Managing In-Company IT Standardization: A Design Theory

Abstract

Today’s companies rely heavily on in-company information technology standards (ICITS) to reduce costs, ensure flexibility, and facilitate the planning, implementation, and operation of IT systems. Steering and managing ICITS has proven to be challenging, revealing the need for efficient governance mechanisms. But even though prior research demonstrates the challenges of ICITS, viable advice on how to implement ICITS is scarce. In this paper, we develop an organizational design theory for the management of ICITS based on the framework of organizational control theory. We conducted a critical case study to identify basic goals, constitutive elements, and fundamental mechanisms of a working ICITS management. The resulting design goals and principles were then evaluated and further refined in the light of additional expert interviews. With our work, we wish to extend the body of theoretical knowledge on the management of ICITS and help practitioners master the various challenges occurring in this domain.

A systematic mapping study of standards and frameworks for information management in the digital era

“…The search for standard documents was designed and conducted as an iterative process starting with an initial web search to identify relevant candidates for the SMS. The initial search using Google web search and the ISO's online standards catalog was performed, because published research, especially on new and emerging standards, is relatively sparse compared to articles by practitioners and professional associations (Ahlemann et al, 2022). Nevertheless, the web search was complemented by a literature search on standards in the IM field.…”