Information Technology Governance: Applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Abstract

The importance of IT governance has received increasing attention in the recent years. Extensive literature addresses top management and organisational issues of IT governance. However, recent findings suggest that people issues in IT governance equally deserve attention. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study examines the influence of IT practitioners and management guidance on the extent of their participation in IT governance initiatives. A quantitative study was conducted among IT practitioners in Malaysia. Data analysis using Partial Least Squares suggests that subjective norms and perceived behavioural controls on IT practitioners result in greater participation in IT governance initiatives. However, attitudes do not have significant relationship with participation in IT governance initiatives, in contrast with prediction of the theory. Further analysis reveals that awareness and perceived importance of IT governance are the two most important factors from the practitioner perspective. As for management guidance, organisational processes and reward system are the most important, closely followed by organisational structure. The findings reaffirm that IT governance requires control in the form of organisational structures, processes, goal settings and reward system to encourage desirable behaviours in IT governance initiatives.