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2025/2026  KAN-CINTV3004U  Transforming IT Management for Digital Business

English Title
Transforming IT Management for Digital Business

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 20
Max. participants 80
Study board
Study Board of Technology & Digitalisation
Course coordinator
  • Stefan Henningsson - Department of Digitalisation (DIGI)
Teaching will be provided by Stefan Henningsson and Lorenz Törmer (Digi)
Main academic disciplines
  • Information technology
  • Management
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 04-02-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • Identify and characterize IT management challenges and opportunities in the digital world.
  • Describe and apply tools and methods for IT management in a digital world presented in the course literature.
  • Analyze IT management problems of a digital world and argue different solutions how to address them.
  • Critically reflect on the limitations of tools and methods in the course literature.
Course prerequisites
Basic understanding about business and strategy. This understanding can be derrived from mandatory courses in Cm.it. It can also be derrived from other business/​strategy-oriented courses in other study programs.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 1
Compulsory home assignments
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved: 1

Students have to get 1 of 2 activities approved in order to go to the exam.

Activity 1: Students must complete a group project in teams of about 1-5 individuals (ideal size 3-4), where groups will develop a case study describing and explaining the IT management challenges of an IT organization transforming to enable digital business. At the end of the course, each group must develop a presentation (max 10 PowerPoint slides) summarizing their case study. They will upload and submit this presentation as well as presenting their case in class. The presentation will be given by the whole group, and will provide material for their individual exam assignment.

Activity 2: The student will write a 10-page report on a topic assigned by the course instructor. Note, if this option is chosen it is still recommended to collect empirical material in line with Activity 1 as such material will form the basis for the exam.

There will not be any extra attempts provided to the students before the ordinary exam.

If a student cannot participate due to documented illness, or if a student does not get the activities approved in spite of making a real attempt, then the student will be given one extra attempt before the re-exam. Before the re-exam, there will be one home assignment (10 pages).
Examination
Transforming IT Management for Digital Business:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
Assignment type Case based assignment
Release of assignment An assigned subject is released in class
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The re-take exam will be similar to the ordinary exam; Individual home based assignment, open book, based on writing up the students interpretation of their group's case study of a Danish or International organisation's transformation of the IT organization to enable digital business.
Description of the exam procedure

Individual home based assignment based on writing up the students interpretation of a Danish or International organisation's transformation of the IT organization to enable digital business. The foundation for this report consist the material worked with during the course’s workshop/exercise hours, included collected empirical material giving insights into a real world orgnization. Students are given two options. One is to write the report without the use of generative AI tools. The other is to write the report with the assistance of generative AI tools. In the latter case, students needs to account for the use and reflect on it in an appendix. Regardless of option chosen, students will be graded similarly based on their demonstrated capacities in the learning objectives.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The course is practical to its nature and many students will experience that it touches upon theoretical concepts from past courses, but with the specific perspective on practical realization and the issues that it entail. Oftentimes, finding the 'right' solution is about making prioritizations between imperfect solutions with different pros and cons and making decision based on imperefect information about the issue at hand. Students are encourage to criticize and reflect on theories previously learned to make arguments for decisions. 

 

The premise of the course is that there is no digital business without digital technology backbone. And there is no digital technology backbone without an IT department geared at delivering digital services. In the context of a transforming role of IT deparments in the digital world, the course aims is to train the students in coping with the challenges and opportunities confronting the IT department that transforms to form part of a company’s development of a digital business dimension. Students will get the case background for a large number of realistic issues, and will be provided with different tools/methods potentially relevant for addressing the issues. The course has a orientation towards a research-based practice of solutions to real world issues aiming at education of reflective managers.


The course is based on case based-pedagogy, according to the Harvard method in combination with (rare) lectures, guest presentations, workshops and project work in groups. 

   
Students will have to prepare for case discussion/lectures by reading the texts to be discussed on that day. In the workshops, students will have to work in groups with analyzing IT management problems of a digital world and applying the tools and methods in the course literature.
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Teacher’s own research
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Data collection
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
The sessions will combine mostly on campus case seminars and workshops with some limited online activities.The final sessions will be used for teams to present their group projects.

Students are expected to take active part in the development of workshops, in order to capture the most current trends and developments in the area. The material worked with during the workshops will consist the foundation for the exam assignment.
Feedback during the teaching period
The case method is designed to give immediate feedback on the learning progress in class. As students air their understanding of key concepts pertaining to problems and solutions, fellow students and case moderators engage in interpreting the positions and arguments on which they are based. Students who prepare for class and engage in cased discussion therefore gets direct feedback on their progress in this way.

In addition, in the workshop sessions students are applying their learnings to a real-world problem under supervision of the present instructor who engage in individual and group-based feedback on the application. Its possible to share and get feedback on work in progress. Here students’ understandings of relevant concepts and their real world applicability are addressed.

Furthermore, at the case presentation towards the end of the course students get feedback on their analysis.

Finally, in relation to the class and during office hours students are welcome to approach the instructors to discuss particularly intriguing issues.
Student workload
Preparation for classes 102 hours
Class attendance 40 hours
Preparation for examination 48 hours
Exam case analysis 16 hours
TOTAL 206 hours
Expected literature

The literature will be changed before the semester starts. Students are advised to find the final literature on Canvas before buying any material.

 

 

  • Robert D. Austin, Shannon O'Donnell, Richard L. Nolan (2016) The Adventures of an IT Leader, Updated Edition with a New Preface. Harvard Business School Press. 

 

  • IT Management in the Digital Age A Roadmap for the IT Department of the Future. Nils Urbach  Frederik Ahlemann. Springer Nature

 

  • Robin Johnson, CIO of Maerks Line presenting ”Leading Transformation at a Global Organization” (Video)

 

  • Henningsson & Törmer (2020) The architectural enabling of LEGO’s digital internationalization journey. Teaching case and video resource. Copenhagen Business School. 

 

  • Jensen, T., Hedman, J., & Henningsson S. (2019) How TradeLens Delivers Business Value With Blockchain Technology. MIS Quarterly Executive 

 

  • Wired Magazine (2019) The Untold Story of NotPetya, the Most Devastating Cyberattack in History. 

 

  • Internal Digital Platforms and Generative Mechanisms of Digital Innovation. Törmer, R. L., 2018, Proceedings of the 39th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). 

 

  • Benlian, A., Kettinger, W. J., Sunyaev, A., Winkler, T. J. (2018). The transformative value of cloud computing: a decoupling, platformization, and recombination theoretical framework. Journal of management information systems, 35(3), 719-739.

 

  • Effectiveness of IT Service Management Capability: Value Co-Creation and Value Facilitation Mechanisms. TJ Winkler, J Wulf - Journal of Management Information Systems, 2019

 
Last updated on 04-02-2025