Security Organizing: A Framework for Organizational Information Security Mindfulness

Abstract

In the knowledge economy, organizational information is one of a firm's most valuable assets. However, despite significant advances in information security (InfoSec) research, problems in the field persist. This paper contends that advances in reliability and safety can help inform the future of InfoSec research. Specifically, the paper presents a framework for security organizing that is based on previous research about the organizational mindfulness characteristics of high reliability organizations (HROs). This paper considers the similarities among reliability, safety, and InfoSec, provides an initial validation of a potential construct for measuring security organizing in the workplace, and discusses opportunities for future research.