Toward a Conceptual Decision Framework for Shadow IT Integration Emergent Research Forum (ERF)

Business units are increasingly able to fuel the transformation that digitalization demands of organizations. Thereby, they implement Shadow IT (SIT) to create flexible and innovative solutions. However, the individual implementation of SIT leads to high complexities and redundancies. Integration suggests itself to meet these challenges but can also eliminate the described benefits. In this emergent research, we develop propositions for a conceptual decision framework, that balances the benefits and drawbacks of an integration of SIT using a literature review as well as a multiple-case study. We thereby integrate the perspective of the overall organization as well as the specific business unit. We then pose six propositions regarding SIT integration that will serve to evaluate our conceptual framework in future research.