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Big data and related technologies have the potential to transform healthcare sectors by facilitating improvements to healthcare planning and delivery. Big data research highlights the importance of aligning big data implementations with business needs to achieve success. In one of the first studies to examine the influence of big data on business-IT alignment in the healthcare sector, this paper addresses the question: how do stakeholders’ perceptions of big data influence alignment between big data technologies and healthcare sector needs across macro, meso, and micro levels in the New Zealand (NZ) healthcare sector? A qualitative inquiry was conducted using semi-structured interviews to understand perceptions of big data across the NZ healthcare sector. An application of a novel theory, Theory of Sociotechnical Representations (TSR), is used to examine people’s perceptions of big data technologies and their applicability in their day-to-day work. These representations are analysed at each level and then across levels to evaluate the degree of alignment. A social dimension lens to alignment was used to explore mutual understanding of big data across the sector. The findings show alignment across the sector through the shared understanding of the importance of data quality, the increasing challenges of privacy and security, and the importance of utilising modern and new data in measuring health outcomes. Areas of misalignment include the differing definitions of big data, as well as perceptions around data ownership, data sharing, use of patient-generated data and interoperability. Both practical and theoretical contributions of the study are discussed.

Apart from bringing many social problems, the COVID-19 pandemic also possesses opportunities to increase competitive advantage for higher education institutions (HEIs). While almost all HEIs activities are required to run online, IT resource orchestration capability becomes a differentiating determinant for pursuing performance in the HEIs sector. Using a dynamic capability perspective, this study examined how the IT resource orchestration model was developed for HEIs by placing IT governance as a mediator to pursue performance amid difficult times such as a pandemic. This study employed a survey method by which a total of 129 HEIs participated. The results uncovered that IT application orchestration capability could promote business-IT alignment and process agility through effective IT governance as a mediator. Additionally, business-IT alignment was positively associated with process agility. Further, business-IT alignment and process agility were positively associated with HEIs performance. Theoretically, this study translated how dynamic capability theory is realized in applicable model. In practical speaking, the study suggested that in increasing IT capabilities to create business-IT alignment and process agility, which in turn has an impact on improving HEIs performance during the crisis, effective IT governance must be a concern for HEIs management given its role as an orchestration factor (mediator).

Purpose: This basic, quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional research aims to empirically examine the impact of IT governance on business-IT alignment. Method: This study adopts the Structural Equation Model (SEM) technique with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to evaluate the relationship between IT governance and business-IT alignment, testing three basic hypotheses on the data collected from 672 web-based surveys of companies in Colombia. Main finding: IT governance significantly and directly affects business-IT alignment, but there are no differences in such influence as per industry type or company size. Limitations: This study only considered companies located in Colombia with a limited sample size in several industry types, which may become a possibility for further studies. Additionally, the data collected relies on the honesty of respondents and is not completely free of bias.

Purpose: The dynamic interdependence between the deployment of technological assets and organisational performance remains a challenge for modern enterprises. Organisations reinforce competitiveness and improve performance when business activities and information technology (IT) efforts are aligned. The credibility of the IT organisation is an important influence on alignment. This research guides managers and directs future research to improve IT credibility. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews with senior leaders about factors influencing IT credibility provided rich data for analyses. The dynamic complexity of creating a credible IT function to ensure alignment was captured using qualitative system dynamic diagrams. A causal loop diagram was constructed to identify feedback loops and leverage points. Findings: The analysis confirms the impact of three factors identified by prior research. It provides a new perspective on portfolio-level IT governance’s contribution to establishing credibility. The value of using past failure to develop credibility through ownership and resolution emerged from the analysis. Practical implications: The results provide guidelines to improve the IT organisation’s credibility to improve business and IT alignment. Leverage points to improve credibility are provided, and research into resolving past failure as a mechanism to success is suggested. Originality/value: While most of the extant literature focused on static alignment factors, causal loop diagrams provided insight into IT credibility’s systemic nature. A new factor (resolving past failure), a new perspective (portfolio level governance), and confirmation of existing factors and identifying leverage points contribute to practice and science.

