(Editor’s Note: What follows is the introduction from an academic paper written by Maryam Alshehri, Rod Dilnutt, Sherah Kurnia and ABM Nayeem of the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. The paper, which was presented at the International Conference for Enterprise Information Systems 2025, can be viewed at https://www.scitepress.org/Papers/2025/134319/134319.pdf)
Enterprise Architecture (EA) represents a critical organizational activity aimed at enhancing business and IT alignment (BITA) and fostering collaborative decision-making through the use of specific EA artifacts (Kurnia et al., 2021). As a comprehensive blueprint, EA directs the design, implementation, and operation of an enterprise’s systems and processes (The Open Group, 2018). By establishing EA regulations, organizations can meet their objectives, advance key information systems (ISs), and support strategic business initiatives (Kotusev, 2020). EA plays a vital role in shaping business strategies, identifying business needs, guiding decision-making concerning business transformations, and managing relationships with service providers (Al-Kharusi et al., 2021). With stakeholders ranging from top management to software engineers, effective EA practice necessitates substantial collaboration to address the impact of EA transformations (Kurnia et al., 2021). Consequently, the success of EA practice is closely linked to the level of engagement between enterprise architects and other EA stakeholders.
Despite some studies recognizing the importance of engagement as a success factor in EA, the concept has received limited attention in current EA literature (Kotusev, 2020). Research indicates that engagement between architects and stakeholders often encounters challenges (Seppänen et al., 2018; Löhe and Legner, 2014). However, detailed examinations of these engagement issues remain sparse. A review of the literature on stakeholder engagement reveals a limited number of studies addressing the factors that facilitate or hinder EA stakeholder engagement (Al-Kharusi et al., 2021; Kurnia et al., 2021; Kotusev and Kurnia, 2019; Levy, 2014). Notably, empirical research on EA stakeholder engagement has predominantly focused on the public sector (Al-Kharusi et al., 2021; Kurnia et al., 2021; Kotusev and Kurnia, 2019). Studies have also highlighted significant differences between public and private sectors in EA practices—covering EA scope, objectives, user attitudes and skills, planning, and regulations (Seppänen et al., 2018; Dang and Pekkola, 2017) — indicating that findings from public sector research may not be directly applicable to the private sector.
Public sector organizations face challenges in EA implementation due to their long-term, missiondriven goals and complex bureaucratic structures, leading to difficulties in achieving agility and EA objectives (Dang and Pekkola, 2017). In contrast, private sector organizations, driven by profit and shareholder value, tend to adopt a more focused and agile EA approach (Seppänen et al., 2018). The banking industry’s complex stakeholder networks — including regulators, IT teams, and business strategists — make it an ideal context for studying EA stakeholder engagement. According to Efunniyi et al. (2024), the sector’s regulatory complexity, high-risk exposure, and need for trust and transparency underscore the importance of effective engagement to align diverse interests, ensure compliance, and strengthen risk management. These knowledge gaps underscore the need for our empirical investigation, which addresses the following research question: What are the barriers and enablers influencing EA stakeholder engagement in the private sector, with a specific focus on the banking industry? To answer the research question and deepen our understanding of EA stakeholder engagement in the private sector, we conducted an empirical qualitative study of EA practices within a banking institution. Data were gathered through organizational documents and interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Our study identifies various enablers and barriers to interaction between EA stakeholders and architects, categorizes them into three groups — organizational goals, organizational structure, and EA user — and integrates them into a comprehensive theoretical model. Arguably, this research marks the first targeted investigation into the factors affecting engagement between enterprise architects and stakeholders in the banking sector. These findings are crucial for equipping future practitioners with the skills necessary to be effective in EA-driven transformations. As organizations continue to evolve through EA practices, understanding how to engage and collaborate with stakeholders becomes increasingly vital. The paper begins with a review of the existing literature on EA stakeholder engagement, followed by a description of the research methodology, including data collection and analysis procedures. We then present the study’s findings, make a comparison with existing literature to highlight similarities, differences, and novel insights, and discuss practical contributions. We conclude with a discussion, study limitations and propose directions for future research.
The full article can be viewed at https://www.scitepress.org/Papers/2025/134319/134319.pdf