Prof. Dr. Stephan Zimmermann

• Business Informatics
• Strategic IT Management
• Enterprise Architecture
• IT Governance
• Shadow IT

Prof. Dr. Stephan Zimmermann has been teaching and conducting research at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg since 2018 as a professor of Business Informatics, specializing in enterprise architecture and platform management. His research focuses on IT governance, enterprise architecture management (EAM), strategic IT management, business-IT alignment, technology transformation, shadow IT, and business-managed IT. His research combines fundamental academic work with application-oriented insights, particularly regarding how companies can jointly manage business and IT and successfully shape digital transformation.

• Business Administration/Introduction to Business Administration and Financial Accounting (Business Informatics/International Information Systems (B.Sc.))
  Fundamental theories of economics and business administration: business models, entrepreneurship, service delivery and management processes, and accounting—all consistently addressed within the context of IT strategy and information systems.
   
• IT Consulting (Elective)
  Techniques, personal skills, and challenges faced by IT consultants in digital transformation; analysis and implementation of innovative information technologies; integration of information systems and business processes; in-house and external consulting formats.
   
• Lean IT and Enterprise Architecture (Elective)
  Lean IT management, value streams, model-centric enterprise architectures; ArchiMate; TOGAF; COBIT; governance of digital platforms and enterprise architectures.
   
• Strategic IT Management (Business Information Systems (M.Sc.))
  The CIO role; IT strategy and business alignment; IT portfolio management; value-based management; Business-IT partnership models; digital strategy; formal and relational governance mechanisms for strategic business-IT alignment; decision archetypes; COBIT; shadow IT management; board-level IT governance.
   
• Enterprise Architecture Management (IT Project and Process Management (M.Sc.))
  In-depth study of enterprise architectures, IT governance, and digital transformation in enterprise architecture; case studies; modeling tools; application in real-world business projects; ArchiMate; TOGAF; COBIT.
   
• Corporate Governance (International Business and Finance (M.Sc.))
  The “Corporate Governance” course examines the legal and practical frameworks for corporate management and oversight. Drawing on principal-agent theory, international governance systems, and real-world corporate governance scandals, students analyze governance mechanisms such as incentive systems, board structures, market oversight, and pressure from stakeholders.

• IT Governance: This line of research focuses on how companies use formal and relational governance mechanisms to strategically align business and IT. In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Christopher Rentrop (HTWG Konstanz), fundamental governance concepts—ranging from decision-making archetypes to steering committee structures and board-level IT governance, all the way to the adaptive division of responsibilities between business and IT (Business-IT Fusion)—and translated into practical design approaches.
   
• Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM): Research on EAM analyzes how enterprise architectures are used as a steering tool for digital transformation decisions—from the modeling of technical and business domain architectures to the governance of platform and system landscapes. Particular attention is paid to the interplay between shadow IT phenomena and EAM coherence: Several studies have shown that uncontrolled application landscapes can significantly undermine the value of formal architectural frameworks.
   
• Strategic IT Management & Digital Strategy: This research strand examines the organizational capabilities companies need to manage IT as a strategic resource—ranging from the CIO role and IT portfolio management to value-oriented IT governance in the context of digital transformation. In a qualitative longitudinal study, organizational capabilities for business-IT integration in digital enterprises were identified and conceptualized. Complementary work on IT integration examines the strategic continuity of traditional IT management concepts in the context of modern digitalization requirements.
   
• Shadow IT & Business-Managed IT: The author’s research on shadow IT ranks among his most-cited contributions: Building on a transaction cost theory-based explanation of the emergence of shadow IT (ECIS 2014, 106 citations), a comprehensive body of concepts, evaluation models, and control methods was developed to support companies in dealing with unauthorized IT solutions from business units. Together with Prof. Dr. Christopher Rentrop and co-authors, concepts such as “business-managed IT” were established as a distinct category beyond traditional shadow IT and have been firmly established in international journals and conferences.
   
