Reconceptualisation of information technology strategy: Theoretical and practical consequences
Subject Areas : Futurologymazyar ganjoor 1 , Sohrab khalili shavereini 2 , Mahmood Alborzi 3 , Seyed mohammad zargar 4
1 - information technology Engineering group,, Bushehr branch,, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
2 - Associate Professor, Information Technology Management Group, Faculty of Economics and Management, Science and Research branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Associate professor. Information Technology Management Department. Economy and Management Faculty. Islamic Azad University. Science and research branch.
4 - Assistant Professor, Management Group, Faculty of Human Science,semnan branch Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
Keywords: Information technology strategy, systematic review, compendium content analysis, reconceptualizing,
Abstract :
Over fifty years have passed since the introduction of the information technology strategy. This concept has changed drastically due to variations in the basic concepts of strategy, both theoretically and practically. The present study is aimed to examine the historical process of the formation of this concept. Therefore, using the systematic review method and compendium content analysis, a comprehensive search was conducted on different databases. After refining the retrieved documents, they were classified into six categories: methodology of information systems, formal planning, IT strategic planning (including strategic alignment, searching and discovering IT opportunities in the domain of competitive advantage, IT portfolio management, and development of technology policy and architecture), IT capability development, IT micro strategy development and IT platform as a strategy. Then, by studying selected texts, conceptual codes were extracted in accordance with the problem question. The codes are categorized into different categories. Then, five concepts of IT strategy were identified based on basic theories related to each category: IT strategy as a plan, as supporting businesses, as a pattern, as a business transformer, and as a perspective. Results revealed that the two concepts of IT strategy as a plan and as supporting businesses are rarely studied nowadays. Few studies have focused on IT strategy as a pattern, including the experimental examination of the results of this concept in various organizational contexts and the investigation of dynamic capabilities. The concept of IT strategy as a business transformer focuses on the integration of business strategy.