IT Organizational Structure Relationship with IT Governance Performance: Case of a Public Organization

Abstract

Information Technology (IT) is widely used in organizations and managers continue to struggle with how to govern IT. IT governance concerns the decision rights and division of responsibilities to achieve value from IT investments. Any IT governance approach is incorporated into a given organizational structure. However in the particular context of public organizations, there is little research on IT organizational structure relationship with IT governance performance. In this research, a case study is done in a public organization to find out how suitable is the organizational structure of the IT department is in relation with the IT governance performance. The results reveal that the IT department organizational structure needs to suit the IT governance performance desired outcomes. In this case, operating as a public organization has actuated the organization to focus on IT governance outcome of effective use of IT for growth. This together with the IT governance archetypes of this public organization for different IT decisions led the IT department leaders to adopt a matrix organizational structure.