IT Alignment: A Path Towards Digital Transformation Success

Abstract

One of the complex tasks for leaders in organisations going through digital transformation is managing the interplay between emerging technologies and organisations’ settings—organisational design, business processes and overall organisational goals (i.e., a phenomenon referred to as IT alignment). Despite the recognition of the link between IT alignment and digital transformation, we still know little about how IT alignment can be improved to realise successful digital transformation. Based on the analysis of 31 interviews and internal organisational documents in two public organisations, we identified five categories of determinant factors influencing IT alignment. The findings were used to formulate a model theorising a relationship between these factors and IT alignment in organisations during digital transformation. Quantitative data, collected through an online survey from 426 respondents within the public sector, was used to validate the theoretical model. The final result confirms that public organisations’ attempts to improve IT alignment results in the success of their digital transformation. The result of our study has implications for research and practice as it identifies and ranks the degree of influence of various factors on IT alignment.