The Making of Emerging Green IT Strategies in Information Technology Organizations

Abstract

The relationship between organizations and green movement has been the subject of much research. This study takes up a new movement for environmental responsibility, green IT. The study investigated three, first-mover IT organizations. Employees at diverse levels of each organization were interviewed about how commitments to green IT were developed and communicated. During a field research of period of eight months, 37 one-on-one interviews were conducted with key organizational members at three case organizations, multiple field research activities were performed including site visits, tour of data centers, observation of virtual meetings, and documents collection. The research discovered distinctive approaches in each organization. One followed a dominant emergent model where grassroots efforts played a key role in forming the strategy. The second exhibited a dominant deliberative model following a somewhat more traditional top- down approach to development. The third organization appeared committed to a somewhat postmodern or bifurcated pattern, where a green IT strategy is underway but has yet to achieve a unified commitment. Prospects for future development of green IT strategy are discussed.