Assessing Business - IT Alignment Maturity in a Healthcare System by Using the Scoring pattern (Case study: Iran University of Medical Sciences)
Subject Areas : medical documentsMahdi Rahbar 1 , Jalal Haghighat Manfard 2 , Mohammad Reza Kabaranzad 3
1 - M.A, Department of Public Administration, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Alignment Maturity, Healthcare System, Scoring pattern, Information Technology (IT),
Abstract :
Introduction: Alignment is a key factor in creating competitive advantage, value and realizing the goals of organization, and the permanent concern of managers. In "Healthcare system", in addition to environmental dynamism, the plurality of Business is the challenge to achieving alignment. Alignment requires a strategic attitude and the participation of all managers and the starting point of this process is to understand the position of the organization. The purpose of this study was assessing the Business-IT Alignment Maturity of "Iran University of Medical Sciences" and provides a strategy for promoting it. Methods: This descriptive-survey research was conducted in the summer of 2017. The research population was "Iran University" managers, who were divided into three areas: executive, educational and IT. The stratified random sampling method was used and the sample size was 122. For data collection, the Liftman questionnaire (2015) was used. Data analysis was performed with SPSS and Friedman tests. Results: The mean of alignment was 2.55. "Infrastructure", "partnership", "skills", "communication", "competency" and "governance" were ranked first to sixth (2.78, 2.67, 2.64, 2.63, 2.49, and 2.17). Also, the scoring patterns of alignment dimensions were different in businesses of the organization. Conclusion: The organization was in the second level of alignment maturity and the goal should be the third level. The situation of "infrastructure" and "partnership" was appropriate, but "governance" and "competency" were not favorable. The organization needs a change in the "governance" of IT. It is also necessary to integrate the attitudes of managers in different areas of the organization.
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24- Humphrey WS. Characterizing the software process: a maturity framework. IEEE software, 1988; 5(2): 73-9.
25- Keen P. Do you need an IT strategy? Competing in the information age Strategic alignment in practice Oxford University Press, New York; 1996: 21-42.
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28- Chen L. Business–IT alignment maturity of companies in China. Information & management, 2010; 47(1): 9-16.
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32- Silvius AJG. Business and IT alignment in context: Utrecht University; 2013.
33- Santana Tapia R, Daneva M, van Eck P. Developing an inter-enterprise alignment maturity model: Research challenges and solutions; 2007: 202.
34- Bazrafshan H, Yazdanpanah A. Jandaghi Gh. Strategic alignment of business and IT from the point of view of managers. Management of organizational culture, 2016; 40 (14): 369-88. [Persian]
35- Sharifzadeh F, Sadeghi A, Abadi M. Impact of Information Technology in the Business of Manufacturing Organizations with the Balanced Scorecard of Information Technology Approach. Information Technology Management Studies, 2014; 9 (3): 41-62. [Persian]
36- Manian A, Moussakhani, Zarimirkabad A. Evaluation of Organizational Maturity for Strategic alignment of IT & Business (Multiple Case Study: Braid Samaneh Novin, Caspian Application Systems, and Sepehr Andishe Javan). IT management, 2013; 15 (5): 171-86. [Persian]
37- Seyyedi M, Poursadegh N, Akbarpour S. Measuring strategic alignment in Iranian organizations. Future Studies Management, 2013; 98 (24): 85-98. [Persian]
38- Motadel M, Radfar R, Salehi A. Provides a theoretical framework for assessing IT and business alignment maturity. Public Management Research, 2013; 22 (6): 133-55. [Persian]
_||_1- Luftman J, Kempaiah R. Key issues for IT executives 2007. MIS Quarterly Executive, 2008; 7(2).
2- Luftman J, Wander F, Nathan M, Sutaria H. Drawing ‘align’ in the sand: the cultural shift toward federating IT at guardian life insurance. Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases, 2013; 3(2): 51-9.
3- Derksen B, Luftman J. European key IT and Management Issues & Trends for 2016–Results of an International Study. CIONet; 2016.
4- Robertson TR. The relationship between information technology maturity and business alignment in higher education: A quantitative investigation: CAPELLA UNIVERSITY; 2015.
5- Reich BH, Benbasat I. Measuring the linkage between business and information technology objectives. MIS quarterly; 1996: 55-81.
6- Silvius A. The Impact of National Cultures on Business & IT Alignment. Communications of the IIMA, 2014; 8(2):2.
7- Gerow JE, Grover V, Thatcher JB, Roth PL. Looking toward the future of IT-business strategic alignment through the past: A meta-analysis. Mis Quarterly, 2014; 38(4): 1059-85.
8- Shihab MR, Rahardian I. Comparing the approaches of small, medium, and large organizations in achieving IT and business alignment. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2017; 24(2): 227-41.
