2016
TheimpactofITsubcultureontheadoptionofcloudcomputing:Acriticalexploration
MBADISSERTATIONSTEVENCHARLTON(W1535566)
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 1
Acknowledgements
I’dliketothankmyresearchsupervisor,theintervieweesandmostimportantlymywifefortheirsupportwiththisproject.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 2
ContentsAcknowledgements..................................................................................................................1
ListofTablesandFigures.........................................................................................................3
1. Introduction.....................................................................................................................4
2. ResearchAims&Objectives.............................................................................................6
3. LiteratureReview.............................................................................................................7
3.1 DefiningCulture&Subculture...................................................................................7
3.1aDefiningCulture........................................................................................................7
3.1bDefiningSubculture..................................................................................................8
3.2SourcesofCulture........................................................................................................10
3.3PerspectivesofCulture................................................................................................12
3.4Identification&ClassificationofCulture......................................................................14
3.5Culturalinfluenceonadoptionofnewtechnology......................................................14
3.6ImplicationsofLiterature.............................................................................................16
4. ResearchMethodology..................................................................................................18
4.1ResearchApproach......................................................................................................19
4.2SecondaryResearch.....................................................................................................23
4.3PrimaryResearch.........................................................................................................23
4.3aCollectionMethodology.........................................................................................24
4.3bDataAnalysis..........................................................................................................24
4.3cLimitations..............................................................................................................25
4.3dEthicalConsiderations............................................................................................26
4.4Validity&Reliability.....................................................................................................26
5. Findings..........................................................................................................................26
6. Discussion.......................................................................................................................29
6.1CharacteristicsofITSubculture....................................................................................29
6.2SourcesofSubculture...................................................................................................32
6.3ImpactofSubcultureontheadoptionofcloudcomputing?.......................................34
7. Conclusion......................................................................................................................36
7.1LimitationsoftheResearch..........................................................................................36
7.2Implicationsoftheresearchformanagers..................................................................36
7.3Implicationsforscholarsandfutureresearch..............................................................37
7.4Reflectiononlearning..................................................................................................38
Appendix1.............................................................................................................................39
Datacoding........................................................................................................................39
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 3
References..............................................................................................................................42
ListofTablesandFiguresTableI.....................................................................................................................................20Figure1...................................................................................................................................21Figure2...................................................................................................................................21Figure3...................................................................................................................................22
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 4
1. IntroductionThisresearchpaperisanexplorationofthethemesrelatingtotheinfluenceofITsubculture
onanorganizationsabilitytoadoptcloudcomputingtechnology.
Theadoptionofnewtechnologybyanyorganisationisasignificantchallenge.Everyyear
billionsofdollarsareinvestedbybusinesses,bothlargeandsmallinIT&IS(Information
Technology&InformationSystems)withavarietyofaimsincluding,butnotlimitedto
increasingproductivity,improvingcostefficiency,enhancingorganizationalagility,or
hasteningdecisionmakingtonamebutafew.Unfortunately,manyoftheseprojectfailto
deliverthegainstheypromise,with$140billioninvestedinfailedprojectsin2003alone
(DalcherandGenus,2003).
Thereanumberoffactorsthatmightinfluencewhethertheadoptionofanewtechnology
willbeasuccess,withperhapsoneofthemostsignificantbeingthatoforganisational
culture&subcultures.
CIO’s(ChiefInformationOfficers)andITDirectorsareoftenresponsibleforthe
identificationandintroductionofnewtechnologiesintoanorganisation,&willin
partnershipwithotherfunctionsofanorganisationtoaligntechnologiestowardsbusiness
objectives.ByunderstandingtheculturalchallengesfromwithintheorganisationsIT/IS
subculture,theseindividualsaswellasthoseexternalpartnerorganisationstheyworkwith
maybebetterabletounderstand&anticipatepotentialroadblocks,identifyingpartners
withintheIT/ISorganisation,andelsewheretoimprovethechancesofaprojectssuccess.
PreviousresearchinthisfieldwascarriedoutrecentlybyJacksonin2011inthepaper
“OrganisationalCultureandISAdoption:AThree-PerspectiveApproach”.(Jackson,2011)
ThispaperassessesacasestudycarriedoutbyJacksontoassesshowcultureandsubculture
influencetheadoptionofInformationSystemsinanorganisation.Heusesacombinationof
(Martin,2002a)threeperspectivesonculturegridandgroupculturaltheorytoassessthe
influenceofcultureontechnologyadoption,andconcludesinhisfindingthatthatthereisa
coherencybetweenthepower&distancerelationbetweenemployeesandmanagement.
Additionally,healsohighlightsthatnon-permanentworkers(i.e.contractors&other
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 5
temporaryworkers)aremoreflexibleinadoptingorrejectingnewtechnology,incontrastto
permanentworkers,whilemostlikelytobenefitfromnewtechnologies&organisational
improvements,oftenexperienceadeteriorationinmotivationandaptitudeovertime.
TherewereanumberofadditionalpointsdiscussedinJackson’s(Jackson,2011)paper,with
onestatementbeingthat“toomanyISadoptioninitiativesfailduetoamisfitbetween
cultureandtheISintroduced”andanotherthat“cultureisbecomingincreasinglyimportant
giventheadoptionofinternetbasedsystemswhichsupportcrosscollaboration”.Bothof
thesestatementshighlightthepivotalroleofcultureinanorganisationssuccessorfailurein
adoptingnewtechnologies.
Jackson’sgoesontostatethatfurtherresearchshouldbeundertakentoexplorethe
influenceofsubcultureontechnologyimplementation.Thelackofresearchinthisareais
succinctlyemphasisedby(LeidnerandKayworth,2006)whostatesthatofthemultitudeof
papersreviewed85%consideredcultureattheorganisationallevelwithonlyasmall
proportionconsideringthesubculturalview.Leidnerwentontosummarisethat“the
degreeoffitbetweensocialgroupsvalues,andthevaluesembeddedintheIThasemerged
asanimportantconstructforstudyingtherelationshipbetweenvaluesandtheITadoption”.
Itisclearfromthisresearchthatsubculturehasbeenlargelyignoredbyresearchersin
exploringtheroleitplaysontechnologyadoption,howeverasemphasisedbyLeidner
“oftenblamedwhenorganisationsexperiencefailure”.
Whenexploringtheroleofsubcultureintheadoptionofnewtechnologyitisnecessaryto
restricttheresearchtoaparticulartype.Oneofthemostsignificantareasoftechnology
investmentforUKbusinessaccordingtoComputerWeeklyiscloudcomputing.Asurvey
carriedoutbythepublicationin2014showedthat57%ofUKcompaniesintendedto
implementcloudcomputinginsomeform,witharecentsurveybyTheEconomistindicating
thatthemajorityofparticipantsbelievethatorganisationsshouldbemigratingmoreof
theircomputingrequirementsintothecloud,yetadoptionratesappeartobesignificantly
lowerthananticipated.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 6
Perversely,despitethegreatchangeswithinITandbusinessinthelast10yearsspecifically
withthedevelopmentofcloudcomputing,(consideredbytheITindustryandmediaasa
‘game-changer’inhoworganisationsconsumeIT/ISservices)manyorganisationsfailto
successfullyleveragethetechnology.Frequently‘organisationalculture’isblamedforthe
failureoftheseprojects,andwhilethereisawealthofresearchexploringthis,an
explorationofthecultureofITprofessionalswithinanorganisation,thosewhoaremost
dramaticallyaffectedbythistechnologyseemstobelacking.Furthermore,muchofthe
researchisfocusedonidentifyingwhatanorganisationscultureis,andwherethevaluesof
aculturearepresent.Inordertounderstandhowthe‘subculture’oftheITfunctionaffects
technologyadoptionamorebeneficialexplorationwouldfocusinsteadonhowsubcultures
comeabout,andwhytheyexistatall.ThisviewisreinforcedbyJacksoninhissummation
thatthereneedstobeashiftfromresearching“what”and“where”culturalvaluesexist,to
understanding“how”theycometobe,and“why”.Thefocusofmyexplorationwillbeto
explorethis.
2. ResearchAims&ObjectivesTheaimsofthisexplorationaretoidentifywhysubculturesexist,wheretheyoriginateand
whatinfluencetheyhaveonanorganizationsabilitytoadoptcloudcomputingtechnologies.
Extrapolatedfromtheseaimsarethefollowingobjectives:
1. ToidentifythecharacteristicsofITsubculture
2. ToexplorethesourcesofITsubculture
3. ToexploretheimpactofITsubcultureontheadoptionofcloudcomputing
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 7
3. LiteratureReviewThepurposeoftheliteraturereviewistoidentifyframeworksandperspectivesthatcanbe
utilizedtoenabletheresearchertorecognizethepresenceoforganizationalsubcultures,
andexplorethesourceofthosesubculturesandtoprovideframeworkstoassesstheimpact
ofsubculturesoncloudcomputingadoption.Thisliteraturereviewalsoservestoaidthe
researchertoidentifythefocusofpreviousresearchinthisfield,andthethemesthat
emergedfromit.
Theformatofthisreviewistoprovidethereaderwithanunderstandingofwhatconstitutes
anorganizationalculture&subculture.Thisreviewthenprovidesanoverviewoftheory
relatingtothesourcesoforganizationalculture,&researcherperspectivesofculture.The
finalelementofthisreviewincludesculturalidentificationandclassificationframeworks,
andananalysisofpreviousresearchintohowcultureimpactstheadoptionofnew
technologies.
