1999/01/01 by John C. Henderson, J. C. Henderson, H. Venkatraman +1 · 5 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · #Big Data and Business Intelligence #Information Technology Governance and Strategy #Innovation and Knowledge Management
paper · doi:10.1147/sj.1999.5387096
crossref issued 1999/01/01 · crossref published 1999/01/01 · crossref published-print 1999/01/01 · openalex publication_date 1999/01/01 · crossref created 2010/04/05 · crossref deposited 2017/11/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We have been asked on numerous occasions: “Which alignment perspective is the best?” As researchers and observers of strategic management phenomena, we do not believe that there is one universally superior mode to formulate and implement strategy. If there were, it would not be strategic because all firms would adopt it. The four dominant alignment perspectives that use the two strategies as the driver are equally useful and powerful in thinking about the role of I/T in organizational transformation. Indeed, we urge managers not to consider I/T as a panacea and consequently focus only on those two perspectives with I/T strategy as the starting point (namely, competitive potential and service level). Nor do we want to argue that business strategy should always be the starting point and adopt only the other two perspectives on strategic alignment. The potential for I/T impact is so varied and complex that the executive must consider these perspectives as alternative conceptual lenses and be prepared to continuously make adaptations.