BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT, THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Business and IT alignment continues to be a challenge for business which seek to maximise value of and from the IT function. Research has covered the wider Business-IT alignment points from mainly a macro-level viewpoint, such as, structural, dynamic and functional alignment. However, both research and practice still consider Business and IT alignment to be a challenge. In this research, we seek to uncover part of the reasons why Business and IT alignment is challenging to organisations. We note the factors in the literature which emphasise Business-IT alignment, such as, shared understanding, communication, management commitment, IT investment evaluation, innovation and rewards, strategic planning of IS, and strategic agility. The results of this study show that even if organisations address these alignment factors, IT projects could still end up failing. We also note the opposing misalignment factors in practice, such as, human tensions and strained work relationships, knowledge silos, self-centred management, technology does not matter, organisational change resistance, technology as a burden, and resources inflexibility. We conclude that organisations need to address both alignment and misalignment factors

BUSINESS AND IT ALIGNMENT; ANSWERS AND REMAINING QUESTIONS

A key success factor for a successful company in a dynamic environment is effective and efficient information technology (IT) supporting business strategies and processes. In recent surveys however IT executives consistently name IT to Business alignment their top-concern. The alignment between business needs and IT capabilities is therefore still a prominent area of concern. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the alignment challenge by providing an overview of the development of Business and IT Alignment, the known insights and the still to be discovered considerations

THE IMPACT OF BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT ON ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Organizational culture continues to be cited as one of the most important factors for organizations’ success in an increasingly competitive and IT-driven global environment. Given the fact that organizational culture has an influence all over the organization, the complexity of its nature is increased when considering the relationship between business and IT. As a result, different factors that have influence on changing organizational culture were highlighted in literature. These factors are found in the research literature distributed in three main group; micro-environment factors, macro-environment factors and leader’s impact. One of the factors that have not been yet well investigated in researches is concerning business-IT alignment (BITA. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of BITA maturity on organizational culture. The research process that we have followed is a literature survey followed by an in-depth case study. The result of this research shows a clear interrelation in theories of both BITA and organizational culture, and clear indications of BITA impact on organizational culture and its change. The findings may support both practitioners and researchers in order to understand the insights of the relationships between BITA and organizational culture components and provide a roadmap for improvements or desired changes in organizational culture with highlighted target business area

IT CHALLENGES IN M&A TRANSACTIONS – THE IT CARVE-OUT VIEW ON DIVESTMENTS

Carve-outs belong to the most disruptive events companies – especially IT departments – are subject to. Yet the impact of these events on the IT alignment of the involved business units is largely unknown. This paper utilizes an alignment model to analyze specific IT-related challenges of divesting a strategic business unit (SBU). Hereby it focuses on the functional alignment between business strategy and IT at SBU level as well as on the organizational alignment between corporate and SBU. Based on five in-depth case studies of carve-outs taken place between 2004 and 2008, IT related challenges could be identified due to interdependent SBU information systems, a lack of IT governance, changing strategic scopes and the inability to preserve competencies. Dynamic capabilities were discovered as possible determinants for carve-out success. Carve-out management teams can utilize the analytical framework to make a SBU carveout ready, to guide IT due diligence and to prioritize IT issues

Factors influencing the success of business-IT alignment : a study of South African firms

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-138).This study investigated the factors influencing the success of business-IT alignment in South African firms while taking into consideration the coverage of the requisite dimensions and paradigms of business-IT alignment. The impacts of the South African business operating environment and the industry sector of firms on the success factors for business-IT alignment were also examined. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 CIOs of major firms in five industry sectors - major retail, food and beverages, higher education, governmental organisation, and financial services