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This study was undertaken utilizing a grounded theory methodology (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Following a grounded theory approach is an appropriate technique when the researcher seeks to develop a new perception of a relatively well-known phenomenon (Stern, 1995). The actual literature review was conducted using Google Scholar and ProQuest with broad search terms such as “‘role of information technology’” and “‘IT’ AND ‘organizations’”. Initial searches were not limited by dates so a sense of what literature existed in this space could be obtained.
As articles were reviewed, patterns, additional search terms, and seminal research articles were discovered. In addition, the “Cited by” feature within Google Scholar was leveraged to find new articles. As search terms were refined, results were then limited to the last ten years and the content was organized into the following initial categories or codes: role of emotions, process alignment, organizational performance, performance, IT project management, IT positioning within organization, objective alignment, and risk management. A further round of review within these initial categories produced a finalized group of categories: ITD position within the organization, calculating the value of IT, risk management and the ITD, and improving communication within the ITD. A summary of the salient literature within these final categories appears below.