The Development of Shared Understanding among IS Leadership Team: A Multiple Case Study in China

Communication is a primary antecedent of shared understanding (SU) between CIO and top management team (i.e. IS leadership team, ISLT). This paper explored the communication frequency and informality and the effects on shared understanding among ISLT, using case study approach. The results indicated that greater communication frequency led to more SU; formal and informal communication had positive influence on SU respectively, and the latter was more important than the former; and the combination of the two forms of communication induced ideal effect. Additionally, we found that IS success moderated the relationship between communication and SU. The conclusions might have significant implications for promoting IS leadership.