Information Technology Operating Model for Digital Transformation

Diplôme Thèse Information Technology Operating Model for Digital Transformation eng 2026-05-15 2026-06-03 author Suleman Muhammad 919045 director Ralyte Jolita 134106 Centre universitaire d'informatique (CUINF) 197 10.13097/archive-ouverte/unige:193830 urn:nbn:ch:unige-1938309 SdS 309 Digital transformation (DT) has emerged as one of the most critical strategic imperatives for pre-digital firms. It is defined as a fundamental reconfiguration of business processes, models, and operations through the adoption of digital technologies under effective digital leadership (Iden & Bygstad, 2024; Westerman et al., 2014). DT challenges long-established organizational structures and demands holistic change. Pre-digital firms, incumbents across different industries, born with traditional business models and legacy IT systems, face particularly complex transitions, as transformation requires not only new technologies but also rethinking the role and configuration of the Information Technology (IT) function. Central to this challenge lies the IT Operating Model (ITOM), conceptualized in this dissertation as an interdependent system of social and technical components—ranging from people, governance, and culture to processes, data, and technology—that collectively execute IT/digital strategy and deliver value (Ross et al., 2020). Despite its growing recognition in practitioner-oriented literature, academic research on ITOM organization and renewal remains fragmented and underdeveloped. Specifically, limited knowledge exists about how ITOM is conceptualized, how it unfold in practice, what differentiates successful from unsuccessful renewal efforts, and how leadership influences outcomes. This dissertation seeks to address these gaps through the overarching research question: How do firms organize and renew their IT operating model for digital transformation? The dissertation comprises four complementary published articles: (i) a systematic literature review that synthesizes fragmented conceptualizations of ITOM across academic and practitioner domains; (ii) a single-case study of ITOM building in a pre-digital firm; (iii) a multiple-case study examining renewal challenges and organizational learning; and (iv) an in-depth study of the role of digital leadership in shaping ITOM renewal trajectories. Collectively, these studies adopt a qualitative, deductive-inductive research design. Data were collected primarily through semi-structured interviews in five firms across the oil & gas and chemical industries and analyzed using thematic coding. The findings reveal several key insights. First, ITOM is organized around thirteen interdependent components grouped into five domains, whose interactions define how IT function is governed, aligned with business priorities, and positioned to enable DT. Organization involves moving from siloed, function-oriented arrangements toward product-, customer-, and value-centric models that are tightly integrated with business strategy. Enterprise architecture and cloud-enabled modularity provide the backbone for orchestrating change, while governance shifts from rigid hierarchies toward capability-centric models that emphasize cross-functional roles and collaboration. Thèse en cotutelle avec l'Université de Tampere (Finlande) IT Operating Model IT Transformation Digital Transformation Organizing Model Product and Platform centric model IT Management model Target Operating Model Digital Strategy Implementation Dewey 300 Dewey 025.06/650 10 Faculté des sciences de la société T 118 Information Science Institute S6 false 3f4688b0-14a7-47ba-97c3-52722a54fc3d Thesis Public PhD_Dissertation_n309_-_Information.pdf 10318482 application/pdf 80020704c4745e650237683b9ab3778cf9152c9be49f891b53023ba2e430c2fe 2c6174bf-8868-4689-bc09-f3b3169f2bab Imprimatur Public SULEMAN_Muhammad_SI.pdf 152907 application/pdf d25c3157223a8496f5213935e6ceabae2c930d6d0214b45cc6419aa79f909abc openAccess Faculté des sciences de la société Faculté d'économie et de management / Information Science Institute

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Suleman, Muhammad

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