Leidner(2006)identifiedanumberofelementsrelatedtocultureandtechnology.Inorder
tomeettheobjectivespreviouslystatedthispaperwillfocusononeofthoseelements–
culture,ITadoption,anddiffusion.WhiletheotherelementsidentifiedbyLeidnerare
relevantinthebroadestsense,theyareexcludedfromthispaperduetothelimitedtime
andresourcesavailable.Consequently,theliteraturereviewedisfocusedonorganizational
cultureandsubculture,andexcludesothercategoriessuchasnationalculturewhichare
heldtobeaconstantsoasnottobiastheresearch.
3.1 DefiningCulture&Subculture
Thefirstchallengeinthisareaofresearchistounderstandwhatexactlyisorganizational
culture,&subculture.
3.1aDefiningCulture
(Bower,1966)definescultureas“thewaywedothingsaroundhere”,leadingthereaderto
believethatthebehaviors,andprocessesofanorganizationarewhatdefinesa
culture.Certainlythishassomemerit,butisratherlimitedasitappearstoignorethefact
thatthevaluesofindividualswillinherentlyaffecttheirbehavior,andnotalwaysinlinewith
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 8
organizationalculture.(Deal,2000)definedorganizationalcultureas“acohesionofvalues,
myths,heroes,andsymbolsthathascometomeanagreatdealtothepeoplewhowork
there”.Thislatterdefinitionappearstobewidelyacceptedandinagreementwith
definitionsbyotherauthorsincluding(Brown,1998),(HoffmanandKlepper,2000),
(HofstedeandSanders,1990).(Belassietal.,2007)definescultureassomethingthat
“prescribesandproscribesindividualbehaviorinorganizations”.(Belassietal.,2007)isalso
criticalofotherresearchincultureseffectoninnovation,asthereisanoverfocuson
nationalculture,makingthecommentthat“shouldhavedirectedtheirattentiontowards
organizationalcultureinstead”.Whilethereappearstobesomeconsensuswithregardsto
definewhatacultureis,thedefinitionsarevagueandbroad.Inallofthesedefinitions
cultureisviewedasasingularelement,withnoacknowledgementoftheexistenceof
subcultures.Thismakesthesedefinitionsofuseonlyinsofarasthesamefactorsidentified
by(Deal,2000)canbeextrapolatedtoidentifythemicrocosmthatsubculturerepresents.
3.1bDefiningSubcultureConsensusfordefinitionsofsubculturedoesnotappeartohavebeenreached.The
dictionarydefinitionis“aculturalgroupwithinalargerculture,oftenhavingbeliefsor
interestsatvariancewiththoseofthelargerculture.”(Oxforddictionaries.com;2015)).
Usingthisdefinition,organisationalcultureisitselfasubcultureofanationalculture,andis
inturnmadeupofdifferentsubcultures.
Accordingto(Deal,2000)inanyorganisationtherewillbevariationsinbehaviourbetween
differentbusinessdivisions,departments,teams,andoperationalfunction.Eachof
thesedemarcationsofsubculturearenormalinanyorganisationandwilloftenreflectthe
role(s)andcharacteristicsofthepeoplethatareemployedwiththissubculture.
Analternativeviewisexpressedby(Gregory,1983)“thesmallhomogeneous-society
metaphorisofteninappropriatetothoseorganisationsthatarelarge,internally
differentiated,rapidlychanging,andonlycommandpart-timecommitmentfrommembers.
Suchorganisationsmorenearlyresemblethecomplexsocietyofwhichtheyareapart.In
largecomplexsocieties…therobustnessofanygroupasacultureisquestionable.Societies,
&manyorganisations,canmorecorrectlybeviewedintermsofmultiple,cross-cutting
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culturalcontextschangingthroughtime,ratherthanasstable,bounded,homogenous
cultures”.
Ananalysisoftheseviewpointsleadstoconclusionsthataresurmisedby(Smircich,1983)
whereametaphorofaplantisused.Inherpapershedescribesorganisationalcultureasa
plant,withthevalues,myths,heroes,andsymbolsofthemultiplesubculturestherootsthat
growintotheplant.Shefurthergoesontosaythatcultureisn’tsomethinganorganisation
has,butrathercultureissomethinganorganisationis.
(Clarke,1974)presentssubcultureasa“distinctsegmentofaculturalgrouping,thatmay
sharesomeofthevaluesofthedominantculture,butalsoevidenceitsown(competing&
complimentary).”Hefurtherexpandsonthisbyidentifyingsubculturesasthosegroupsthat
deviateinpartorfullfromthedominantculture.AccordingtoClarkesubculturesare
definedbyanumberoffactors;
• Whois‘in’&whois‘out'
• whatismeanstobe'in'
• whatkindofpersonis‘in'
• isbeing‘in'significant?
Hegoesfurthertosaythatpartoftheprocessofdefiningwhattheboundariesofa
subcultureisidentifyingwhataspectsoflifeitdoesnotaffectandwherethedominant
culturerules,andthedegree&mannerinwhichmembersofasubculturederivetheir
identityfromthesubculture.
Accordingto(FineandKleinman,1979)itisoftenassumedthatsubculturescanbe
identifiedthroughdemographicfeatures(age,occupation,gender,position).Fineetal
positsthatsubculturescanbeidentifiedthroughnon-demographicfeatures.Exampleof
thiswouldbedress,espousedvalues,ordisplayedbehaviours.Fineetalgoesontosuggest
thatnotallsub-culturesarehomogeneous,closedsocialentitieswhichareisolatedfromthe
largersocietyandthattheymayinfactoverlapwiththedominantculturewithmembership
ofasubculturebeingfluid.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 10
(Peters,2004)statethat‘successfulorganisationstendtobethosethathavefoundwaysof
breakingdownthebarriersbetweensubcultures&enforcingco-ordinationandcontrol’.
Thisviewimpliesthatsubculturesnotonlyexist,butareassumedtodoso.(Peters,2004)
positionappearstosupportadifferentiationperspectivewhendeterminingorganisational
culture,andthattheroleoforganisationalcultureistobridgethegapbetweendifferent
subcultures.
(TriceandBeyer,1993)takeamoreintegrationistviewofsubcultures,presenting
subculturesasbeingtheresultofsocialconditions.Thisviewignorestheconceptof
individualsorgroupswithinanorganisationalfieldinfluencingorganisationalculture,and
appearstosupportthehierarchicalviewofcultureandsubculture.
Inseekingtoidentifysubcultureitisnecessarytodefineit.Whilethedefinitionsaboveare
vagueinwhatasubcultureis,theconsensusappearstobethatasubcultureisaderivative,
ofanotherculture,sharingsomeoftheelementsoftheprimaryculture.Forthepurposes
ofthispapersubcultureswillbedefinedasthosecultureswhicharepresentinan
organisation,butarenotinthemselvesthedominantorprimaryculture.
3.2SourcesofCultureThesecondchallengeinunderstandingorganisationalsubcultureisinidentifyingits’source.
(Brown,1998)statesthatthereareessentiallythreeacceptedsourcesofanorganisations
culture;thenationalculturewithinwhichanorganisationisphysicallysituated;thevision,
managementstyle&personalityofanorganisationsfounderorotherdominantleader;and
thetypeofbusinessanorganisationconducts&thenatureofits’business
environment.Thisisinagreementwiththestatementsofotherresearchersinthefield
(Hofstede,2005,Deal,2000,Schein,2006).
Accordingto(Deal,2000)“thebusinessesenvironmentisthesinglegreatestinfluencein
shapingcorporateculture”.(Schein,2006)promotestheviewthatastrongleadercan
createanorganisationalculture.(Johnson,2008)postulatesthatorganisationalcultureis
drawnfromseveralelements;values,beliefs,behavioursandassumptions.Hegoesonto
presentthatanorganisationalfield(suchasaprofessionalbody,sector/market)willalso
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determineanorganisationsculture,expandingonthebusinessenvironmentelementof
(Deal,2000).(Johnson,2008)furtheraddstothisbyidentifyingbusinessfunction,orother
groupingasasourceofculture,structureofanorganisation,andcommandandcontrol
formsalsoinfluencingorganisationalculture.Hegoesontostatethatwherethevalues,
beliefs,behavioursandassumptionsofacultureiswithintheacceptedstandardsofthe
organisationalfielditisgivenlegitimacybythosewithinandoutsidetheorganisation.
Researchintoorganizationalcultureappearstoindicatethatit’ssourcesaremultiple,with
(Deal,2000)positingthatwhiletherearemultiplesources,notallareequal.Assumingthat
multipleelementsmayberesponsibleforthecreationofanorganisationsculture,itwould
bereasonabletoextrapolatethatthesameelementsmayalsobethesourceofsubcultures
withinanorganization.
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3.3PerspectivesofCultureWhenseekingtoobserveandidentifyorganizationalcultureandsubculture,cultural
manifestationsandbehaviorstheperspectiveoftheculturalobserverandwhatthe
observerdeemsculturallyrelevantwillimpacthowtheyidentifyandcategorize
culturallyrelevantmanifestationsandbehaviors.(Martin,2002b)identifiedthree
theoreticalperspectivesofcultureinorganizations;integration,differentiation,and
fragmentation.
Thesedifferentperspectiveseachprovidetheculturalobserverwithadifferentlens
throughwhichtofocusonanorganizationsculture.(Martin,2002b)succinctlyuses
metaphortodescribeeachoftheselenses.Notalloftheseperspectivesacceptthatan
organizationsculturecanandwillincludesubcultures.
Theintegrationperspectivepresentscultureasasingularhomogeneousandharmonious
element,andthatanythingoutsideofthisisnotpartofanorganizationsculture.Ifthis
werethecasethenorganizationssuchastheBritishArmywouldbeunabletofunction,as
eachregiment&corpshasauniquecultureasdefinedby(Deal,2000).TheBritishArmyhas
acultureofitsownthatisespousedasdominating,withthesubcultureofeachregiment
andcorpsexistinginharmonywiththedominantculture.