With organizations now placing an increasing amount on attention on the management of their supply chain activities, the role of Information Technology (IT) in supporting these operations has been put in the spotlight. In spite of extensive research examining how IT can be employed in various activities of supply chain management, the majority of studies are limited in identifying enablers and inhibitors of adoption. Empirical studies examining post-adoption conditions that facilitate performance improvement still remain scarce. In this study we focus on procurement as part of the supply chain management activities. We apply the business-IT alignment perspective to the domain of procurement, and examine how certain organizational factors impact the attainment of this state. Additionally, we research the effect that procurement alignment has on supply chain management performance. In order to do so, we apply Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis on a sample of 172 European companies. We find that firms that opt for a centralized governance structure, as well as larger firms, are more likely to attain a state of procurement alignment. Furthermore, our results empirically support the statement that procurement alignment is positively correlated with operational efficiency and competitive performance of the supply chain.

Many organisations around the world have faced misalignment in attaining the alignment between business and IT. The positive effect of alignment on overall company success has been focused on previous research. On the other hand, the misalignment in the implementation of a balanced scorecard was primarily unexplored. This study aimed at identifying and evaluating the factors that contribute to a misalignment of businesses and IT. The case study methodology is conducted in two state-owned telecommunication companies in Indonesia. The telecommunication industry’s selection as the case study is because of their nature closely related to technology development and implementation. Five semi-structured interviews, field notes and business records are used to produce the data, which have been thematically analysed and further follow by cross-case analysis to compare the thematic analysis result from each company. This study has resulted in 12 factors of misalignment between business and IT that can inhibit achieving alignment in implementing a balanced scorecard. The main findings showed that human factors, enterprise architecture, and IT project implementation factors could be three main source themes that can potentially contribute to misalignment. The findings may allow researchers to devise frameworks for how misalignments can be minimised to align business and IT better. This finding also useful in practice for companies that are seeking to achieve business-IT alignment by focusing on human factors, enterprise architecture factors, and IT project implementation factors.

Many organisations around the world have faced misalignment in attaining the alignment between business and IT. The positive effect of alignment on overall company success has been focused on previous research. On the other hand, the misalignment in the implementation of a balanced scorecard was primarily unexplored. This study aimed at identifying and evaluating the factors that contribute to a misalignment of businesses and IT. The case study methodology is conducted in two state-owned telecommunication companies in Indonesia. The telecommunication industry’s selection as the case study is because of their nature closely related to technology development and implementation. Five semi-structured interviews, field notes and business records are used to produce the data, which have been thematically analysed and further follow by cross-case analysis to compare the thematic analysis result from each company. This study has resulted in 12 factors of misalignment between business and IT that can inhibit achieving alignment in implementing a balanced scorecard. The main findings showed that human factors, enterprise architecture, and IT project implementation factors could be three main source themes that can potentially contribute to misalignment. The findings may allow researchers to devise frameworks for how misalignments can be minimised to align business and IT better. This finding also useful in practice for companies that are seeking to achieve business-IT alignment by focusing on human factors, enterprise architecture factors, and IT project implementation factors.

