Explorative Study on the Influence of National Cultures on Business/IT Alignment Maturity

Author(s):  
A.J.Gilbert Silvius ◽  
Steven De Haes ◽  
Wim Van Grembergen

A key success factor for a successful company in a dynamic environment is effective and efficient information technology (IT) supporting business strategies and processes. Organizations that successfully align their business strategy and their IT strategy outperform their non-aligned peers (Chan et al., 1997). In recent surveys IT executives consistently name IT to Business alignment their top-concern. The alignment between business needs and IT capabilities is therefore still a prominent area of concern. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the alignment challenge by exploring the impact of (national) cultures on the maturity of business / IT alignment (BIA).The paper relies on Hofstede’s framework of cultural dimensions (Hofstede, 1980) to understand the concept of national culture. After a brief introduction on BIA and Luftman’s framework for measuring BIA maturity (Luftman, 2000), the authors analyze the influence of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on the variables of BIA maturity. This conceptual exercise is than tested in a small-scale empirical exploration by comparing BIA maturity scores of Belgium and Dutch financial institutions. The results support a potential effect of national cultures on BIA maturity, especially in ‘governance maturity’ and ‘skills maturity’, but not all expected results are confirmed.

Author(s):  
A. J. Gilbert Silvius ◽  
Steven De Haes ◽  
Wim Van Grembergen

A key success factor for a successful company in a dynamic environment is effective and efficient information technology (IT) supporting business strategies and processes. Organizations that successfully align their business strategy and their IT strategy outperform their non-aligned peers (Chan et al., 1997). In recent surveys IT executives consistently name IT to Business alignment their top-concern. The alignment between business needs and IT capabilities is therefore still a prominent area of concern. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the alignment challenge by exploring the impact of (national) cultures on the maturity of business / IT alignment (BIA).The paper relies on Hofstede’s framework of cultural dimensions (Hofstede, 1980) to understand the concept of national culture. After a brief introduction on BIA and Luftman’s framework for measuring BIA maturity (Luftman, 2000), the authors analyze the influence of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on the variables of BIA maturity. This conceptual exercise is than tested in a small-scale empirical exploration by comparing BIA maturity scores of Belgium and Dutch financial institutions. The results support a potential effect of national cultures on BIA maturity, especially in ‘governance maturity’ and ‘skills maturity’, but not all expected results are confirmed.


Author(s):  
Kevin K.W. Ho ◽  
Byungjoon Yoo ◽  
Seunghee Yu ◽  
Kar Yan Tam

While previous studies on buy-it-now (BIN) auctions focus on the impact of BIN format on economic performances, our study focuses on factors that affect the level of use of BIN auctions by sellers. We propose a conceptual model where culture and product categories are two important factors on the level of use of BIN auctions. Our empirical investigation shows that the level of use of BIN auctions can be explained by the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. While power distance brings a positive impact, uncertainty avoidance and individualism bring negative impacts on the level of use of BIN auctions by sellers of different countries. Our result also shows that the level of use of BIN auctions by sellers increases with the ease of judging product quality. Our results provide valuable insights for marketplace operators to refine their business strategies and market mechanisms for expanding their businesses to overseas markets.


Author(s):  
Kevin Johnston

The alignment of business strategy with IT strategy has been a concern of chief information officers (CIOs) (Berkman, 2000; Croteau & Bergeron, 2001; Crowley, 2001), chief executive officers (CEOs) (Armstrong, Chamberlain, Moore & Hart, 2002; Mesoy, 1999), academic researchers (Henderson & Venkatraman, 1999; Reich & Benbasat, 2000; Tallon & Kraemer, 2000), and research companies (Broadbent, 2000; Croteau & Bergeron, 2001; Meta Group, 2001) since the age of vacuum tubes. In surveys (Mesoy, 1999) of CIO concerns, alignment has consistently been rated as a major issue. A Cutter study reported that business-IT alignment was “the number one problem facing IT” (Crowley, 2001).


