Power and Politics: Do CIOs Have What It Takes to Influence the Executive Team\u27s Commitment to IT Initiatives?

Despite the central role of information technology (IT) in contemporary firms, many Chief Information Officers (CIOs) still lack the influence over their executive teams that is enjoyed by other executives that report to the CEO. In this study, we propose power and political skill are related to the CIO\u27s influence over the executive team\u27s commitment to strategic and technical IT initiatives. We use Multivariate GLM to empirically examine these relationships using data collected from 127 CIOs. The results suggest the CIO\u27s formal position in the firm, the CIO\u27s business and technical knowledge, and the important connections the CIO has established relate to the CIO\u27s influence over the executive team\u27s commitment to IT initiatives. We also found political skill moderates the relationship between the CIO\u27s power and influence over the executive team\u27s commitment to IT initiatives. We discuss the implications of these results for research and practice