The Influence of IT Management Sophistication and IT Support on IT Success in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Abstract

This study examined three factors that influence information technology (IT) success in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): internal IT support, external IT support, and IT management. Using survey data gathered from 289 small and medium-sized Chartered Accounting firms in New Zealand, the results suggest that IT management in SMEs is best understood as a multidimensional concept consisting of practices related to: IT planning, IT organizing, IT controlling, and IT leading. This view clarifies and improves our understanding of the nature and character of IT management in SMEs. The results show that some SMEs are significantly more sophisticated than others in terms of their IT management practices. Both IT planning and IT leading were found to influence IT success.