, it is difficult to justify the linkages between IT governance, alignment, and performance, and explain how these links play out in practice. We seek to contribute to the IT alignment and IT governance literatures by providing an institutional theory account of how governance - and changes in governance over time - affect the achievement and sustainment of alignment in a complex IS project, and thereby affect the project's performance outcomes.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the JAIS
    EditorsDorothy E. Leidner
    Place of PublicationUnited States
    PublisherAssociation for Information Systems
    ISBN (Print)1536-9323
    Publication statusPublished - 2016
    EventTheory Development Workshop, 2016 - Dublin Ireland
    Duration: 1 Jan 2016 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceTheory Development Workshop, 2016
    Period1/01/16 → …
    OtherDecember 11 2016

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