Intentions behind control Mechanisms in is Projects beyond Agency Theory: a Research in progress Design

Why do IT project managers control their projects? As stated in the majority of existing litera-ture on information systems, it is because project participants are self-interested parties with goal incongruence and information asymmetry between them. Accordingly, the relationship be-tween controller and controlee has been generally described as similar to the one that exists between principal and agent under agency theory. Consequently, control activities have pre-dominantly been seen as efforts to minimize related agency problems. The only exception so far is the study of Remus and his colleagues (2015), who found that control may also address coor-dination requirements. However, it remained unclear whether further control intentions exist. This paper introduces alternative theoretical viewpoints in addition to the agency and coordina-tion aspects of control that may explain further control purposes in IS projects. The research thus contributes to literature by providing a broader view on control intentions in IS projects. Findings can benefit IS professionals by enabling them to consciously think about the purpose of control and hence to choose control mechanisms more effectively.