Using the viable system model to study IT governance dynamics: Evidence from a single case study

Abstract

This paper presents a single descriptive case study in which the viable system model (VSM) is used as a theoretical lens to model an organization’s contemporary IT governance system. The case presented herein was selected specifically for being a digitized company of which we knew that a lot of effort was put recently in their IT governance system. We find that the case company’s IT governance system maps well to the structure and underlying logic of the VSM. This paper contributes to the literature by providing an empirical justification exemplar on the applicability of systemic thinking in general, and the VSM in specific, for modelling enterprise governance and management of IT.