Power Distribution of IT Executives in the TMT: When Should It Be Equal?

Presenter Information

Dinh Khoi Nguyen, University of GroningenFollow
Thijs Broekhuizen, University of GroningenFollow
John Qi Dong, Trinity College Dublin, University of DublinFollow
P.C. Verhoef, University of GroningenFollow

Paper Number

1644

Paper Type

Short

Description

The role of the top management team (TMT) and IT executives in organizing and leading digital innovation are increasingly recognized. However, past studies often focus on the role of IT expertise of TMT members. Relative power and interactions of the elite members remain under-researched. In this study, we draw on the literature on power distribution in the TMT to investigate the impact of power dispersion between IT executives and the TMT on digital innovation. We theorize that power dispersion has a non-linear, inverted U-shaped relation to digital innovation. Further, we introduce the moderating role of two relevant expertise of the IT executives, technological expertise and firm-specific expertise. Using panel data from US firms belonging to the list of top innovators, we find support for our theory. Our study offers potential contributions to the digital innovation literature as well as to research in IS leadership.

Comments

14-DigitalInnovation

Recommended Citation

Nguyen, Dinh Khoi; Broekhuizen, Thijs; Dong, John Qi; and Verhoef, P.C., "Power Distribution of IT Executives in the TMT: When Should It Be Equal?" (2022). ICIS 2022 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2022/entren/entren/10