Going the Extra Mile: Impact of Individuals’ Behavior on Information Technology Governance

ABSTRACT Objective: this work emphasizes the information technology governance (ITG) behavioral expression and aims to identify whether individual behavior contributes to the increase of the perceived maturity of the ITG mechanisms. The organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) concept was the base to develop a model of relations between individual behavior and ITG maturity. Methods: we carried out a survey with 243 IT personnel of the executive branch of a Brazilian state government. We used partial least squares as data analysis technique. Results: the findings show the existence of a positive and significant relationship between the variable spirit of initiative and the perceived maturity of the ITG mechanisms. Conclusions: the impact of ITG changes in individuals’ behavior needs to be considered, which reinforces that ITG is a critical resource for implementing public policies and executing governmental strategies. In order to raise the IT governance maturity, managers should foster the spirit of initiative in their teams, acting on their antecedents such as feelings of control, complexity, self-efficacy, and responsibility for changes. Consequently, individuals can make a deliberate decision, constantly evaluating the likely outcomes of their behaviors in favor of the adoption of ITG mechanisms.