Strategic IS Planning Practices: A Comparative Study of Malaysia and New Zealand

There is a broad consensus among researchers that culture differences impact management practices. Among the management practices that can be affected by culture are practices relating to human resource, financial, and information systems (IS). IS management success in different cultural contexts may require different approaches. Therefore, this paper aims to highlight the differences in strategic IS planning practices, specifically in terms of top management commitment and user participation, in two countries with considerably different cultures, Malaysia and New Zealand. A survey was sent to 909 organizations in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in both countries. The response was 14.6%. The study shows that managers in both countries agree that having top management commitment and user participation is important for strategic IS planning success.