Understanding the Success or Failure of Organizational ICT Integration: The Criticality of Managerial Involvement

This study explores how managerial involvement affects the success or failure of ICT-based change. Employees' use and non-use of new ICT were indicators for change success and failure, respectively. Based on the thematic analysis, the findings accentuate the criticality of adequate managerial involvement with affected employees during ICT-based organizational change. This proved vital for the successful integration of new ICT and the development of new work processes and practices. The combination of absence of managerial involvement and expert control prevented employees who did not have previous ICT experience from developing new work practices that integrated tasks, work processes and the new technology. ICT experts were authorized to control the change process by a combination of managerial involvement and delegated managerial authority. Closeness to the technology and to managers/decision-makers combined with high levels of mutual involvement and ICT experience seem to be important factors for the success of ICT-based organizational change.