Effective IT Governance in the Albanian Public Sector – A Critical Success Factors Approach

Abstract

AbstractThis research grew out of the work of Nfuka & Rusu (2010), who identified eleven critical success factors (CSFs) that need to be considered for effective information technology (IT) governance in the public sector. It is motivated by the limited literature on CSFs for effective IT governance, especially from the point of view of a developing country. Our objective is to advance our understanding on CSFs for effective IT governance in the Albanian public sector. Adopting a holistic approach, we propose a new construct of analysis for CSFs. This construct blends in two components. The first is IT governance as an ongoing process and encompasses IT Governance Institute (ITGI) defined focus areas (ITGI 2003). The second is related to business‐IT alignment and consists of three dimensions: human, social, and intellectual (Schlosser et al. 2012). Using case study research method, we gather data from five government organizations. Our results supports those of Nfuka & Rusu (2010). From the Albanian public sector perspective, they indicate a greater emphasis on CFSs related to resource management focus area and human dimension. Limitations on IT resources, knowledge and culture (Nfuka & Rusu 2010) and insufficient IT resource management (Yahya 1993) provide the explanation for such results. In addition, IT departments are viewed as service providers. This perception further motivates the emphasis on resource management.