Abstract:

Motivation:

In the context of the IT productivity paradox, where IT investments alone do not automatically lead to increased organizational performance, this study examines how formal IT governance and the institutionalized use of economic metrics for IT evaluation are jointly related to the organizational outcomes of technological innovations in companies operating in Slovakia.

Research gap:

Existing literature confirms the importance of IT governance and the systematic evaluation of IT investments; however, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding whether the relationship between IT governance and organizational outcomes is direct or mediated by systematic economic evaluation. This mediating mechanism, consistent with the resource complementarity perspective, remains under-explored, particularly in Central European economies.

Methodology:

The research was based on a questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of 286 firms in Slovakia. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression, controlling for firm size and sector. The robustness of the results was verified using tests for multicollinearity (VIF), goodness-of-fit (Hosmer-Lemeshow), and common method bias (Harman’s single-factor test).

Key findings:

The results confirmed that organizations with formal IT governance exhibited a significantly higher strategic positioning of ICT (OR = 3.445; p = 0.001). The use of economic metrics was associated with perceived benefits of technological innovations in terms of competitiveness, agility, and competitive advantage. A key finding is that IT governance did not directly predict a reduction in operating costs, but this relationship was mediated by the use of economic metrics (OR = 4.576; p < 0.001), supporting a mediational interpretation consistent with resource complementarity theory.