Abstract
Many studies have been performed recently in the United States and Europe examining the nature of, and approach to, strategic planning for Information Technology. Research into the influence of strategic planning on corporate performance has also increased significantly. By contrast, very few studies have been performed on the South African corporate environment both to confirm or deny alignment with overseas studies or to determine the strategic issues concerning senior management. This was the purpose of this exploratory study. The responses of senior management in 26 large organizations are analysed. The results indicate a need for extensive management education. After examining the South African situation the authors conclude with a number of assertions which could become the focus of subsequent studies.
Highlights
Information Technology (IT), from attempting to improve operational efficiency in the early days of computing, has in recent times adopted a strategic mantle in many organizations
There are many documented cases where IT has been used in support of the competitive or generic strategies of the organization (Pyburn, 1983; Radford, 1978; Wiseman, 1985). Because of this pervasive role, the importance of strategic planning for IT has been highlighted in many articles (Bruwer, 1987; Dickson et al. 1984; Sullivan, 1985; Sullivan & Smart, 1987; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1987)
In studies to determine the key issues of senior Information Systems (IS} management in the United States, strategic IT planning has consistently ranked first (Ball & Harris, 1982; Dickson et al, 1984; Hartog & Herbert, 1986; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1987)
Summary
Information Technology (IT), from attempting to improve operational efficiency in the early days of computing, has in recent times adopted a strategic mantle in many organizations. There are many documented cases where IT has been used in support of the competitive or generic strategies of the organization (Pyburn, 1983; Radford, 1978; Wiseman, 1985) Because of this pervasive role, the importance of strategic planning for IT has been highlighted in many articles (Bruwer, 1987; Dickson et al. 1984; Sullivan, 1985; Sullivan & Smart, 1987; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1987). In studies to determine the key issues of senior Information Systems (IS} management in the United States, strategic IT planning has consistently ranked first (Ball & Harris, 1982; Dickson et al, 1984; Hartog & Herbert, 1986; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1987) With this prominence one could reasonably expect first of all that senior IS personnel were paying significant attention to the function of planning. It was exploratory in nature and the statistical analyses emphasized explanatory rather than formal hypothesis-testing techniques
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