Narrative enquiry into service excellence in uncertainty: Contributions of business and information technology strategic alignment in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Due to the evolution of knowledge, running a business in the twenty first century has significantly changed. Companies are now forced to become more competitive and creative within a context of uncertainty. Despite these challenges, these companies must still thrive and successfully deliver their products and services to their target and future customers. Zimbabwe experienced two periods of economic crisis that threatened the survival of businesses that were operating in the country. Yet when some businesses collapsed others survived. Through a narrative enquiry research study method, the author sought to identify if the strategic alignment of business and IT strategies helped Zimbabwean companies gain a strategic advantage in this context of uncertainty, thereby helping them overcome the two periods of uncertainty. Ten, one-on-one interviews were conducted to gather the views of business leaders in Zimbabwe. Numerous aspects of the respondents narratives were revealed as the interviews were done. The respondents mentioned that a strategic alignment of IT and business strategies would help their companies overcome the current period of uncertainty. The findings also found that other factors would need to be accommodated and implemented to complement strategic alignment.