The factors influencing ICT Governance implementation in the organisation: a case study

The emergence of Information and Communication Technology Governance (ICTG) as a field of study with a comprehensive literature permits focused studies in the area of ICTG in organisations. The key focus of previous studies is on the alignment of the organisation strategic direction and ICT strategy. Many organisations have implemented ICTG to gain efficiency, accountability, and regulatory compliance (Information Technology Governance Institute (ITGI) Report, 2008). Although many organisations have implemented ICTG, research reports show that many of these organisations still struggle to move forward from level 1 and 2 of the ICTG maturity model while some are still stuck at level 0 which indicates that there are factors that influence the implementation of ICTG in organisations. The purpose of the research aims at studying and reporting the factors that influence the implementation of ICTG in organisations. To obtain these factors, the research first investigates how the organisation implements ICTG. Once those factors are identified then the research further investigates the causes of these factors and its relationship with ICTG. As a result, best practices can be formulated as guidance for ICTG implementation. From a qualitative paradigm, an exploratory research was conducted through a case study at the case organisation which is called the ‘Ministry’ to protect participants’ privacy. Qualitative data on ICTG were collected through the use of unstructured interviews, documents collection, and diary recordings. A theoretical framework is formulated from previous studies for implementation of ICTG. The framework shows that ICTG can be implemented through a mixture of three core mechanisms as main focus areas in ICTG implementation which are the structures, processes, and communications. Furthermore, the factors found from previous studies are identified to be classified into two main categories which are enablers and inhibitors indicating significant relationship between factors found and ICTG. The research finds various factors arise from the findings in which some of these factors are similar to the ones reported in previous studies and therefore, validating the findings. These factors are classified into enablers and inhibitors categories. The research also finds that the main cause of these factors is the inadequacy of ICTG mechanisms. Moreover, the research suggests that by encouraging enabler factors while minimising inhibitor factors will result on effective ICTG whereas by reducing enabler factors while encouraging inhibitor factors will result on ineffective ICTG. Thus, these factors are then set as benchmark for developing best practices for practitioners to adopt where and when applicable in the implementation of ICTG in the organisation. Therefore, further research can be done to further investigate the impact of the most commented factors on the implementation of ICTG in organisations. Further research can also be done to investigate the effectiveness of the recommended practices in ICTG implementation. Furthermore, future research is recommended to be conducted on how ICTG stimulate the economy of a country especially in the developing countries