Thedifferentiationperspectiveviewsorganizationalcultureasacollectionofsubcultures&
focusesonculturalmanifestationsthatifviewedoutsidetheirownsubculture.The
differentiationperspectiveleadstotheculturalobserverviewingorganizationalcultureas
beingcomprisedofanumberofsubcultureswiththeirowncharacteristics.Fromthe
differentiationperspectivethesesubcultureseachhavetheirownculturalmanifestations
withaconsensuswithinthesubcultureastotheirmeaning,butwhichisinconsistentacross
thebroaderorganizationalculture.Eachsubculturemayexistharmoniously,independently
orinconflictwithothersubcultures,butitisonlywithinaspecificsubculturethatthereisa
clearculturalidentity.Beyondtheseboundariescultureisambiguous,andlackinginclarity.
TooncemoreusetheanalogyofculturewithintheBritishArmy,eachregiment&corps
indoctrinatesitsmemberswiththeirvaluesandbehavioralexpectations.Toeachmember
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 13
ofthatregiment&itssubculturethemeaningbehindthemythsandsymbolsisclear.For
eachregiment&subculture,thesameistrue.However,interpretationofcultural
manifestationsbetweendifferentregimentswillbeinconsistent,reflectingthecultural
perspectiveoftheobserver.Themeaningbehindeachculturalmanifestationbecomesless
clear.Itisthisambiguitythatmakestheidentificationofanysingularculturemore
challenging.(Martin,2002b)usesmetaphorappropriatelyheretodescribetheissue.
“subculturesarelikeislandsofclarityinaseaofambiguity”.
Thefinalperspectiveisthatoffragmentation.Thisperspectiveviewstherelationship(s)
betweenculturalmanifestationsasbeingneitherconsistentnorinconsistent,butare
ambiguouslyrelatedtooneanother.Itisthisambiguitywhichisatthecoreofan
organizationalculture.Whencultureisviewedthroughthislens,culturecanbeviewedas
somethingthatisambiguousandintangible.Cultureisasetofsharedvaluesthatareonly
appliedinanygivensituationasviewedtobeappropriatetotheindividual.Tousethe
previousanalogy,differentregimentshavedifferentvaluesvieweddifferentlybyeach
memberoftheregiment.Thesevaluesareonlyconsideredbytheindividualshoulda
situationarisewheretheyviewthemtobeappropriate.
Whiletheseperspectivesareallrelevantinresearchingthistopic,astheywillalloffer
differentinterpretationofwhatisandisculturallyrelevantitisnecessaryfortheremitof
thispapertoselectonethatismostappropriatewhenassessingthepresenceof
subcultures.Itisassumedbytheresearcherthateveryorganizationwillpossessacultureof
itsown,anditistheidentificationofcultureswithinthisorganizationalculturethatthe
researcherisseekingtoidentify.Thisleadtotheresearchertodiscounttheintegrationist&
fragmentationperspectivesasonerecognizesviewsallcultureasbeingpartofthe
organizational,anddiscountsthepresenceofsubcultures,whereastheinverseistruefor
theotherrespectiveperspective.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 14
3.4Identification&ClassificationofCultureIdentification&classificationofcultureisbiasedaccordingtotheperspectiveofthecultural
observer.(Deal,2000)approachisdeterminedbytwofactorsinthemarketplace,the
degreeofriskandthespeedoffeedback.Fromthesetheythengoontocategorizecultures
asbeingoneoffour(tough-guy,workhard/playhard,Bet-your-company&Process
cultures).(Handy,1993)alsodelineatesculturesinto4differentclasses,basedonacultural
hierarchyandfocusofpower&influence(web,Greektemple,lattice,&personculture).
(MartinandSiehl,1983)identifiesthreedifferenttypesofsubculture;
• Enhancing
• Orthogonal
• Counter-cultures
Eachofthesetypeshasitsowncharacteristicsinhowtheirsubculturealignsandshares
withthedominantorganizationalculture.
Inseekingtoidentifythepresenceofsubcultureswithinanorganizationsculture,these
modelsmaybeextrapolatedtoprovidesomeinsightintowhatcanbemeasuredtodetect
theirpresence,aswellastoascertainwhattypeofsubcultureispresent.Whilethese
modelsseemoverlysimplistic,forthepurposesofthisresearchtheywillprovidesome
insightintothecharacteristicsofthesubcultures,ifanyarepresent.
3.5CulturalinfluenceonadoptionofnewtechnologyUnderstandinghowcultureaffectstheadoptionofnewtechnologies,isanareaofresearch
thatspansanumberofareas,particularlymarketing,projectmanagement,Information
Technology,&changemanagement.Whiletheadoptionofatechnologymightnotbe
innovativeinrelationtotherestoftheworld,oreventotheirindustryitcanbeinnovative
forthecompanyandsoliteratureencompassingthisareahasalsobeenreviewed.
(Yazici,2009)statesthatculturehasasignificantinfluenceonprojectperformance&the
longtermsuccessoforganizations.(HoffmanandKlepper,2000)buildingontheframework
of(GoffeeandJones,1996)states“Managersoftechnologyinmercenaryorganizations
typicallyenjoyhighsolidaritywithaclearvisionofthefutureandabetterchanceof
widespreadagreementontheaims&objectivesofnewtechnologyandtheresourcesand
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 15
governancenecessarytoreapthepotentialbenefits.Personinhigh-solidarityorganizations
aregenerallyreceptivetomasteringnewrolesdemandedbyanewtechnologythat
supportscorporatestrategy.Lowsociabilityofmercenaryorganizationsalsofavor
successfulassimilationbybluntingtheinfluenceofthosewhoseopinionsaretangentialto
theconcernsofthenewtechnologyproject.”Essentiallyheissayingthatinorganizations
withaculturethatisacceptingofchange,technologythatarticulatedaspartofaclear
visionisgenerallymoreeasilyadopted.
(Cabreraetal.,2001)expandsonthisviewusingtheHofstedeculturalmodelinhispaper
“TheKeyRoleofOrganizationalCultureinaMulti-Systemviewoftechnologydriven
change”.Inthispaperhehighlightsthatchangesintechnologyhaveeffectsthatgobeyond
thetechnologyarena.Hegoesontosaythatthealignmentbetweennewtechnology,
capabilitiesofanorganization,anditsstrategyisrequiredtoensuresuccessfuladoption.
Foranorganizationtosuccessfullyadoptanewtechnology,itwillhavetoadaptits
structure&itshumanresourcearchitecture,allowingittobeusedbytherightpeople,in
therightwayattherighttime.Hisstatement“therearenouniversallygoodtechnologies”
clarifiesthattechnologyinisolationisnotacriticismoftechnologies,butalludestohis
argumentthattheadoptionofatechnologyencompassesmorethanisimmediately
apparent.
(Belassietal.,2007)identifiesanumberoffactorsthataffectinnovationinanorganization
(seebelow)butalsostatesthatthe“conceptoforganizationalcultureresistsacommon
definitionorsharedtheoreticalparadigm”.
• Positiveworkenvironment
• strongmanagement&leadership
• motivatedemployees
• clearandopencommunication
(LeidnerandKayworth,2006)presentsaconceptofIT-Cultureconflict.Inhispaperhe
positsthatakeycomponenttotheacceptance&adoptionofanewtechnologyiswhatthe
generalvaluesofthecultureanditsmembersaboutInformationTechnologyingeneral.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 16
Whenyoustarttogetmorespecific,andinvestigateparticulartechnologies(inthisinstance
cloudcomputing)apaperby(SultanandvandeBunt-Kokhuis,2012)examinestheinfluence
oforganizationalcultureondisruptiveinnovation(cloudcomputing).Inthispaperhe
discussesthatwhileculturecanbeagreatenablerforanorganization,andcanalsoprohibit
&slowsomeactivities.Sultanetalreferstothisnegativefacetoforganizationalcultureas
culturalinertia.Hegoesontopositthattheadoptionofcloudcomputingwillrequire
fundamentalshiftsinanorganizationsculture,it’sperceptionsofIT/ISresources,howit
conductsitsbusiness&howitpreparesforthefuture.
Whenevaluatingthepointsmadeinthisbodyofresearch,itisclearthatthekeyelements
toconsideronhowasubcultureaffectstheadoptionofanewtechnologyincludehowthe
technologyisperceivedbythesubculture,andhowitalignstothevaluesofthatsubculture.
Additionally,thewayinwhichthesubcultureviewschangeisalsoafactor,notjust
technologicalchange.Duetotherateofchangeintechnology,aswellaslimitationsof
access,oneofthechallengesofthisliteraturereviewwasinthesourcingofrecent
literature.Consequently,someoftheresearchedliteraturemaybeoutdated,andshould
beconsideredaccordingly.
3.6ImplicationsofLiteratureItisclearfromthisliteraturereviewthatthereareanumberofareaswhereresearchinto
organizationalcultureanditsimpactontheadoptionofnewtechnologiesissparse.While
definitionsoforganizationalculturehavereachedaconsensus,theapproachofmany
researchersappearstobetoregardcultureasaunifiedforce.Ahierarchicalframeworkis
constructedbymanywithclassificationsassignedtodifferentculturalelements,and
typographyusedtoorganizethem.Whilethereissomerecognitionofsubculture,thisisfor
themostpartviewedasaresultofdeviationofcultureratherthanasacontributing
elementinanorganizationsculture.Theabsenceofsubculturefrommanyofthese
definitionsisworthyofinvestigationinitself,withthosethatacknowledgethepresenceof
subculturesperhapsbeingastartingpointforsuchresearch.