Background: Information technology (IT) requires substantial investments from enterprises to build competitive capabilities. IT products are supposed to provide value to customers and to increase the competitiveness of enterprises. Vendors of IT products should take the competitive strategy and value creation for enterprise buyers into account. Objectives: This article takes the perspective of IT vendors (ITVs) and attempts to answer the research questions “What types of customer value do ITVs consider?” and “Do ITVs consider the competitiveness of enterprises?” Methods/Approach: This research investigates descriptions from ITVs and analyzes patterns and correlations of coded content. The annual reports of 32 global market-leading ITVs were examined through direct content analysis. Results: Half of the annual reports mention the competitiveness of enterprise buyers; 84% of the samples relate to customer-value disciplines. Moderate positive and monotonic relationships were detected between customer value disciplines. Conclusions: ITVs consider the competitiveness of buyers and noticeably regard customer value disciplines, mainly operational excellence, that in turn refers to process efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Purpose: Information Technology (IT) is developing at an accelerated rate, making it virtually impossible to separate business and IT strategies. Consequently, the IT strategy of an entity must be integrated with its overall business strategy in order for IT to add value to an entity. It is important that both senior management and IT specialists be involved in the design, implementation, running and revision of IT solutions in order for IT to assist in meeting the strategic objectives of the entity. Miscommunication between senior management and IT specialists is however a major contributing factor to IT projects failing to deliver the desired value. This concept is known as the ‘IT gap’. The IT gap arises because there is a divergence in objectives between these two parties. The differences in objectives arises from the nature of their respective work and the tools they use. Management employs business model design tools (such as the Business Model Canvas), while IT management uses governance frameworks (such as the Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies [COBIT]). In order for value to be generated, there needs to be alignment between these models and more importantly their objectives. The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive list of key driving forces of an entity, known as business imperatives, that can be used by senior management and IT specialists in an entity to ensure that the technology architecture of an entity is designed with the objective of supporting these business imperatives, thereby achieving alignment between the IT and business objectives of an entity. Design/methodology/approach: In this conceptual study the Business Model Canvas was studied and its elements, representing generic business objectives, were converted into business imperatives that could be seen as essential to obtain a competitive advantage in various industries and environments. These business imperatives were mapped to the fifth edition of COBIT (COBIT 5) processes to identify those business imperatives that will be achieved by the IT department when implementing COBIT 5 and can therefore be seen as objectives for the IT department. Findings/results: A comprehensive list of business imperatives was compiled. These business imperatives can be used to determine the design of the IT architecture of an entity, with the ultimate purpose of supporting the business objectives of the entity. Practical implications: By using the comprehensive list of business imperatives identified in this study senior management and IT specialists can work together to ensure that the technology architecture of an entity is designed with the objective of supporting the business imperatives in order to ultimately achieve alignment between the IT and business objectives of an entity. Originality/value: While previous studies primarily focussed on adapting business models to incorporate rapidly evolving technology, this study focussed on the manner in which technology architecture can be designed in order to support the business objectives of an entity.

Because of the dynamic environments of business and IT, achieving any alignment between the two fields has become challenging. In view of its multiple viewpoints and artifacts, the discipline of enterprise architecture (EA) is often regarded as an effective methodology to deal with business-IT alignment (BITA) issues, and thus has attracted plenty of research. This article conducts a systematic literature review of BITA research using EA. Six questions are answered through 5W1H (When, Who, What, Why, Where, How) analysis; these questions aim to acquire a thorough understanding of BITA from the perspective of EA, to discover weak points in the status quo, and to identify future research directions.

With organizations now placing an increasing amount on attention on the management of their supply chain activities, the role of Information Technology (IT) in supporting these operations has been put in the spotlight. In spite of extensive research examining how IT can be employed in various activities of supply chain management, the majority of studies are limited in identifying enablers and inhibitors of adoption. Empirical studies examining post-adoption conditions that facilitate performance improvement still remain scarce. In this study we focus on procurement as part of the supply chain management activities. We apply the business-IT alignment perspective to the domain of procurement, and examine how certain organizational factors impact the attainment of this state. Additionally, we research the effect that procurement alignment has on supply chain management performance. In order to do so, we apply Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis on a sample of 172 European companies. We find that firms that opt for a centralized governance structure, as well as larger firms, are more likely to attain a state of procurement alignment. Furthermore, our results empirically support the statement that procurement alignment is positively correlated with operational efficiency and competitive performance of the supply chain.

Enterprise engineering has recently emerged as a new discipline to address the intensified complexity and dynamics of the evolving enterprise by designing, aligning, and governing its development. Enterprise designers employ various approaches, frameworks, and methodologies to design and align various components in the enterprise. This paper takes a closer look at alignment between the business and IT components of an enterprise, and the need for a theoretical backing when combining multiple approaches during enterprise design. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a method artefact. The method artefact applies an existing model, called the business-IT alignment model, and is useful to enterprise designers when they need to enhance an existing business-IT alignment approach. As an additional contribution, the paper emphasises the role of an emerging research methodology, called design research, in developing the new method artefact. The paper demonstrates the use of the method artefact by enhancing the foundation for execution approach with an element from the essence of operation approach, and concludes with opportunities for further research.

This issue of the journal of Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling (CSIMQ) presents papers that discuss selected topics on information systems engineering. The papers are extended versions of selected papers from the CAiSE Forum 2016 held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The CAiSE Forum is a place within the International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering for disseminating and debating new ideas and tools related to this area.