Generic management challenges of adopting IT-shared services

This study empirically explores generic management challenges in the early phase of adopting IT-shared services, which are organizational independent units for delivering organization-wide IT services. Data has been collected by the means of twenty case studies, conducted between 2002 and 2010. Seven themes are general, reoccurring management challenges for the whole organization that includes business units as well as IT units. The challenges are as follows: (i) ability to deliver IT services, (ii) communication, (iii) IT service portfolios, (iv) nature of IT services, (v) power and control, (vi) pricing, and (vii) service level agreements. Better understanding these challenges is essential for further research on how to manage the transition towards shared-services arrangements. This study, therefore, is an elementary step in this complex endeavor, providing valuable insights into which management challenges need consideration.