Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Information Technology (D.I.T.)

School

Information Systems and Technology

Advisor

Jon W. McKeeby

Abstract

Cloud computing innovation adoption literature has primarily focused on individuals, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations. The functional linkage between cloud adoption and diffusion is instrumental toward understanding enterprise firm-level adoption. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to explore strategies used by information technology (IT) executives to make advantageous enterprise cloud adoption and diffusion decisions. This study was guided by an integrated diffusion of innovation and technology, organization, and environment conceptual framework to capture and model this complex, multifaceted problem. The study’s population consisted of IT executives with cloud-centric roles in 3 large (revenues greater than $5 billion) telecom-related companies with a headquarters in the United States. Data collection included semistructured, individual interviews (n = 19) and the analysis of publicly available financial documents (n = 50) and organizational technical documents (n = 41). Data triangulation and interviewee member checking were used to increase study findings validity. Inter- and intracase analyses, using open and axial coding as well as constant comparative methods, were leveraged to identify 5 key themes namely top management support, information source bias, organizational change management, governance at scale, and service selection. An implication of this study for positive social change is that IT telecom executives might be able to optimize diffusion decisions to benefit downstream consumers in need of services.

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