Paper Number
ECIS2026-2659
Paper Type
CRP
Abstract
This paper explores how data governance initiatives are negotiated across stakeholders in a global organisation. Drawing on a year-long case study of a global medical technology firm’s CRM data quality cleanup initiative, we apply a data diplomacy lens to examine how governance mechanisms, structural, technical, and relational, operate as diplomatic instruments whose sequence shapes alignment or resistance. We identify two distinct data diplomatic trajectories for data governance: Protocol, where structure and formalism precede trust, and Prestige, where relationships and contextual sensitivity come first. Furthermore, we uncover different enactment modes, Authority-First, Guided-Protection, Deal-First, and Self-Protection, for each trajectory depending on the interests and situational needs of the stakeholders. The study contributes to information systems research by theorizing data governance as a process of diplomatic alignment, showing that effective governance depends not only on which mechanisms are used, but on how they are sequenced and tailored to stakeholder interests.
Recommended Citation
Trujillo Vasallo, Maria; Zambach, Sine; and Shollo, Arisa, "One Size Does Not Fit All: Data Diplomatic Trajectories For Data Governance Implementation" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 15.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/datasc_isresearch/datasc_isresearch/15
One Size Does Not Fit All: Data Diplomatic Trajectories For Data Governance Implementation
This paper explores how data governance initiatives are negotiated across stakeholders in a global organisation. Drawing on a year-long case study of a global medical technology firm’s CRM data quality cleanup initiative, we apply a data diplomacy lens to examine how governance mechanisms, structural, technical, and relational, operate as diplomatic instruments whose sequence shapes alignment or resistance. We identify two distinct data diplomatic trajectories for data governance: Protocol, where structure and formalism precede trust, and Prestige, where relationships and contextual sensitivity come first. Furthermore, we uncover different enactment modes, Authority-First, Guided-Protection, Deal-First, and Self-Protection, for each trajectory depending on the interests and situational needs of the stakeholders. The study contributes to information systems research by theorizing data governance as a process of diplomatic alignment, showing that effective governance depends not only on which mechanisms are used, but on how they are sequenced and tailored to stakeholder interests.
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