¹Information Systems Research Centre, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, Bedford, U.K.

Correspondence: Joe Peppard, Information Systems Research Centre, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, Bedford MK43 0AL, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1234 751122; E-mail: j.peppard@cranfield.ac.uk

^* This paper is based on a keynote presentation, delivered at the Australasian Conference on Information Systems, Adelaide, Australia, December 2006.

Received 6 April 2007; Accepted 2 August 2007.

Abstract

This paper presents a robust argument as to why it can be difficult for chief information officers (CIOs) to generate business value from investments that their organizations make in information technology (IT) with contemporary organizational structures, authority patterns, processes and mindsets. This argument is built on the subtle premise that organizations should not seek to merely manage IT but to manage the delivery of business value through IT. It takes the view that this latter quest is knowledge-based and that the knowledge resources to successfully deliver this value are distributed throughout the organization. Crucially, this knowledge is not located solely within the IT function, presenting a challenge for the CIO for its integration and coordination. With the CIO having little or no jurisdiction over all required knowledge, its deployment will therefore be fragmented. The conundrum of IT management is how to generate value through IT without having access and authority over necessary resources. Research and practitioner implications of this analysis are highlighted.