Green Information Technology: A Study of its Adoption in Organizations

Abstract

Due to the need to better understand the relationship between sustainability strategies and Information Technology (IT), this research aims to analyze the adoption of Green IT initiatives in organizations by specifically examining the adoption motives, implemented practices, perceived benefits and difficulties. To this end, we conducted three case studies with companies from different economic sectors, Orlikowski's research (1992) was fundamental in contributing to the theoretical framework. We found that most Green IT initiatives can be categorized within the intersections formed by the three sustainability dimensions - environmental, social and economic - and a fourth dimension called legal. Furthermore, we found the implementation of these practices started by identifying financial and operational benefits associated with their adoption. The results reveal that environmental benefits emerge as a positive consequence of changes caused by legal and economic aspects. We hope this study can help executives in planning and implementation of Green IT in their organizations, as well as for researchers interested in researching this topic.

Key words:
green IT; sustainable development; sustainability; adoption