Informal leaders and their influence within information system organisations in developing countries: A case study in Mexico

The emergence of informal leaders to supplement the lack of effective formal leadership is common in many workplaces, including information system (IS) organisations. The literature to date has examined informal leadership (including electronic interactions, characteristics and qualities, levels of responsibility and authority, individual and group performance, social interactions and energetic activation) in the organisational change domain. However, the IS literature has yet to define and explain such leadership within IS organisations, particularly in developing countries where often complex and unique sociocultural factors shape such leadership. This paper presents a conceptual framework for identifying and defining informal leaders in IS organisations from a new perspective, considering their characteristics and behaviours, the nature of their leadership, organisational culture and their social context. The framework is tested through a case study of an IS organisation in a developing country (Mexico). The findings confirm the framework’s usefulness for identifying the characteristics and behaviours, nature of leadership (opinion, social and technical) and the extent of influence exerted within the organisation. Understanding informal leaders within IS organisations is important because adding their capabilities and levels of influence to formal leaders could boost overall outcomes within IS organisations and beyond.