Abstract
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's influence over the executive team's 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's formal position in the firm, the CIO's business and technical knowledge, and the important connections the CIO has established relate to the CIO's influence over the executive team's commitment to IT initiatives. We also found political skill moderates the relationship between the CIO's power and influence over the executive team's commitment to IT initiatives. We discuss the implications of these results for research and practice.
Recommended Citation
Gerow, Jennifer; Grover, Varun; and Thatcher, Jason, "Power and Politics: Do CIOs Have What It Takes to Influence the Executive Team's Commitment to IT Initiatives?" (2012). AMCIS 2012 Proceedings. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2012/proceedings/OrganizationalIssuesIS/1
Power and Politics: Do CIOs Have What It Takes to Influence the Executive Team's 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's influence over the executive team's 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's formal position in the firm, the CIO's business and technical knowledge, and the important connections the CIO has established relate to the CIO's influence over the executive team's commitment to IT initiatives. We also found political skill moderates the relationship between the CIO's power and influence over the executive team's commitment to IT initiatives. We discuss the implications of these results for research and practice.