An exploratory study on the development and application of integrated information technology management model: Five cases from Turkish automotive supply industry

The purpose of this study is to explore how Turkish organizations are implementing information technology (IT) governance to achieve desirable behavior in the use of IT. For this purpose, a literature based Integrated IT Management Model (IITMM) is developed. Research objectives further includes a high-level assessment of organizations? perceived level of IT governance capabilities by applying the proposed IITMM.The research includes a review of academic and professional literature, regulations, frameworks and standards on IT governance. Based on the literature review, Bleicher?s Integrated Management Model (IMM) was used as a conceptual modeling tool for developing the IITMM. The IITMM discusses the IT governance literature in three horizontal management levels (i.e. normative, strategic and operational) and in three vertical management dimensions (i.e. goals, structures and behaviors) defining nine different management components. Conceptual modeling was followed by a case study phase covering five companies from Turkish automotive supply industry. Based on the IITMM, a questionnaire was developed to provide a structured interview pattern for face-to-face interviews. An interview with a business or IT executive was conducted in each company.Results of the study revealed that except strategic goals and operational goals, different IT governance capability patterns exist for each studied company. Although the strategic goals and operational goals of IT governance are well understood by all participated companies, there is a room for improvement in structures and behaviors dimensions, especially in normative behaviors and strategic behaviors, as well as in strategic structures and operational structures. Besides these general improvement areas, specific IT governance constructs are identified as drivers or inhibitors of effective IT governance implementation. Finally, some IT governance mechanisms discussed in the IT governance literature, such as IT control framework, independent assurance, IT project management, committees and councils, IT principles and end-user involvement in determining IT strategies, were perceived as not effectively implemented. In summary, the results indicate that the IITMM provides a useful framework for determining the current IT governance capabilities of companies considering model?s ability to recognize different levels of capabilities and to identify general and specific improvement opportunities.