(Martin,2002a)effectivelyidentifiesthreeperspectivesforculturalobservation,withmuch
ofpreviousresearchtakinganintegrationistviewofculturealthoughsomeresearcherssuch
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 17
as(Smircich,1983)takeamorefragmentedperspective.Whenyouconsiderthesourcesof
culturethereappearstobesomeconsensusamongstresearcherswithregardstothe
influenceofthebusinessenvironmentoftheorganization.Theinfluenceofleadersand
managersonanorganizationscultureappearstobeviewedasasecondaryfactorifan
influenceatalleventhoughcontrol,processesandstructureallhaveaninfluenceonan
organizationsculture.Analysisofthiswouldleadtheresearchertothinkthatperhapsthe
sourceofanorganizationscultureisacombinationofmultiplefactors,andthatthe
adoptionbymanyresearchersofanintegrationistperspectivehasblindedthemtothis.
Whileitcanbeacceptedthattheremaybeanespousedcultureinanorganizationthatis
dominant,differentleadersinanorganizationwillinherentlycreateaculturewithintheir
owndomainbasedontheirinterpretationoftheorganizationsculture,andontheirown
values,beliefsandassumptions.Anexplorationofhowaleaders’personalityaffectshis
teams’interpretationoforganizationalculturewouldcertainlybebeneficial.
Theframeworksofclassificationforcultureprovideresearcherswithausefulwayto
categorizecultures,butacriticalevaluationoftheseindicatesthattheseframeworksare
themselveslimiting.Culturalmanifestationsthatfalloutsidetheseframeworksarewontto
beignoredasnotpartoftheorganizationalculture.
Duetothefocusofthisresearch,thestanceofthispaperisthatculturalmanifestationsthat
arenoteasilycategorizedmayindicatethepresenceofasubculture.Whenlookingatthe
roleofsubcultureandhowitaffectstheadoptionofanewtechnology,thereislittleinthe
wayofresearch.Whilesomeresearchersacknowledgethatthepresenceofsubculturescan
hastenorslowdownadoption,thereisanabsenceofresearchintowhetheraparticular
subculturewillprecludetheadoptionofanewtechnologyentirely.Researchthathasbeen
doneindicatesthatsubculturesthataremostimpactedbyanewtechnologywillresistthe
change.Intheinstanceofcloudcomputingaquotefrom(SultanandvandeBunt-Kokhuis,
2012)papersurmiseswhatmaybeanissue.“themainchallengeisthatcompanieswillsee
theirITdepartmentsresistingthemovetothecloud&turkeysdon’tvoteforChristmas”.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 18
4. ResearchMethodologyInascertainingthecorrectmethodologyfortheaimsandobjectiveshighlighted,reference
wasmadeofthemethodsemployedbypreviousresearchersinthefield.Inmostinstances
acasestudyapproachhasbeenused,within-depthinterviewsatalllevelsofan
organization(Jackson,2011,Cabreraetal.,2001).Interviewshavebeensemi-structuredin
previousstudiesinordertoprovideabreadthofdatafromtheinterviewees,withoutthe
researcherdirectingleadtheinterviewee.Thisallowsintervieweesanopportunityto
discussbehaviors,andbeliefsthatmaybehiddentotheresearcher.
Quantitativeresearchmethodsarebytheirnaturerestrictive,andnotconducivetothe
explorationofthetopic.Theclosedquestioningthroughwhichdataisgatheredusing
quantitativemethodsleadsinterviewees,andcanobfuscatedatathatmayprovideinsights
nothithertoconsideredbytheresearcher.
Duetotheexploratorynatureofthispaper,theresearcheradoptedaqualitativeapproach
baseduponthe‘groundedtheory’(Saunders,2012)method.Thisenabledtheresearcherto
allowintervieweestoleadthediscussion,providingongeneralthemesforthediscussion.
Bynotlimitingthequestioningto‘yes’and‘no’answers,theresearcherwasabletoachieve
agreaterbreadthofdatathancouldbeachievedusingquantitativemethods.Anoverview
ofthephasesofresearchispresentedintheappendices.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 19
4.1ResearchApproachAshighlightedin(LeidnerandKayworth,2006)paper,thevolumeofresearchon
organizationalsubculturesislow.Thiscombinedwiththenatureofthedatasoughtleadto
theresearcherusingthe‘GroundedTheory’(Saunders,2012)approach.Theresearcher
soughttoidentifyanycommonpatternsorthemesfromthedataprovidedbydifferent
interviewees.Fromthisdatainsightwassoughttoreachconclusionsastothoseelements
thatmettheresearchobjectives.
TableIgivesanoverviewoftheresearchobjectives,withabreakdownofthespecific
questionsaddressedandthemethodthroughwhichdatawasgathered.Figure1givesan
overviewoftheresearchprocess,andFigure3thetimescalesplanned,andactual.
Theselectionofintervieweeswasdoneusingthesnowballresearchmethodology,with
differentintervieweesinformingtheresearcherofdifferentelementsintheirresearch.
Figure2providesanoverviewofthis.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 20
TableI
ResearchObjective ResearchQuestion MethodToIdentifythecharacteristicsofsubculture
Howtoidentifysubculture? • SecondaryresearchofacademicliteratureWhatistheappropriateobserverperspective?
• Secondaryresearchofacademicliterature
WhatcharacteristicsarepresentinIT/ISsubculture?
• Semi-structuredinterviews
ExplorethesourcesofITsubculture
Whatinfluencesculture? • Secondaryresearchofacademicliterature• Interviews/Discussionswith
HR/OrganizationalDevelopmentpractitioners
Whatistheroleofleadersonculture?
• Secondaryresearchofacademicliterature• Semi-structuredInterview/Discussions
withHR/OrganizationalDevelopmentpractitioners
• Semi-structuredinterviewswithIT/ISprofessionals(tenured&non-tenured)
Whatistheroleofenvironmentonculture?
• Secondaryresearchofacademicliterature• Semi-structuredInterview/Discussions
withHR/OrganizationalDevelopmentpractitioners
• Semi-structuredinterviewswithIT/ISprofessionals(tenured&non-tenured)
ExplorationoftheimpactofIT/ISSubcultureonadoptionofcloudingcomputing
Whatistheimpactofpreviouslyidentifiedsubculturecharacteristicsonadoptionofcloudcomputing?
• DiscussionswithITChangeManagementProfessionals
• Semi-structuredinterviewswithITManagementprofessionals,tenured&non-tenured
HowdoescultureofIT/ISteamaffectadoptionofcloudcomputing?
• DiscussionswithITChangeManagementProfessionals
• Semi-structuredinterviewswithITManagementprofessionals,tenured&non-tenured
Howdothevaluesofthesubcultureconstrainorassistintheadoptionofcloudcomputing?
• DiscussionswithITChangeManagementProfessionals
• Semi-structuredinterviewswithITManagementprofessionals,tenured&non-tenured
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 21
Figure1
Figure2
Phase1:Identificationof
TargetOrganizations
• Sourcingofcompanyliterature• Personalnetworks• LinkedInresearch• Validationofofthemeswithindustryexperts(s)• Searchofreleventindustryandacademicliterature
Phase2:ThemeIdentification&
Validation
• DiscussionswithHR/Org.Dev.onthemes• Sourcingofindustryarticlesregardingidentifiedthemes.
Phase2:InterviewPlanning
• StructurePlanning• Approachintervieweesandarrangemeeting
Phase3:Sourcenew
Interviewees
• Blog&ForumcreationsolicitingexperiencesfromITprofessionals.• Approachmadetoindividualsratherthanorganizations.
Phase4:Interviews
• Discussionofidentiedthemes• Explorationofthemesandexperiencesofinterviewees.
Phase5:Analysis
• Analysisofinterviewdatatoidentifysubculturalcharacteristics• Analysisofinterviewdatawiththemes
Phase6:Relatefindingstoliterature
• Criticalexplorationofthemesinliterature&interviews
Phase7:Collatefindings&submit
• 1stdraftproofreadbysupervisor• Finaldraftsubmission
HR/OrgDevelopmentInterviews
• Focusedonidentifyingwhyorganizationsmightfeelreluctancetodiscusssubculture.
• Validatedthemesofresearch.
• Directedresearcher toITChangeManagersasa'bridgingrole'betweenIT&therestofanorganization.
ITChangeManagerInterviews
•GaveoverviewofstructureofmanyorganizationsITfunctions.HighlightedthatITfrequentlyhavetheirownculturalvaluesthatdifferfromtherestofthebusiness.
• ITvs.TheBusinesscultureresultofdifferentfocus.• ITfrequentlyundermanagementofCFO/FD,¬ontheboard.ThisleadstoIThavingthefinanceculturalvalues'pushed'uponthem.Createsadversarialenvironment.
• SuggestedIfocusonindividualsnotorganizations.• SuggestedIlookatcontract&tenuredworkers.
ITManagementInterviews
• Selectedonwillingnesstotalkontheassumptionoftotalanonymity
• Allintervieweeshadaminimumof10yearsofexperience.
• Allintervieweeshadman-managementresponsibility.
• Cross-industryexperience•Havebeentenuredandnon-tenuredworkers.
