This study identifies the perceived benefits of Enterprise Architecture (EA) among business stakeholders who are aware of EA but are not specialists in the field of ICT, and proposes a clearly differentiated and comprehensive cluster of stakeholder groups based on these perceptions. It provides an understanding of the benefits of EA from the perspective of business beneficiaries, not the perspective of its practitioners.The study was conducted using Q-methodology, which was developed specifically to uncover subjective perceptions and preferences. Q-methodology correlates people in respect of their perception of a sample of tests, and is particularly useful in bridging the sharp dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Managers working in South Africa, Peru and the United States were classified as stakeholder-and/or shareholder-oriented along the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility (PRESOR) scale. The relationship between stakeholder/shareholder orientation and perceptions of organisational performance was further explored. In South Africa and overall, respondents with both high stakeholder and low shareholder orientations reported the greatest performance satisfaction. In Peru, managers with a high stakeholder orientation reported the greatest satisfaction with organisational performance. A significant link between stakeholder or shareholder orientation and performance satisfaction was not found in the United States, however. Directions for future research are outlined.
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