• Business-IT Alignment & Business-IT Dialogues: This line of research focuses on the operational side of business-IT alignment: How do business and IT communicate at the level of interface roles (IT business partners, domain architects), and how can strategic dialogues be structured to increase IT’s value contribution? Using Action Design Research, a structured end-to-end process with eight design principles for business-IT dialogues was developed and tested in real-world corporate environments. Complementary studies analyze the role, design, and success factors of the IT business partner organization as the central interface between business units and IT.
   
• AI / Low-Code / No-Code Platform Adoption & Citizen Development: The proliferation of low-code/no-code platforms is shifting development responsibilities from IT to business units (citizen development) and creating new governance challenges, particularly regarding shadow IT risks and uncontrolled application landscapes. In two complementary PACIS articles, a maturity model for the adoption of low-code platforms was developed to support companies in the structured implementation and governance of citizen development programs. This research combines long-standing expertise in shadow IT with current issues in AI-powered application development.
   
• AI Governance and Strategy: With the advent of generative AI and LLM-based systems in enterprises, new governance requirements are emerging that go beyond traditional IT governance structures: Responsibilities for AI decisions, risk assessment of algorithmic recommendations (automation bias, overreliance), and the integration of AI into governance processes are taking center stage. This line of research addresses these issues in the context of IT governance bodies and interface roles in connection with IT strategy and enterprise architecture.

• (2025) Riedinger, C., Rentrop, C., Huber, M., & Zimmermann, S. Partnership on Equal Terms: Factors for Successfully Structuring the IT-Business Partner Organization. HMD, 62, 274–293.
  https://doi.org/10.1365/s40702-025-01151-1
• (2025) Riedinger, C., Zimmermann, S., Rentrop, C., & Felden, C. The Operationalization of Strategic Alignment: Driving IT Value Through Business-IT Dialogues. HICSS 2025.
  https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2025.723
• (2025) Prinz, N., Felden, C., Huber, M., Rentrop, C., Riedinger, C., & Zimmermann, S. A maturity model for managing low-code development platform adoption. PACIS 2025.
• (2025) Riedinger, C., Rentrop, C., Huber, M., & Zimmermann, S. Leveraging Business-IT Collaboration: Effective Design and Challenges of the IT Business Partner Role. FedCSIS 2025, IEEE.
  https://doi.org/10.15439/2025F9798
• (2018) Kopper, A., Fürstenau, D., Zimmermann, S., et al. Shadow IT and business-managed IT: a conceptual framework and empirical illustration. IJITBAG, 9(2). [66 cit.]
• (2017) Zimmermann, S., Rentrop, C., & Felden, C. A multiple case study on the nature and management of shadow information technology. Journal of Information Systems, 31(1). [71 cit.]
• (2014) Zimmermann, S., & Rentrop, C. On the emergence of shadow IT – a transaction cost-based approach. ECIS 2014. [106 cit.]
• (2012) Rentrop, C., & Zimmermann, S. Shadow IT. [HMD Best Paper Award 2012] HMD, 49(6). [101 citations]

Stephan Zimmermann on Google Scholar

Stephan Zimmermann on OPUS

EAM – Research, Teaching, Practice – Academic Community @ CBA-Lab e.V.

In the project “EAM – Research, Teaching, Practice – Academic Community @ CBA-Lab,” the content of the Cross-Business-Architecture Lab (CBA-Lab e.V.)—such as EA governance, capabilities, reference models, building blocks, and best practices for digital transformation—are collectively examined, explored in depth, and further developed within a research-oriented community. The relevant formats (including academic days, topic-specific academic calls, and practice-oriented paper reviews) are designed and carried out in cooperation with the KIPS at HTWG Konstanz. In addition, over 40 universities from the DACH region are integrated into the academic community, contributing their perspectives, research projects, and teaching formats to the joint activities.
 

Mentor for STARTUP TEENS

STARTUP TEENS offers the largest network of mentors for high school students free of charge. The mentor network includes more than 800 individuals (entrepreneurs, managers, representatives from Chambers of Commerce and Industry, economic development agencies, startup incubators, foundations, and universities). Prof. Dr. Stephan Zimmermann is one of them.

• https://www.startupteens.de/mentoring/