Developing a socio-technical framework for business-IT alignment

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for evaluating business-IT alignment. Specifically, the authors emphasize internal business-IT alignment between business and IS groups, which is a typical setting in recent boundary-less, networked business environments. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the previous studies, a socio-technical approach was developed to explain how the functional integration in the business-IT alignment process could be accomplished in collaborative environments. The study investigates the relationship among social alignment, technical alignment, IS effectiveness, and business performance. Findings – The results indicated that alignment between business and IS groups increased IS effectiveness and business performance. Business-IT alignment resulting from socio-technical arrangements in firms’ infrastructure has positive impacts on business performance. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by control issues in terms of the impact of the confounding variables on business performance. Future studies need to validate the research model across industries. The study results imply that business-IT alignment is a multidimensional concept that includes social and technical activities explaining the way people and information technology institutionalize business value. Originality/value – By establishing a socio-technical framework of business-IT alignment, this study proposes a conceptual framework for business-IT alignment that accounts for not only improved technical performance, but also improved human performance as well. This study emphasizes the importance of addressing internal socio-technical collaboration in modern business environments.