Structural power imbalances in global organisations: analysing IT governance from a postcolonial perspective

Abstract

IT governance has the potential to perpetuate power imbalances in international organisations. Important IT decisions are frequently made in the headquarters and then propagated through the rest of the organisation. This pattern can indicate a well-organised centralised IT governance focusing on security and efficiency. The same pattern, however, cannot only impede innovation and flexibility but also has the potential to continue colonial decision structures, especially as headquarters are often in the global north. Through 27 interviews with NGO representatives–a sector that should be highly motivated to counter postcolonial tendencies–we examine IT governance structures. We observe indications of a mismatch between organisational goals and IT governance structures that can only be explained when considering postcolonialism. We need to combine explanation approaches from IT governance and postcolonial theory to explain the observed phenomenon fully. Moreover, we critically comment on IT-related decision-making structures and call for more effort in research and practice to decolonise IT and IT governance.