Figure3
PERIODS05/10/2015 12/10/2015 19/10/2015 26/10/2015 02/11/2015 09/11/2015 16/11/2015 23/11/2015 30/11/2015 07/12/2015 14/12/2015 21/12/2015 28/12/2015 04/01/2016 11/01/2016 18/01/2016 25/01/2016
PLAN
ACTUAL
PLAN
ACTUAL
PLAN
ACTUAL
PLAN N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
ACTUAL
PLAN
ACTUAL
PLAN
ACTUAL
PLAN
ACTUAL
PLAN
ACTUAL
Phase7
Phase8
Interviews
Analysis
Relatefindingstoliterature
Collatefindings&submit
PLANTIME
ACTUALTIME
Phase5
Phase6
IdentificationofOrganizations
ThemeIdentification&Validation
InterviewPlanning
SourceNewInterviewees
Phase1
Phase2
Phase3
Phase4
4.2SecondaryResearchSecondaryresearchwasfocusedonreadingacademicliterature,readingtheITindustry
presssuchasComputerWeekly,TechCrunch,andGartner,alongwithdiscussionswithIT
ChangeManagementprofessionals.Thepurposeofthiswastodevelopinsightintowhat
shouldbeconsideredtobeculturallyrelevant,howorganizationsidentified&managed
culture,andtoexplorethelevelofrelevancethatculturehasontheadoptionofcloud
computing.Thebreadthofliteraturereviewedwasextensive,andcanbefoundinthe
bibliography.
4.3PrimaryResearchInitialplanningwasforamini-casestudyof5organizations,selectedfromcontactswithin
theresearchers’personalnetwork,aswellasthosecontactsthatcouldbeintroducedusing
theresearcherspersonalnetworkusingthesnowballsamplingmethod.
Acasestudyapproachwasfelttobemoreappropriateduetotheuseofthismethodby
previousresearchersinthefield,(SultanandvandeBunt-Kokhuis,2012,Jackson,2011)
beingtwoofthemostrecent.
Othermethods,suchasquestionnairesandfocusgroupswereconsidered,howeverwere
felttobeinappropriatetothetask.Questionnaireswerefeltbytheresearchertobetoo
limiting,andconstraininginthedatatheywouldprovide,andwouldbynaturerestrictthe
dataprovidedbytheinterviewees.Focusgroupswerenotfeasibleprimarilydueto
logisticalchallenges.
InitiallyinterviewsweresoughtwithtenuredITprofessionalswithinselectedorganizations,
atamanagementandtenuredworkerlevel.Althoughinitialresponseswerepositive,each
oftheorganizationselectedtowithdrawfromtheresearchcitingschedulingconflicts.An
alternativewasforworkerstocontributeviaonlineforum,howeverthisalsoproved
unsuccessful.Discussionswithpractitionersinthefieldledtoalternativeinterviewees
beingsought.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 24
4.3aCollectionMethodologySourcingofintervieweeswasasignificantchallenge.Initialattemptsfocusedonoutreachto
CIO’s,ITDirectors,&ITManagersintheresearcher’spersonalnetwork.Initially5candidate
organizationswereselected,withseniorITManagementagreeingtoparticipate.
Duetounforeseencircumstances,allintervieweescancelledwithinaweekofinterviews
commencing.Officiallythiswasduetotheneedsofthebusiness,however‘offtherecord’
conversationswithsomeoftheintervieweesrevealedthatthenatureoftheresearchwas
notsomethingthatseniormanagementwantedtoparticipatein.
Followingthis,analternativeplanwasconceivedutilizingsocialmediaandonlineforumsto
offerpotentialintervieweeswithaforumtodiscusstheissues.Despitepromotionviasocial
mediatools,thisprovedtobeunsuccessful.
Inordertogatherdata,theremitwasexpandedtoincludeUKbasedITcontractorswitha
minimumofsevenyears’experienceimplementingcloudcomputingtechnologyinUK
commercialorganizations.Thesewereidentifiedthroughconveniencesnowballsampling.
Intheendfourintervieweeswereidentified.
Toprovideexplanatoryandexploratoryinformation,semi-structureintervieweeswere
conductedoverthetelephone.
Theformatoftheinterviewswassemi-structured,withintervieweesnotifiedpriorofthe
themestobediscussedviaemail.Thisinterviewstructurewasselectedasitallowedthe
researchertorespondtoissuesthathadnotbeenanticipated,aswellastoevolvethe
natureofquestioningoverthecourseoftheinterviewstobuildonthedatafromeach
other.
4.3bDataAnalysisInanalyzingthedata,acodingapproachwasadoptedtoidentifythethemesdiscussedin
theresponsesofeachinterviewtothesamequestions.Asthiswasanexploratorypaper,
thethemesfocusedonwererelatingtotheresearchobjectives;theoriginofthesubculture,
&thecharacteristicsofsubculture.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 25
4.3cLimitations(Jackson,2011)statesthat“cultureisdifficulttostudy,partlybecauseitisnotaneasy
concepttodefine”.Thestrengthofthisstatementwashighlightedtotheresearcherwhen
itcametoconductingtheprimaryresearch.
Initiallyacombinationofacasestudyapproachaswellassemistructuredinterviewswere
tobeused,withtenuredstafffromanumberoflevelswithanorganizationsITfunction
beinginterviewed.Thecasestudyapproachwasconsideredmostbeneficialasitwould
allowtheresearchertodevelopanin-depthunderstandingofthedominant,&espoused
organizationalcultures,aswellasexplorethepresenceofsubcultureswithinthe
organizations.Unfortunately,eventsconspiredtopreventthisapproachfrombeing
enacted.
Followingthewithdrawalfromtheresearchofthetenuredinterviewees,thealternative
wastointerviewcontractors,whobytheirnatureareoutsideanorganizationsculture.
Furthermore,asnon-tenuredworkers,contractorsdonothavethevestedinterestsheldby
tenuredworkers,itwashypothesizedthattheymaybeabletoofferinsightsinamoreopen
manner.However,oneofthelimitationsisthattheymaynotalwaysbewithinan
organizationforsufficienttimetodevelopanunderstandingoftheorganizationscultural
dynamic.
Afurtherlimitationisthesmallsamplesize.Inanideaworldalargersamplewouldhave
beenused,howeverwiththeresearcherhavinglimitedtimeandresources,andhaving
attemptedtogatherdatathroughamultitudeofmethods,theresearcherhadtoworkwith
whatwasavailable.
Inanidealscenario,acasestudyapproachwouldhavebeenusedallowinginterviewsto
takeplaceacrossanorganizationsworkforce,atalllevelsoftheorganization,withatleast5
organizationstakingpart.Thiswouldprovidemoreinsightfuldatawithregardstothe
presenceofsubcultures,aswellasmoredatathatmayhelpidentifythesourceof
subculturesandtheirimpactovertime.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 26
4.3dEthicalConsiderationsDuetothesensitivityofthethemesdiscussed,alloftheintervieweeshaveaskedthatthey
beanonymized.Furthermore,theyhavealsoaskedthatthenamesoftheorganizations
theyhaveworkedforberedacted,alongwithanyotherpersonallyidentifiableinformation.
4.4Validity&ReliabilityThedataproducedfromtheinterviewsiscomprisedofkeystatementsmadebythe
interviewees.Alloftheintervieweeswereaskedthesamethreequestions,toensure
consistencyacrossallinterviews.Asalloftheintervieweeswereofasimilarexperienceand
managementlevel,withexperienceoftenuredandnon-tenuredITrolesinUKbusinesses,
thedataisvalidforthepurposesofthispaper.Shouldthesameresearchbeconducted
withtheinterviewees,similardatawouldbegatheredatthetimeoftheinterviews.
However,asacultureandperceptionchangesovertimethiswouldchangeinduecourse.
Thereliabilityofthedatamaybequestionedduetothelackofrecordingoftheinterviews
themselves,aswellasthelackofasecondaryobserver.Furthermore,eachofthe
intervieweeswasknowntotheresearcher,whichmayhaveledthemtodiscusselements
thatperhapswouldnotbediscussedwithothers.
5. FindingsWiththeinterviewsbeingsemi-structuredinnature,thequestionsaskedwerebroadin
nature,withtheintervieweesthenbeingallowedtobroadlydictatethedirectionofthe
interview.Theroleoftheinterviewerwasprimarilytoprobe&clarifywithinthe
boundariesidentified.
Thecodingchartusedtoidentifythekeythemesisfoundwithintheappendix.
Therewereanumberofthemesthatwereprevalentacrossalloftheinterviews,particularly
focusedonhowITculturehasevolvedoverthecourseoftheintervieweescareers.The
mainpointswere:
• FearisastrongelementinmanyITsubcultures.
• ITculturehasundergone,andcontinuingtoundergosignificantchange.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 27
• OriginofITsubculturearearesultoforganizationalculturalchanges.
Throughthecourseofdiscussionswiththeinterviewees,acommonthemewasthatin
manyorganizationsIThasalwayshadaseparatesubculture,differenttoanyotherpartsof
anorganization.ItwastheviewoftheintervieweesthathistoricallyITwasregardedin
manyorganizationsas’Important,they’rethewizardsinthebasement’andaslongastheIT
systemsofanorganizationfunctionedwhentheyweresupposedto,theywerealmost
beyondreproach.ITprofessionalsweren’theldtothesamestandardsofbusinesspractice
asperhapsotherdepartments,suchassales,marketing,andfinance.Productivity
optimization,RoI,TCO,&customerservice,wereconceptsthatwerenotheldasrelevantto
theITdepartment.SolongastheITsystemsworked,andprovidedtherestofthe
organizationwithwhattheyneeded.Budgetsweregenerous,withITfrequentlyableto
accessresourcestoimproveinfrastructurewiththevaguestofbusinesscases.IT
departmentsweredescribedbyallintervieweesasbeinghomogeneous&collaborativein
nature,witheachpersonpitchinginwheretheycould,bringingtheirskillstobearwhere
required,andlearningnewonesastheywent.
