The Importance of Aligning IT Strategy and an Organization's Business Strategy: A Case Study of Metalco

The purpose of this article is to illuminate the need for any organization to have its IT strategy and business strategy properly aligned. While many organizations view IT and business alignment as an event – it is actually an on-going process, or continuous journey. Therefore, the main problem is that many organizations of today still hold these two principles (business mission & IT strategy) as two separate entities. However, in the Information Age – collaboration is key to capturing and retaining market penetration. To not have alignment with the IT and business strategy together is not a matter of want it is a matter of survival. This report will expand upon the need for business and IT strategic alignment as well as examine what happens in lack of a comprehensive plan. This will be done by examining the Vermont Teddy Bear company prior to and after the arrival of Bob Stetzel, the Vice President of Information Technology. This document will view it findings and make recommendations on the immediate and future operations of the company.

The original business strategy, which is still not fully implemented or thought out, is still intact and being somewhat utilized. Part of getting from where we are now to where we want to go, is to put together a comprehensive business and growth strategy plan that, brings about the most results. The original business strategy resembled that of a small business that had the most growth with the least risk. With little risk also means little or no technology. The company has changed, the competition is more intense and the economy is weakened. A new strategy that aligns with technology is essential in order to be successful. As business and technology have become increasingly intertwined, the strategic alignment of the two has emerged as a major corporate issue. With the emergence of IT from the back room to the forefront of business brings the alignment issue under the spotlight like never before. And as

The essence of a partnership is that it is collaboration amongst equals, with the recognition that by working

IT Governance is an internal IT strategy used to analyze and prioritize current and future IT projects through the IT governance process. It involves assessing current projects, defining future vision, and ensuring project road maps are structured properly. “Good governance enables you to make and implement better decisions faster, and provides the foundation for weaving together business and IT strategies (Broadbent, Kitzis, 2005).

Although partners learn from each other through alliances, promoting inter-firm learning happens when all participants acknowledge a number of critical factors that help or hinder collaboration (Dickson et al., 1997). Compatibility is a critical factor when companies decide to join with one another, and management on both sides examine if the partnership will deliver desired results (Dickson et al., 1997). Although partnering with businesses that offer

“We all have competencies. They are the sum of our experiences and the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes we have acquired during our lifetime” (Pickett, 1998, p. 103). A successful organization will have a set of competencies defined. Having competencies identified outlines the framework of standards that a company and employees should follow. There is a tendency to list a large number of competencies when creating the standards for an organization. Companies should focus on five to seven key core competencies that are needed in order to be successful. The core competencies should encompass the growth of the company, staff, and public perception.

Henderson, J., & Venkatraman, N. (1993). Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organizations. IBM Systems Journal, 32(1), 472-484.

4.What new internal IT capabilities will have to be developed in order to create an IT department to support AgCredit’s future business architecture?

Our course pack touches on the concept of “structure follow strategy” and then is quoted saying, “U.S. Corporations evolved over

To have a great partnership there must be a mutual understanding of all resources available to them. There must be some level of trust which is built over time through team building. It is imperative for the success of the partnership to have clear short term and long term goals. Each partner should have a clear understanding of the shared mission and goals with defined roles and responsibilities. All data collected should be used purposely for assessments, planning, implementation, and evaluation purposes.

The Competing Values Competency Questionnaire is a tool to help you assess your development as a managerial leader with respect to the four quadrants of the competing values framework.*

Copyright 2009 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America This chapter was originally published as chapter 1 of The Adventures of an IT Leader, copyright 2009 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the

Alignment of an enterprise’s goals with its IT1 and IS1 systems has been a challenge ever since IT became a business enabler. Proposing an IT alignment requires a thorough understanding of the business goals of the enterprise and the knowledge that alignment is an iterative process which requires constant measurement and honing (Chan, 2002). Enterprises often face the problem of balance of priorities between IT and Business objectives. This report deals with one such case that faced alignment and prioritization hardships resulting in an unclear approach to achieve a corporate strategy.

Achieving business and IT alignment is a difficult task. To accomplish this, IT strategy should closely support business goals. According to Schiller (2015), the misalignment of business and IT strategy results from issues in one of these 5 areas of IT alignment; Strategy-Driven, Operational, Calendar, Economic or Cultural alignment. Breaking down the IT alignment process into these 5 parts can make business and IT strategy alignment easier to accomplish. Priority should be given to business and IT alignment in the overall strategic plan of a

Frenzel (2004) claimed that to be successful, a firm’s IT management team must take action on the following critical areas: business management issues; strategic and competitive issues; planning and implementation concerns; and operational items. If for any reason, the organisation experiences difficulties in the above areas, the manager will need to set goals and objectives to overcome and prevent these issues.