Role of it in Organizations: An Empirical Study of Employee Perceptions

Abstract

The contribution of information technology/systems (IT/IS) to the gross domestic product (GDP) in the U.S. has doubled to 8.2% during the past two decades. Hence it is critical for organizations to realize the increased importance of IT/IS function/personnel. If organizations perceive the role of IT/IS function/personnel inappropriately, the results could be disastrous - loss in competitiveness through lack of, and failed, IT/IS development efforts. There has been little empirical research on the organizational perception of the role of IT/IS function/personnel. Based on some prior conceptual work, this research developed a questionnaire to capture this perception in organizations. We have discussed the questionnaire development effort and presented some preliminary findings. From our results, it is clear that the perception of the importance of IT/IS function/personnel in today's organizations is less that what is desirable. The results of our research have implications for selection of IT/IS development projects in organizations and also on their success.