Systems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Tejada-Malaspina ◽  
Alberto Jan

The correct use of information technology (IT) in business is a longstanding critical issue due to the competitive advantages and performance that IT generates when it is managed strategically and correctly aligned with a business’ strategies and processes. A conceptual model is presented to investigate the effects of intangible assets and organizational capabilities on business-IT strategic alignment. Social networks between business and IT executives conform to relational capital that permits the creation of combinative capabilities; these capabilities encourage the transfer, integration, learning, and strategic use of business and IT executives’ knowledge, and affect the level of strategic business-IT alignment. This combination of social-network characteristics and organizational capabilities in order to generate strategic business-IT alignment is new.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Nottebrock ◽  
Mao-Lun Weng ◽  
Matthew T Rutter ◽  
Charles B. Fenster

Using a mechanistic eco-evolutionary trait-based neighborhood-model, we quantify the impact of mutations on spatial interactions to better understand the potential effect of niche evolution through mutations on the population dynamics of Arabidopsis thaliana. We use 100 twenty-fifth generation mutation accumulation (MA) lines (genotypes) derived from one founder genotype to study mutational effects on neighbor responses in a field experiment. We created individual-based maps (15,000 individuals), including phenotypic variation, to quantify mutational effects within genotypes versus between genotypes on reproduction and survival. At small-scale, survival is enhanced but reproduction is decreased when a genotype is surrounded by different genotypes. At large-scale, seed set is facilitated by different genotypes while the same genotype has either no effect or negative effects. Mutations may provide a mechanism for plants to quickly evolve niches and may drive competition, facilitation and selection with profound consequences for future population and community dynamics.


Author(s):  
Sharon F. Dill ◽  
Cynthia Calongne ◽  
Caroline Howard ◽  
Debra Beazley

Companies are increasingly embracing the use of social media in global online communities as an important part of their business strategies. Use of social media enables organizations to extend their reach and engage with customers in a shared community. These provide forums for interacting with customers and collecting information so that companies can better make informed decisions that directly relate to customer needs. However, effective use of social media requires matching both organizational and user requirements with the features of the social media. To support the development of successful social communities, this research uses Hofstede’s dimensions to examine the impact of user’s national culture on social media feature preference in a global international scuba diving online community. Specifically, this paper focuses on the Hofstede’s Individualism and Collectivism (IC) dimension which the study found is a significant determinant of feature preferences.


foresight ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aboobucker Ilmudeen

Purpose Though prior studies have attempted to explore the various effects of managing information technology (IT) investment on firm performance, the mechanism through which management of IT impact on firm performance rests less clear. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of managing IT and business-IT alignment on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the resource-based theory and process theory, this study examines how managing IT impacts business-IT alignment and firm performance. The primary survey of 182 responses from IT and business managers from Sri Lanka was empirically examined. Findings The findings reveal that managing IT has a positive and strong impact on business-IT alignment and firm performance. Further, business-IT alignment partially mediates between managing IT investment and firm performance relationships. Research limitations/implications Today, businesses have invested a massive amount of money in IT investment, and the return on this investment is always a serious concern for managers and industry practitioners. This study finding proposes meaningful insights on managing IT, business-IT alignment and firm performance. Originality/value This study opens up the black box on the above nomological linkage and contributes to the literature by extending the theoretical lenses while suggesting insightful and practical implications.


Author(s):  
Sharon F. Dill ◽  
Cynthia Calongne ◽  
Caroline Howard ◽  
Debra Beazley

Companies are increasingly embracing the use of social media in global online communities as an important part of their business strategies. Use of social media enables organizations to extend their reach and engage with customers in a shared community. These provide forums for interacting with customers and collecting information so that companies can better make informed decisions that directly relate to customer needs. However, effective use of social media requires matching both organizational and user requirements with the features of the social media. To support the development of successful social communities, this research uses Hofstede’s dimensions to examine the impact of user’s national culture on social media feature preference in a global international scuba diving online community. Specifically, this paper focuses on the Hofstede’s Individualism and Collectivism (IC) dimension which the study found is a significant determinant of feature preferences.


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