Scenario-Based Assessment of Information Technology Alignment and Misalignment: Incorporating User Perspectives
Open Access
- Author:
- Whitt, Heather
- Graduate Program:
- Informatics
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 16, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Rosalie Ocker, Major Field Member
Steven Haynes, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Edward Glantz, Major Field Member
James Thomas, Outside Unit & Field Member
Carleen Maitland, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- scenario-based methods
IT alignment - Abstract:
- Information technology (IT) alignment refers to the relationship between an organization's goals and the impact of its IT systems on performance towards these goals. Managing IT alignment and misalignment requires an ability to assess this relationship. Most previous research has focused on assessing alignment at the strategic and operational levels of the organization without considering the individual user-IT interaction level. Recent research has recognized the importance of including users' perspectives in IT alignment models and frameworks, but assessment methods are slow to include the individual level. Scenario-based methods are effective for collecting, organizing, and analyzing user-IT interactions, particularly in human-computer interaction. This study explores a scenario-based method called SUMMIT-Align to assess IT alignment and misalignment from the perspective of individual users. The aim is to provide value to IT practitioners at the strategic and operational levels by providing a method for assessment. SUMMIT-Align was applied in a university case study to assess alignment and misalignment between user perspectives of IT use and the organization’s strategic IT objectives. The assessment results provide a detailed account of the SUMMIT-Align method, the advantages and challenges of using scenario-based methods this way, and insights into alignment and misalignment issues. This work contributes to human computer interaction and information technology alignment disciplines by providing a method to explicitly link strategic IT objectives and the perspectives of people who use technologies.