ITworkersweregenerallytenuredprofessionalslikemostotherfunctions,andwere
focusedonprovidingthebestITsystemstheycould.Asoneinterviewerexpressed“there
wasasenseofmagic,andwewerediscoveringnewwaysofdoingthingsallthetime”.The
subcultureoftheITteamwascharacterizedbyanembracingofchange.Newtechnologies
wereemergingfrequently,andITworkerswereusedtolearningandadaptingasthe
opportunitypresenteditself.Theneedsoftheorganizationwereparamount,theSysAdmin
thatworkedallnighttorestorepayrolldatathedaybeforeemployeeschequesweresent
outwasa‘wizard’ofthehighestorder,andaherotohiscolleagues.
Whiletheintervieweesmayhavebeenreminiscingwith‘rosetintedglasses’,thepointthey
wereseekingtomakeisclear.TheInformationTechnology/InformationSystems(IT/IS)
workersinorganizationshaveahistoryofformingasubculturewithintheirparent
organizations.ITworkerswereinfluential,andheldinawebytherestoftheorganization.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 28
Itiswiththispointofreferencethatdiscussionswiththeintervieweeshighlighteda
significantchangeinthissubcultureinmorerecentyears,awayfromwhatwasintheirview
ahighlycollaborative,technocratic,innovativeandforwardthinkingsubculture.
Anumberofcommentsweremadeduringtheinterviewsthathighlightthechangeinhow
IT/ISdepartmentsareviewedinorganizationstodaywhencomparedtothesubcultureofIT
functionsinthepast.
‘We’rejustacost-center,wedon’tdriverevenueandsohavetojustifyourexistencebecause
there’stheimpliedthreatwe’llbeoutsourced,offshored,ormaderedundant.”Another
comment‘IThasbecomeverycustomerservicefocused.Icanteachthetechnicalbit,people
skillsarethemostimportant’,andfinally“we’rejustanothercoginthemachine”.
AllthesealludetothedeathofITsubculture,yetIT&Businessleadersstilltalkabouta
culturaldisconnectbetweenIT&therestofanorganization,withITleadersstillgettingto
gripswithhowtoevenspeakthesamelanguageasthebusiness
(http://www.computerworlduk.com/it-leadership/tips-for-speaking-like-business-strategist-
3501211/).WhichleadsonetoquestionwhetherITsubculturehasreallydiedasthe
intervieweesallude,ornot.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 29
6. DiscussionThepurposeofthispaperwastoexplorethesourcesofsubcultureswithinanorganizations
ITfunction,andtheimpactthesesubcultureshaveontheabilityofanorganizationtoadopt
newtechnologies,specificallycloudcomputing.
6.1CharacteristicsofITSubcultureExplorationofwhatconstitutesasubcultureisnecessarybeforeexploringthesource.
(Clarke,1974)definedsubculturesthroughacombinationoffactorsalreadyexplained
earlierinthisdocument.Hisdefinitionofasubculturewasthatofa“distinctsegmentofa
culturalgrouping,thatmaysharesomeofthevaluesofthedominantculture,butalso
evidenceitsown(competing&complimentary)”.
Acommonthemetoinalloftheinterviewswasthatbusinessvalues,andbehaviorshad
beenforceduponITdepartments.Inthelast10yearstheimplementationofITSM
practiceshaveintroducedprocessesakintothosefoundinotherfunctionsofan
organization.TCO&RoIoncetheconcernoffinanceprofessionalsarenowconsiderations
foranyIT/ISproject.Customerservice,oncethefocusofsalesdepartmentshasbecome
thefocusformanyITsupportteams.
Commentsmadebyintervieweesalludetothesebehaviors&valuesbeingpushedontoIT
departments.ITsupportworkersarenow‘customerfocused’,andarerequiredtohavea
“callcentermentality”.ThishasinturnaffectedwhatskillsarefelttobeofvaluetoanIT
function.Whereasinthepasta‘technocraticmeritocracy’iswhatisrecalledbyatleastone
interviewee,thefocuson‘softskills’hasledtoachangeinthetypeofworkerthatinhabits
thisneworganization.Technicalknowledgeisnolongerasvalued,asonemanager
explained“technicalskillscanbetaught,customerserviceandpeopleskillsarewhatIhire
for”.Thisculturalshiftinemphasisfromtechnicaltosoftskillsisrepresentativeofhowthe
culturalvaluesofbusinesshavecometodominateITdepartmentsintheexperienceofthe
interviewees.Sodoesthismeanthatthetechnocracycultureofoldhasbeenneutered?
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 30
Quitethecontraryisarguedbysome.Acharacteristicofasuccessfulorganizationcanbe
saidtobethatithasfoundawaytobuildbridgesbetweensubcultures,toweavetheminto
theorganizationasawhole.(Peters,2004)
Whilemanyorganizationshaveassertedtheculturaldominanceoftheorganizationover
theITsubculture,discussionswiththeintervieweesalludetoITculturestillbeingdistinct,
havingnotbeenkilled,butmerelyadapted.Whenyouconsiderthatthesubculture
describedbytheintervieweesatearlierstagesoftheircareerwasconsideredtobemore
adaptablethanthatofthelargerorganization,alongwiththeviewofPetersthatsuccessful
organizationsbringsubculturestogetheritisfeasiblethatthesubcultureofITteamstoday
incorporatestheculturalvaluesofthebusinessandtheoldtechnocracy.
AlloftheintervieweesagreedthatthereisanITsubcultureinmostorganizationstoday,but
differsfromthesubcultureexperiencedwhentheybegantheircareers.
ITsubcultureshaveintheintervieweesmindcometosharemanyofthevaluesofother
businessfunctions,suchascostefficiency,processmanagement,customerservice,task
specialization,andcontrol.Inthewordsofoneinterviewee“costcutting&opsefficiency
arethefocus,alongwithcontrol”.SowithITculturenowseemingtoincorporatethevalues
ofthelargerorganizationthefocusneedstobeonthosebehaviorswhichmayidentify
thosevaluesthataredivergentfromthewhatisviewedasthedominantcultureof
businessesbytheinterviewees.
Oneofthemostvisiblecharacteristicsaccordingtooneintervieweeisthechangeinhow
knowledgeissharedinmanyITdepartments.Whiletheabsorptionofproductivityvalues
hasledtoskillspecialization(alongwiththerapidexpansionoftechnologies),ITteamshave
becomeprotectiveaboutsharingtheirknowledgeoutsidetheirimmediateteam.This
‘guardingofknowledge’behaviorismostvisibleinthehierarchywithinmanyIT
departments,withtheservicedeskatthebottom,andtheotherteamsaboveaccordingto
theleveloftechnicalknowledgetheyareperceivedtohave.Astheintervieweephrasedit,
“DesktopsupportlookuptoServersupport”.Thisisfurtherreinforcedbythecommentsof
anotherinterviewee,that“Servicedesktendtohavelotsofenthusiasmbutknownothing”.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 31
Thishierarchybetweenteamshasfurtherexasperatedwhatoneintervieweecalledthe
‘siloing’ofknowledge,andleadstoanimositybetweenteams.Astheworkersineachteam
don’tsharetheirknowledge,eachteamspeaksitsownlanguageandhasitsownsetof
assumptionsaboutwhattheotherteamsdo.
Whiletheculturesattitudetowardsthesharingofknowledgechanged,thevalueplacedon
technicalknowledgeremainshigh.Oneintervieweeexpandedonthisbycommentingthat
whiletechnicalknowledgeisvalued,andcanearntherespectofothersintheITteam,often
themoreknowledgeablemembersoftheteamcanbearrogant,andpossessiveoverthat
knowledge.
AnothercharacteristicofITsubcultureistheapparentchangeinthetermsofemployment
formanyworkers.Alloftheintervieweescommentedontheshiftfromtenuredtonon-
tenuredworkersinmanyorganizationsintheirexperience,andtheeffectthatthishashad
ontheculturewithinITdepartmentstheyhaveworkedin.(Jackson,2011)alludedtoa
differenceinthevaluesandattitudesbetweentenuredandnon-tenuredworkers,with
tenuredworkers’aptitudeandmotivationdecreasingovertimewhencomparedtonon-
tenuredworkers.Whenthispointwasraisedwiththeinterviewees,therewasbroad
agreementthattenuredstafftendedtobemoreresistanttochange.Oneinterviewee
statedthatsometimestenuredworkersseektomakethemselvesindispensabletothe
organizationbynotsharingtheirknowledge,soprotectingthemselvesintheirviewfrom
redundancy&othercostcuttingmeasures.Itwasagreedbythemajorityofthe
intervieweesthatnon-tenuredworkershoweverwerebetterabletoadapt,andinfactwere
ofteninstrumentalinthedeploymentofnewtechnologies.Theywerehappytosharetheir
knowledgeinmostinstances,andsoughttoleadtechnologicalimprovement.
OneofthekeycharacteristicsofITculturetodayintheviewoftheintervieweesistheIT
teamsfocusonserviceprovisiontothewiderorganization.Intheexperienceofthe
intervieweesoneofthekeyvaluesofcurrentITsubcultureisinthevalueof‘customer
service’.ThevaluepermeatessodeeplyinsomeorganizationsthatITdepartmentsare
fearfulofsayingnotothebusiness.AstheparentorganizationdemandsmoreoftheIT
function,theITteamsarefearfulofsayingnoduetowhatoneoftheintervieweesreferred
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 32
toastheimplied‘threatofredundancy,offshoring,oroutsourcing’ifthebusinessdoesn’t
getwhatitwants.IntheviewofoneintervieweethisleadstoITteamsagreeingtodeliver
whatisimpossibletodoso.
