Over the last 30 to 35 years, a lot of research has been conducted on corporations using information technology (IT) to achieve business goals. This systematic review of existing research on the subject assesses several studies that deal with business and IT strategy alignment and presents the findings of each study in one comprehensive report.

The authors have done an excellent job of synthesizing the major studies to determine the average degree of fit and integration between business strategy and IT across the studies. Their methodology is primarily a meta-analysis or textual analysis of the existing literature on the subject. They aim to understand what these research studies have to say about the effectiveness of business-IT alignment.

The assessment reveals that the degree of business and IT alignment varies with the size of the organization. The smaller the organization, the more likely it is to achieve alignment. As companies grow, communication barriers worsen as staff members who would normally benefit from close proximity are relocated to separate floors, buildings, departments, or even entirely different cities. For this reason, small, localized project teams have a higher probability of achieving alignment than large organizations.

The studies also show that many companies do not achieve alignment at the enterprise level because of organizational and cultural barriers. For example, as high-speed Internet has improved and matured, some organizations have embraced the use of virtual technology for employees to work remotely, which also reduces the need for expensive real estate. At the same time, other companies have shied away from the practice for various reasons, including the loss of control over subordinates, the desire to maintain a separation of personal and professional life, the concern that telecommuting will reduce productivity, and so on. The authors also found that people are reluctant to embrace change due to fear of the unknown, while others have limited knowledge of how to fully exploit new technologies.

This work is a must-read for anyone interested in studies on the alignment of business strategy with information technology. From alignment challenges and motivations to the success of alignment in different industries, the authors successfully answer ten review questions and outline a path forward for future research on the subject.