Exploring the roles of ICT middle management in aligning business and ICT strategies : the case of information and communication technology in public service organisations

Abstract

A longitudinal review of the top information and communication teclmology (ICT) management issues had shown strategic alignment to be a key concern. The issue of strategic alignment has persisted as a critical ICT management challenge for thirty years now (Caffrey and McDonagh, 2009; Luftman and Ben-Zvi, 2011). Collective insights into the construct revealed that only 15% of organisations are considered to be highly aligned in terms of top perfonning by way of generating real business value based on a tight alignment of business and ICT strategies (Shpilberg et al., 2007). For the remaining 85%, they are looking for solutions in all the wrong places (Booth and Philip, 2005; D’Souza and Mukherjee, 2004). Subsequently, management dissatisfaction and concern persists (Ciborra, 1997, Luftman and Derksen, 2012; Luftman et al., 2006).