Fearappearstobeacharacteristicthatwasfrequentlyraisedbytheinterviewees.ITteams
havedevelopedafearoffailureasthereisabeliefthatthismayleadtotheirbeing
outsourced/offshored/redundancy.There’safearofsharingknowledge,asthiscanlead
makingindividuals,andeventeamsbeingreplaced.There’safearofchange,asthisalso
canleadtothesameaforementionedactions.Inthewordsofoneinterviewee“ITteams
havebecomeriskaverse”.
Fromthediscussionswiththeintervieweesitisclearthattheviewpresentedby(Clarke,
1974)hassomevalidity.Thevaluesoftheparentorganization(s)ofeachofthe
intervieweeshavebecomepartoftheITsubculture,therearesomevalueswhichdiffer.In
theinstancesdiscussedwiththeinterviewees,thedifferencesfrommanyorganizations
appeartobe:
• Knowledgeoftechnologyisheldinhighregard.
• Risksaresomethingtobeavoided.
• Knowledgeistobeguarded.
• Fearisasignificantelementoftheculture;fearof
outsourcing/offshoring/redundancy.
6.2SourcesofSubcultureIdentifyingthesourceofasubcultureprovidesanopportunitytomoldit.Iforganizations
canunderstandwhereasubculturecomesfrom,theycantakeactiontomanageitbetter,
oreventoabsorbthesubculturesvaluesintothedominantorganizationalculture.
Identifyingthesourceofasubculturepresentsachallengeinthisresearchduetothe
singularaccesstoorganizations,thebiasoftheinterviewees,aswellastheshorttime
frameoverwhichthisresearchwascarriedout.
Accordingto(Jackson,2011)thegreatestinfluenceonorganizationalcultureisthebusiness
environmentinwhichtheorganizationoperates.Ifthelogicbehindthisviewweretobe
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 33
extrapolated,intheviewofthisresearcheritwouldbefairtoconcludethatasubculture’s
greatestinfluenceisthedominantcultureitisderivedfrom.Intheinstanceofthisresearch
thegreatestinfluenceonITsubculturewithinanorganizationisthevalues&cultural
dynamicoftheparentorganization.Commentsmadebytheintervieweesappearto
reinforcethisview.Allintervieweesmadecommentsalludingtothefocusonthevaluesof
cost-effectiveness,&operationalefficiencybeingasignificantinfluenceonITculture,along
withthesometimeshighproportionofnon-tenuredworkerswithinmanyITdepartments.
ThesefactorsareexternaltotheITdepartment,butappeartohaveaprofoundimpacton
theculturewithinthisoftenimportantfunctionofanorganization.Fromtheinterviewsit
wouldbereasonabletointerpretfromthecommentsthattheITsubculturehasthe
characteristicsitdoesasaresultoftheenvironmentinwhichitoperates,namelythelarger
organization.Non-tenuredworkersareoftencharacterizedasbeingmercenary,theirfocus
beingonthetaskathand,anddon’thaveavestedinterestintheorganizationtheyare
workingwithin.Asaresult,theymaybepartlyresponsibleforthedifferencesinculture,
andmorethanoneintervieweealludedtothis.
Greaterdepthmustbesought,fortheenvironmentmayindeedbethemoresignificant
influence,butthevaluesandattitudesofanyorganizationareembodiedinits’sleaders.
(Schein,2006,Deal,2000)makesitclearthatinhisviewleadersaretheresponsiblefor
creatingaculture,astheyaretheonesthatrewardcertainbehaviors,andpunishothers.If
ITsubcultureispossessedoftheaforementionedcharacteristics,thensurelytheleadersare
partlyresponsible?Theyhaverewardedself-protectionistbehaviorthathasledtothenon-
diffusionofknowledgeacrossteamdisciplines.Thosesameleadershaveallowedthe
organizationalfocusonefficiencyandservicetocreateacultureoffearintheir
organizations.Themotivationforallowingsuchaculturetocometopassisbeyondthe
scopeofthispaper,butitcertainlyappearstobecountertothepurposeofthosevaluesin
mostorganizations.
Baseduponthedatagainedfromtheinterviews,itisclearthatfearhasbeenthesingle
greatestinfluenceonthesubcultureofITdepartmentsintheirexperience.Fearofbeing
unemployedthroughavarietyofways,appearstohavemadeITdepartmentsinwardfacing,
seekingtomaintainthestatusquo,resistingchange.Oneinterviewmadeacommentthat
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 34
perhapsisinsightfulintohowleadershaveshapedthisculture“therearemanyinITthat
havebeenherealongtime,andcan’tkeepup.Theyneedtogodosomethingelse”.
PerhapsITleadershavethemselvesfueledworkersfearoffailure,socreatingabarrierto
change.
6.3ImpactofSubcultureontheadoptionofcloudcomputing?Understandinghowtheenvironmentandtoalesserdegreeitsleadersinfluencesa
subcultureisvaluableinunderstandingwhatimpactitmayhaveonanorganizationasa
whole.OneareathatITdepartmentscouldberegardedasbeingattheheartofisinan
organizationswillingnessandabilitytoadoptcloudcomputing.
Cloudcomputingisregardediscurrentlyoneofthe‘hottechnologies’formany
organizations,asalreadystatedatthebeginningofthispaper.Fororganizationstoutilize
thistechnology,itisrequiredforknowledgefrommultipletechnicaldisciplinesto
collaboratetogetherwithaclearvisionofwhatbenefitthetechnologywillbringtothe
organization,andtotheITdepartment.Aswithanynewtechnology,acertainelementof
riskisinvolved.Likeallnewtechnologies,oncetheriskisunderstoodthenitcanbe
mitigatedandmanaged.
IndeterminingtheeffectofITsubcultureonanorganizationsabilitytoadoptthenew
technology,considerationoughttobegiventotheviewsof(Yazici,2009)whopositedthat
culturehasasignificantinfluenceonprojectperformanceandthelongtermsuccessofany
organization.Theindividualsinterviewedalludedtothefactthatintheiropinionthe
subcultureofITdepartmentshadasignificanteffect.Intheopinionofanumberofthe
attendeesthereasonforprojectfailurewasoftenthecultureoftheITdepartment.Thisis
inlinewiththefindingsofanotherresearcher,(SultanandvandeBunt-Kokhuis,2012)who
statedthatculturecanbeagreatenablerforanorganization,butcanalsocreatecultural
inertia.
Inanenvironmentsuchasthatwhichhasbeendescribedbytheinterviewees,thelackof
cross-disciplinecommunication,&knowledgesharingwouldprovetobeasignificant
challengetoanorganizationseekingtoadoptcloudcomputing.ForanITdepartmentthat
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 35
hasthesubculturedescribed,theverynatureofcloudcomputingtechnologywouldbea
perceivedasathreattotheworker’stenure.Cloudcomputingisbydefinitionelastic,
allowingorganizationstoexpandandcontracttheirITinfrastructureatwill,astheneedsof
theorganizationchange.
Inasubculturethatisalreadyfearfulduetothepushingofwiderorganizationalcultural
valuesofprocessandcostefficiency,thefearofchangeisdeeplyembedded.FormanyIT
workers,changemeansredundancyandunemployment.Knowledgeofexistingsystemsis
perceivedasoneofthefewmethodsfortheseworkerstopreservetheirtenure.Theycan’t
preventorganizationsfromadoptingcloudcomputing,buttheyslowitdown.Toborrowa
quotefrom(SultanandvandeBunt-Kokhuis,2012)“turkeysdon’tvoteforChristmas”.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 36
7. ConclusionTheresearchobjectivesareoutlinedbelow,aswellashighlightinghowthisresearchas
soughttomeetthem.
Objective1:Interviewdataappearstohighlightthatfearisadominantcharacteristicinthe
experienceoftheinterviewees.Self-protectionistbehavioralsoappearstobethenew
normal,withmanyindividualworkersseekingtorefrainfromknowledgesharing.The
intervieweesalsoalludedthatIThasbecomemorehierarchical.
Objective2:ThedataleadstheresearchertoconcludethatthesourceofthecurrentIT
subcultureisexternaltotheITfunction,andtosomeextenttotheorganizationasawhole.
Objective3:ThecultureoffearinmanyITfunctionsleadstoalackofcollaborationacross
disciplines,andknowledgesharing.Additionally,ITarebeingpushedtobecomeaservice
provisionaryratherthanprovider,whichhasledtoresistancetothischange.
7.1LimitationsoftheResearchAlimitationofthispaperisthesmallsamplesize,andthefactthatallintervieweeswere
themselvesITmanagementprofessionals.Unexpectedissuesaroseinthesourcingof
suitableinterviewcandidates,asalmostallwerereluctanttogo‘ontherecord’withtheir
commentsduetoconcernsofhowitmayaffecttheiremployment.Theobjectivesofthe
researchcouldbeviewedasbeingbroad,yetwhenconsideredinlightofthelackofother
researchintoorganizationalsubcultures,andthelackofdataavailableinthisfielditserves
asastartingpointforfurtherresearch.
7.2ImplicationsoftheresearchformanagersFromtheaccountsoftheinterviewees,ITworkersarescared,fearfulofsharingtoomuch
informationwithoneanotherlesttheotherpersongainssufficientknowledgethatthey’re
nolongerrequired.Furthermore,ITsupportteamswithinthesedepartmentsappearto
havebeenreducedtocustomerservicerepresentatives,requiredtokeepthecustomer
happyandgivethemwhattheywant,nomatterhowdubiousthedemand.Inthemidstof
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 37
thisITdepartmentsareconsistentlybeingrequiredtojustifythemselves,bydemonstrating
theircost-effectiveness,processefficiencyandincreasedproductivity.
