Paving the Way for IT Governance in the Public Sector

Abstract

Public sector organizations often have information technology governance proposals to implement or solutions that are not enough to solve their information technology problems. This instability wastes technology investments, adds no value, and affects the performance of industry organizations. In this study, our main goal is to identify aspects of the environments that facilitate implementation and ensure the continuity of the governance process in organizations, based on people’s behavior, as the human factor is critical to ensuring that the organization’s goals are met. We conducted a case study through the application of interviews and questionnaires to eight managers of a Brazilian public university. We collect data from the perspective of the Information Technology and Innovation Diffusion Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model. The results point that aspects related to manager behavior are involvement, communication, reality, training, and diversity. These aspects correspond to the basis of our proposal. The setting of the environment is the product of the arrangement of these aspects, the recommendations of the literature and the interpretation of the dimensions of the questionnaire. To make the organizational environment conducive to governance, we must involve managers and their teams in change. Together they can pave the way, break paradigms, and turn governance into a habit.