Business-IT Alignment Maturity Diagnosis of a Health Organization using Luftman’s SAM Model

Abstract

Information technologies (ITs) provide optimization, service improvement, and a higher level of competitiveness, adding value to organizations’ strategic results and enabling the implementation of digital transformation initiatives. However, organizations must achieve high alignment between business and IT strategies in order to maximize these contributions. Researchers have proposed various methods to improve alignment and have created measurement instruments to assess it within an organization. One of the most recognized is Luftman’s SAM model (strategic alignment maturity model), which has a scale of five alignment levels and evaluates six dimensions. This work assesses the degree of alignment between business and IT units within a healthcare entity in Villavicencio (Colombia) using the Luftman instrument. The results indicate that the organization has a maturity level of 2, which denotes a low alignment. The organization needs to strengthen its IT unit and increase its participation in strategic planning.