Enablement
Successful IT governance implementation or improvement depends on implementing the right change (the right IT governance practices) in the right way. In many enterprises, there is a significant focus on the first aspect—core IT governance— but not enough emphasis on managing the human, behavioural and cultural aspects of the change and motivating stakeholders to buy in to the change. Change management can be one of the biggest challenges to IT governance implementation.
It should not be assumed that the various stakeholders involved in, or impacted by, new or revised IT governance arrangements will necessarily readily accept and adopt the change. The possibility of ignorance and/or resistance to change needs to be addressed through a structured and proactive approach. Also, optimal awareness of the IT governance programme should be achieved through communication plan that defines what will be communicated, in what way and by whom, throughout the various phases of the programme.
Sustainable improvement can be achieved either by gaining the commitment of the stakeholders (investment in winning hearts and minds, in leaders’ time, and in communicating and responding to the workforce) or, where still required, by enforcing compliance (investment in processes to administer, monitor and enforce). In other words, human, behavioural and cultural barriers need to be overcome so that there is a common interest to properly adopt a new way, to instill a will to adopt a new way and to ensure the ability to adopt a new way.