9- Coltman T, Tallon P, Sharma R, Queiroz M. Strategic IT alignment: twenty-five years on. Journal of Information Technology, 2015; 30(2): 91-100.
10- Luftman J, Lyytinen K, ben Zvi T. Enhancing the measurement of information technology (IT) business alignment and its influence on company performance. Journal of Information Technology; 2015.
11- Henderson JC, Venkatraman H. Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organizations. IBM systems journal, 1993; 32(1): 472-84.
12- Chan YE, Reich BH. IT alignment: what have we learned? Journal of Information technology, 2007; 22(4): 297-315.
13- Luftman JN, Lewis PR, Oldach SH. Transforming the enterprise: The alignment of business and information technology strategies. IBM systems journal, 1993; 32(1): 198-221.
14- Teo TS, King WR. Assessing the impact of integrating business planning and IS planning. Information & management, 1996; 30(6): 309-21.
15- Maes R, Rijsenbrij D, Truijens O, Goedvolk H. Redefining business: IT alignment through a unified framework. 2000:25.
16- Sabherwal R, Hirschheim R, Goles T. The dynamics of alignment: Insights from a punctuated equilibrium model. Organization Science, 2001; 12(2): 179-97.
17- Avison D, Elliot S. Scoping the discipline of information systems. Information systems: the state of the field; 2006: 3-18.
18- Bergeron F, Raymond L, Rivard S. Fit in strategic information technology management research: an empirical comparison of perspectives. Omega, 2001; 29(2): 125-42.
19- Hu Q, Huang CD, editors. Aligning IT with firm business strategies using the balance scorecard system. System Sciences, 2005 HICSS'05 Proceedings of the 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on; 2005: IEEE.
20- Luftman JN. Applying the strategic alignment model. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996: 43-69.
21- Luftman J, Ben-Zvi T. Key issues for IT executives 2011: Cautious optimism in uncertain economic times. MIS Quarterly Executive, 2011; 10(4).
22- Luftman J. ASSESSING BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT MATURITY; 2000.
23- Nolan RL. Managing the crises in data-processing. Harvard business review, 1979; 57(2): 115-26.
24- Humphrey WS. Characterizing the software process: a maturity framework. IEEE software, 1988; 5(2): 73-9.
25- Keen P. Do you need an IT strategy? Competing in the information age Strategic alignment in practice Oxford University Press, New York; 1996: 21-42.
26- El Mekawy M, Rusu L, Ahmed N, editors. Business and IT alignment: An evaluation of strategic alignment models. World Summit on Knowledge Society; 2009: Springer.
27- Cumps B, Viaene S, Dedene G, Vandenbulcke J, editors. An empirical study on business/ICT alignment in European organizations. System Sciences, 2006 HICSS'06 Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on; 2006: IEEE.
28- Chen L. Business–IT alignment maturity of companies in China. Information & management, 2010; 47(1): 9-16.
29- Silvius AG, de Waal B, editors. Assessing business and IT alignment in educational organizations. Computational Intelligence and Software Engineering (CiSE), 2010 International Conference on; 2010: IEEE.
30- Luftman J, Kempaiah R. An Update on Business-IT Alignment:" A Line" Has Been Drawn. MIS Quarterly Executive, 2007; 6(3).
31- Luftman J, Wander F, Nathan M, Sutaria H. Drawing ‘align’in the sand: the cultural shift toward federating IT at guardian life insurance. Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases, 2013; 3(2): 51-9.
32- Silvius AJG. Business and IT alignment in context: Utrecht University; 2013.
33- Santana Tapia R, Daneva M, van Eck P. Developing an inter-enterprise alignment maturity model: Research challenges and solutions; 2007: 202.
34- Bazrafshan H, Yazdanpanah A. Jandaghi Gh. Strategic alignment of business and IT from the point of view of managers. Management of organizational culture, 2016; 40 (14): 369-88. [Persian]
35- Sharifzadeh F, Sadeghi A, Abadi M. Impact of Information Technology in the Business of Manufacturing Organizations with the Balanced Scorecard of Information Technology Approach. Information Technology Management Studies, 2014; 9 (3): 41-62. [Persian]
36- Manian A, Moussakhani, Zarimirkabad A. Evaluation of Organizational Maturity for Strategic alignment of IT & Business (Multiple Case Study: Braid Samaneh Novin, Caspian Application Systems, and Sepehr Andishe Javan). IT management, 2013; 15 (5): 171-86. [Persian]
37- Seyyedi M, Poursadegh N, Akbarpour S. Measuring strategic alignment in Iranian organizations. Future Studies Management, 2013; 98 (24): 85-98. [Persian]
38- Motadel M, Radfar R, Salehi A. Provides a theoretical framework for assessing IT and business alignment maturity. Public Management Research, 2013; 22 (6): 133-55. [Persian]
