Board engagement in IT governance: Opening up the black box of IT oversight committees at board level

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners seem to agree on the importance of boards of directors engaging in IT governance. Yet, only a minority of boards around the globe are taking up accountability for governing IT, pointing towards a knowing-doing gap. Efforts have been made to close this gap by creating implementation guidelines for this type of engagement. One of the most frequently mentioned guidelines is the implementation of an IT oversight or similar committee at board level. However, research shows that few boards have established such a committee, which might be caused by the lack of detailed guidance on the workings and role of such committees. This paper discusses the case of the University of Antwerp that has established two IT oversight committees at board level. We demonstrate how IT oversight committees can be established and how they fit into the role of the board with regard to IT governance.