When models cross the border: adapting IT competencies of business managers

Much of the moving beyond the bust to boom has been fuelled by the increasing internationalization of organizations. More and more businesses are becoming global in nature with several US-based firms establishing subsidiaries or partners in other countries. At the same time, information technology (IT) is becoming more ubiquitous and an integral part of business processes. As organizations become increasingly more dependent on IT to survive in competitive environments, the need increases for IT competent business managers. The intersection of these two trends leads to a vital question: how can we use concepts and guidelines related to assessing the IT-competence of business managers that are developed in one country to the context of another country In this paper, we examine this issue by adapting a model of IT competence developed and validated in Canada to the Norwegian context. Using a multi-method approach based on interviews conducted in several organizations, and a questionnaire survey, we made several changes to the model.