Affiliation:
1. Operations Management and Information Systems, Northern Illinois University, USA
Abstract
Power plays an important role in organizations. It helps to explain why certain decisions are made and how those decisions are executed. While intraorganizational power is critical in facilitating the execution of the activities by information technology (IT) departments, it can be expected that some self-interested individuals will act in bad faith in its pursuit. Using resource dependency theory for guidance, a multi-case study of three mid-western universities was carried out to identify dysfunctional behaviours by IT personnel aimed at gaining intraorganizational power or avoiding its erosion. These behaviours are compared to the literature and strategies for mitigating these activities are offered to practitioners.
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