Information Technology Governance Institutionalization and the Behavior of Individuals in the Context of Public Organizations

Abstract

This study aims to verify the effects of IT governance (ITG) institutionalization on civil servants’ behavior. The general assumption is that ITG institutionalization exerts a positive effect on behavior, provided the ITG legitimation process enhances the perception of organizational justice since transparency and equity increases. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) was used to understand individuals’ behavior, which describes individuals’ voluntary commitment in organizations that is not necessarily part of their contractual tasks but is essential to reach the organizational goals. In order to achieve the objective, a multi-method study was developed and operationalized in the context of a diverse range of public organizations in Rio Grande do Sul State Government in Brazil. A theoretical-empirical model was created based on literature, focus group, and interviews. A descriptive-confirmative study was operationalized through a survey with 173 Brazilian civil servants. A questionnaire was developed and validated. All hypotheses were confirmed through a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) data analysis. The main theoretical contribution is the development of an ITG framework and the demonstration of a positive and significant relationship with the OCB construct. The main finding is that individual behavioral changes are encouraged by ITG institutionalization.