The Viable Governance Model: A Theoretical Model for the Corporate Governance of IT

Empirical studies into the governance of Information Technology (IT) have advanced our understanding of the mechanisms used to control the management of IT. However, there has been relatively little research into the formulation of a theoretical model of IT governance that explains and organises the growing collection of mechanisms into a coherent whole. To further advance the concept of the corporate governance of IT, the Viable Governance Model (VGM) is proposed. The VGM is a theoretical model of governance based on the laws and principles of cybernetics as embodied in Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM). The VGM is used to formulate a series of design propositions or principles that may be used to guide the design and implementation of specific IT governance arrangements. The study draws on empirical studies or professional standards to establish how these theoretical design propositions may be satisfied in practice.

[1]  John Davies,et al.  Models of Governance - A Viable Systems Perspective , 2002, Australas. J. Inf. Syst..

[2]  Gerald G. Grant,et al.  Framing the Frameworks: A Review of IT Governance Research , 2005, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[3]  Boards, Governance and Value Creation: List of tables , 2007 .

[4]  Hannu Kivijärvi,et al.  An Integrated Framework for IT Governance and the Development and Validation of an Assessment Instrument , 2006, Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'06).

[5]  C. Meyer.  How the right measures help teams excel , 1994 .

[6]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Design Alternatives for Organizing Information Systems Activities , 1984, MIS Q..

[7]  Pieter M. A. Ribbers,et al.  Information technology governance by design: investigating hybrid configurations and integration mechanisms , 2000, ICIS.

[8]  R. Zmud,et al.  Whose responsibility is IT (information technology) management? , 1992, Sloan management review.

[9]  J. Carver.  Carver's Policy Governance® Model in Nonprofit Organizations , 2002 .

[10]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Research Commentary: The Organizing Logic for an Enterprise's IT Activities in the Digital Era - A Prognosis of Practice and a Call for Research , 2000, Inf. Syst. Res..

[11]  Adi Prananto,et al.  Business Value Creation from IT Investments: towards a process theory of IT governance , 2005, Australas. J. Inf. Syst..

[12]  Philippe Goujon,et al.  Governance in Perspective: The Issue of Normativity , 2012 .

[13]  Petter Gottschalk,et al.  Business Innovation and Information Management , 2009 .

[14]  Carol V. Brown,et al.  Alignment of the IS Functions With the Enterprise: Toward a Model of Antecedents , 1994, MIS Q..

[15]  Petter Gottschalk,et al.  Information Technology Strategy and Management: Best Practices , 2008 .

[16]  Pieter M. A. Ribbers,et al.  Designing information technology governance processes: diagnosing contemporary practices and competing theories , 2002, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[17]  Janette Moody,et al.  Toward a Better Understanding of Information Technology Organization: A Comparative Case Study , 1992, MIS Q..

[18]  Peter Weill,et al.  Don't Just Lead, Govern: How Top-Performing Firms Govern IT , 2004, MIS Q. Executive.

[19]  E. Lewis,et al.  Applying Organizational Theories to Realize Adaptive IT Governance and Service Management , 2009 .

[20]  Ta-Tao Chuang,et al.  Optimal purchase decision criteria for information technology , 2003 .

[21]  Steven De Haes,et al.  Explorative Study on the Influence of National Cultures on Business/IT Alignment Maturity , 2010, Int. J. IT Bus. Alignment Gov..

[22]  Daniel Beimborn,et al.  The Social Antecedents of Business/IT Alignment: Reviewing the Role of Social Network Structure in Alignment Research , 2011, Int. J. IT Bus. Alignment Gov..

[23]  Steven De Haes,et al.  Prioritising and Linking Business Goals and IT Goals in the Financial Sector , 2010, Int. J. IT Bus. Alignment Gov..

[24]  Stephen M. Bainbridge,et al.  Why a Board? Group Decisionmaking in Corporate Governance , 2001 .

[25]  Carol V. Brown.  Examining the Emergence of Hybrid IS Governance Solutions: Evidence From a Single Case Site , 1997, Inf. Syst. Res..

[26]  Aileen Cater-Steel,et al.  Improving ICT governance: a radical restructure using CobiT and ITIL , 2009 .

[27]  Carol V. Brown,et al.  Reconceptualizing the Context-Design Issue for the Information Systems Function , 1998 .

[28]  P. Weill,et al.  Don't Just Lead, Govern: Implementing Effective it Governance , 2002 .

[29]  R. Nolan,et al.  Information technology and the board of directors. , 2005, Harvard business review.

[30]  Joe Peppard,et al.  The Application of the Viable Systems Model to Information Technology Governance , 2005, ICIS.

[31]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Arrangements for Information Technology Governance: A Theory of Multiple Contingencies , 1999, MIS Q..

[32]  Gerry Gingrich,et al.  Managing It in Government, Business and Communities , 2003 .

[33]  Jerry N. Luftman,et al.  IT Governance: An Alignment Maturity Perspective , 2010, Int. J. IT Bus. Alignment Gov..

[34]  Carol V. Brown.  Horizontal Mechanisms Under Differing IS Organization Contexts , 1999, MIS Q..

[35]  Aileen Cater-Steel,et al.  Preface [to Information technology governance and service management: frameworks and adaptations] , 2008 .

[36]  Gerry C. Jacobs,et al.  Whose responsibility is IT management , 1995 .

[37]  Detlef Schoder,et al.  Application Portfolio Management - An Integrated Framework and a Software Tool Evaluation Approach , 2010, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..