A Model of Effective IT Governance Structures for Developing Economies

The level of IT investment amongst organisations in developing economies is increasing. Growing evidence however, indicates, that the majority of these economies still fail to capitalise on their IT investment to source business values. For business values to materialise, effective governance of IT related resources is paramount. This entails that the presence of effective IT governance (ITG) structures as a crucial resource for organisations. The understanding of what ITG structures are suitable in developing economies is limited. Broadening our understanding on the nature of these structures is required. By interacting with various stakeholders in a developing economy context, we were able to gain an in-depth insight on the nature of these structures. We found that the presence of an organisational-wide strategy committee, a cross-functional IT operational committee, hierarchical and lateral communication systems, and cross-functional training as the crucial components of an ITG structure for organisations in a developing economy.