IfITdepartmentsaretrulyasfearfulasthedatasuggests,seniormanagersneedtoconsider
thewayforward.ITculturehaschangedfromafocalpointfordynamicinnovation,and
improvementtoanorganization,tobeingfearfulofthenextchange,thenextbudgetcut,
thenextrestructuring.ITworkerslovetechnology,butratherthanembracingchangeand
seekingtoinnovateabusinesswithtechnologyareinsteadhoardingtheirknowledge.
Oneapproachmightbetoestablishhowtheorganizationvaluesareimpartedtodifferent
functionsacrossabusiness,notjustIT.AnothermightbetoconsiderwhatvaluetheIT
functionwouldprovidetotheorganization,andthenassessifthecultureofthe
organization,theleaders,andtheexistingworkersisinalignment.
7.3ImplicationsforscholarsandfutureresearchThispapervalidatespreviousworkthatsubculturesdoexistinorganizations.More
importantlytheresearchshedssomelightonwheresubculturesoriginate,andthe
implicationstheyhaveforanorganization.Researchintothisfieldneedstocontinue,as
thereisashortageofcasestudiesandotherresearchspecificallyonsubculturewithin
organizations.Muchoftheresearchintoorganizationalculturetakesanintegrationist
perspective,ignoringthepresenceofsubculturesbutoverthecourseofthisstudyaclear
subculturehasbeenidentified.
Thepromotionofnon-ITvaluesintoITfunctionshasclearlyhadaneffectonthefunctionin
someorganizations,andfurtherresearchiswarrantedintounderstandingwheretheother
valuesoriginate.TheintervieweesmentionedthatfrequentlytheITfunctionisnot
representedatboardlevel,andisoftensubservienttotheCFO/FDpositionholder.
Certainlythevaluesofcostefficiency,andprocessefficiencyseemtobeperceivedbysome
tooriginatewithinthefinancefunctionofmanyorganizations.Furtherresearchintothe
sourceoforganizationalcultureiscertainlymerited,aswellashowthatculturediffuses
withintheorganization.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 38
7.4ReflectiononlearningThisstudyhasprovidedmewithaninsightintohowcultureaffectsanorganization,aswell
asthepowerofcultureininfluencinganorganizationssuccessorfailure.Ibeganthis
researchinitiallywithaviewtoidentifyingthe‘perfectculture’thatwouldallowevery
organizationtosuccessfullyadoptcloudcomputing,oranyothertechnology.InthisIwasa
consummatefailure.Cultureisn’tsomethingthatcanbecreated,managed,orbuilt.Itis
somethingthatanorganizationhas,asaresultofthepeoplethatmakeuptheorganization
andthesocio-economicenvironmentinwhichitoperates.
Anorganizationscultureisanamalgamationofthevalues,beliefsandassumptionsofevery
memberofthatorganization,ateverylevelofmanagement.Understandingculture
providesaninsightintounderstandinghowalloftheseinterconnect,overlap,andconflict.
Itprovidesleadersandmanagerswithafocusforcreatingrelationships,andunderstanding
people.It’spartofeverythingacompanydoes,andmayevenbewhyitdoesthingsa
certainway.It’snotsomethingthatcanbemandated,ormanaged.It’spartofthefirm,
andisfromallofthepeoplewithinit.
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 39
Appendix1DatacodingInterviewee Statement Theme
C
Drivingcharacteristicisa‘cost-centre’’theydon’tdriverevenue.Createsacultureof‘justification’. Values
Focusonprovingtheirreasonforexistence. FearITManagement–Directivetovalidateactivity(scientificmanagementfocus) Fear
Toolsfocused,tickedsystems;wanttoproveefficiency. FearITmustsupportitself,workforcemusthavetoolsitneedstowork Values
Reversalto10yearsago=ITregardedasimportant"wizardsinthebasement",don'tcareaboutwhatitcosts. Values
ITnowregardedas'necessaryevil' FearAsusershavebecomemoretechknowledgable,'awe'ofIThasdisappeared Fear
Dev'srequiredtoproduce'something'alwayshaveexcusesfornot. Fear
QA'swillbehungouttodryif'polishedproduct'notshipped Fear
Supportpersonnelona'timer'fortheiractivity. FearDev'saremostclannishvs.others,tendtobeintroverts. ValuesQA'stendtobemorediversepersonalities,notnecessarilycollaborative. Values
QA'stendtobe'nutsandbolts'engineers,mindetofanM&Eengineer.
ValuesSupport-'ForgottenChildren';mostabusedofITstaff.Alwaysthreatenedbybusinesswithoffshoring/outsourcing=cultureoffear. FearIncompanieswhere'ITistheirbusiness'thereisno'drivingadoption',it'smandatedbymanagement.Notneededbecauseusersaretechcomfortable. ValuesDevteamshatechange;pushbackastheyoftenfeelthreatened,andcomplains. FearQA'stendtobeapathetic. Supportpeopletendtobescaredtocomplain,especiallyinnon-techcompanies. FearMakesthemveryriskaverse. FearEnvironmentcreatestheleader;theleadercreatestheculture. Origin
InmostorganizationswhereITisn'tthebusiness,ITisblamedforfailuresinthebusiness,butnotrecognisedforbenefits.
Fear
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 40
Wherethereisanegativeperceptionofsupportfunctionsingeneral,includesIT.BecauseofnegativeperceptionITconstantlyfocusedon'hyper-justifyingthemselves'. FearImpactonnewtechadoptionisthatprojectsoftenfail. FearProjectsaren'tperceivedsuccessful,merely'concluded'. Fear
M1
ITlovesnewtechnologyandgadgets;fearlessofchange. ValuesNotinterestedinnewapplicationswhichtheydon'tseethelongtermbenefitfrom. ValuesITareforwardthinking,heldbackbybudgetconstraints. ValuesProjectdriven ValuesLongtermtenuredstaddaremoreresistanttonewtechnologies,juniorstaffaremorefocussedonimprovements. FearITcultureisvery'customerservice'focused. ValuesTechskillscanbetaught,softskillsmostimportant.There'sacallcentrementality. ValuesCulturecomesfromthecompany,nottheteam.Inlargercompaniesyou'reacoginthemachine. OriginHighvolumeofcontractorsleadstoimprovredchangeadoption. ValuesFeartosaynotobusiness. FearITagreeingtodoimpossible. FearIToftenignored. FearTechknow-howisvaluedinIT,butbreedsarrogance. ValuesFearoffailure;failuretodeliverleadstocostcutting/offshoring/outsourcing. FearIThasbecometheunifyingforcein'group'companies.Highlycollaborativewithotherelementsofthefirm. OriginITculturecomesfromleaders,behaviorofleadershasarippleeffect. OriginLeardersareveryinstrumentaltoteamculture. OriginFearoffailurecomesfromthe'business'. Values
X
Culturehaschangedfrom'giftedamateurs'toServiceDelivery;costcutting&opsefficiencyarefocusofculture&control. ValuesBusinesspracticesarestronglyembedded. Values
ITisviewedasthe'fix-it'guys,likeplumbersandelectricians.Values
Cultureofbeingalwaysavailable;keepthingsworking. Fear3rdlineteamabletodowhattheywant;they'reveryresistanttochange. FearDesktopsupportlookuptoserversupport. ValuesITisturningintoamoreServiceDeliveryapproach. ValuesSomeanimositybetweenteams;elitismofsomeskillsetsvsothers. Fear
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 41
HierarchybetweenITteamswithinITfunction;alongwithsiloingofknowledge. FearCultureofteamsisdictatedbyorganizationalculture;divisionbytechnology. ValuesWhereresourcesarescare,teamsdevelopadversarialculturetowardsotherteams. FearFearofredundancycreatesanimosity;cultureis'self-protectionism';oftenbycontrollingknowledgeshare. FearPeopletrytomakethemselvesindispensabletopreventthemselvesbeingmaderedundant. FearITILprincipleshavebeenextendedfromhardwaretopeople/skillsinITfunction. ValuesCustomerserviceisnowthebiggestvaluefocus.Softskillsbehaviorvaluedmorethantechskills.Techskillscanbetaught. ValuesLeadershipisgenerallyhierarchicial.Valuesaredemonstratedbyleaders,buttheycomefromtheteam. IToftenviewedaspartofthe'GreatUnwashed'.
M2
ITwasverycollaborative,nowadaysspecialismofknowledgepreventscollaboration ValuesDesiretominimisetenuredworkers&relyontransientworkersleadstopoorteammeshing,andalackofknowledgeretention. FearCross-disciplineassumptionsforeachdisciplinewithoutabilitytotocommunicateassumptionsduetolackoflanguageofothers. ValuesITareveryresistanttochange,inparticularroles. FearFousonserviceisagoodthing;knowledgetransferisagoodthing,butdoesn'thappen. ValuesITfocusonspecialization&costefficiencyisresultoffocusonbusinesspushingandshifttocostcentrementality. ValuesSelf-protectionismleadstohightranscienceofstaffastechnologymakespeopleredundant. FearCIO/CEOdon'tarticulatetoITtheBusinessStrategy,thisleadstoreactiveITbehavior. FearCulturecan'tbeimposedinashorttime(undertenyears)byleaders. ValuesBestteams&culturesarethosewithbestcommunication&leadership,Understandhowtheybenefittheorganizationasawhole. Values
Overlystrong,andcohesiveteamscanbeabarriertochange.Values
StevenCharlton(w1535566) ITSubculture&CloudAdoption 42
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